The Library supports the publication of either whole books via the CaltechAUTHORS repository or we can work with authors to create dynamic books hosted on the web and preserved with a permanent DOI in the CaltechDATA repository. This page describes several examples of books that the Library helped publish and the support offered for each.

Dynamic eBooks

Atlas of Bacterial and Archaeal Cell Structure and The Research Data Management Workbook

Atlas of Bacterial and Archaeal Cell Structure by Catherine Oikonomou and Grant Jensen is an experiment in open-access textbook publishing, aiming to take full advantage of the digital medium to showcase state-of-the-art 3D scientific imaging. The book draws on the specialized expertise of the Jensen Laboratory at Caltech in state-of-the art 3D cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM). In partnership with the Caltech Library, authors Jensen and Oikonomou were able to develop an interactive publication that allowed them to offer much richer content, with movies to show the 3D data and flexible navigation options for readers to tailor their experience.

The Research Data Management Workbook by Kristin Briney is a collection of exercises for researchers to improve their data management and to supplement existing data management education.

For this type of book, the Library can:

• Contribute staff knowledge of the Bookdown software used to create the book
• Connect the authors with a developer for a customized version of Bookdown
• Host the interactive version online via the Library’s GitHub account
• Host the PDF versions of the book in a Library repository
• Host book media, such as videos, in the CaltechDATA repository
• Obtain ISBN numbers for the different versions of the book
• Minted DOIs for all content in the repository

Static eBooks

Out-of-Print Books: Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry and More

The most popular book in the CaltechAUTHORS repository is Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry, second edition by John Roberts and Marjorie Caserio. This now-out-of-print textbook has been downloaded over 1 million times and demonstrates the power of making print books available again electronically.

CaltechAUTHORS hosts many other out-of-print textbooks, including:

• Chemical Bonds: An Introduction to Atomic and Molecular Structure by Gray
• Calculus III by Marsden and Weinstein
• Fundamentals of Air Pollution Engineering by Flagen and Seinfeld

For this type of book, the Library can:

• Help negotiate with publishers to reclaim rights to out-of-print books
• Scan print copies to convert them into electronic editions
• Host copies of books in the CaltechAUTHORS repository
• Mint a DOI for the hosted version of the book

New Books: Phase Transitions in Materials and More

Phase Transitions in Materials: Advanced Topics by Brent Fultz is a textbook that explains the thermodynamics and kinetics of most of the important phase transitions in materials science. The textbook is still in print and the Library helped the author negotiate with the publisher to make a copy of the book available in the CaltechAUTHORS repository.

Adventure Hikes and Canyoneering in the San Gabriels by Christopher Brennan was self-published and also made available in CaltechAUTHORS. This book never had a print edition.

The Library is also happy to be the first publisher of a traditional, static book. Crossing Over: Art and Science at Caltech, 1920–2020, edited by Peter Collopy and Claudia Bohn-Spector, is an example of this type of book. Crossing Over is the catalog for the exhibition of the same name that was held at Caltech from September 27 to December 15, 2024. Print copies of the catalog are also available for purchase.

For this type books, the Library can:

• Help negotiate with publishers to post electronic copies of books still in print
• Post copies of books that are self-published or never had a publisher
• Host copies of books in the CaltechAUTHORS repository
• Obtain ISBN numbers and mint DOIs for this type of book