MIT Press Rolls out New Version of Online Cognitive Science Resource CogNet with Help from Data Conversion Laboratory's Expertise in Complex Conversion

FRESH MEADOWS, N.Y., Oct. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), a leader in conversion of complex documents across all industries and formats, has proven instrumental in the successful rollout of the newly enhanced MIT CogNet. A product of MIT Press, one of the nation's largest, most respected academic publishers, MIT CogNet is an institutional subscription database consisting of 6 academic journals, 12 cornerstone reference works and more than 700 books spanning all of the cognitive sciences.

"When planning the MIT CogNet upgrade, we knew that our internal resources would need to be devoted primarily to software development and Q&A, and so we'd need help with content conversion," said Bill Trippe, Director of Technology at MIT Press. "Based on our past work with DCL, we have come to rely on them as our go-to vendor for converting complex material, accurately and on schedule." For this project, DCL converted two of MIT Press' most significant reference books – foundational works in the cognitive sciences, representing the works of some of the leading thinkers in the world. These volumes include complex mathematics, tables and images, requiring DCL's signature attention to ensuring that all data retained the appropriate structuring and formatting schema, as prescribed by their respective academic disciplines.

A significant difficulty during the early development of the new version of CogNet was trying to achieve the best presentation of the book's content. When a catalog search presented a PDF chapter from a book in CogNet, the source of the book was not obvious to the end user. DCL worked with MIT Press to solve this issue with a simple, one-page opening to all book chapters that includes MIT Press and CogNet branding, along with other pertinent information on the source of the content. These additional pages are now created dynamically from the original document's XML metadata.

The timing of the rollout of the enhanced version of MIT CogNet was of paramount importance. Academic librarians assess their subscription databases in late summer and fall, so having a new, functional version available was critical from a marketing perspective.

"Working with MIT Press and contributing to CogNet development has been very gratifying," adds Mark Gross, President and CEO of Data Conversion Laboratory. "With the platform and process now in place, MIT Press has the tools to quickly launch similar products focused on different disciplines. DCL looks forward to being a vital partner in those efforts."

About MIT CogNet

Authoritative and unrivaled, MIT CogNet is the essential research tool for scholars in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Since its inception in 2000, MIT CogNet has become an indispensable resource for those interested in cutting-edge primary research across the range of fields that study the nature of the human mind. 2015 marks the launch of a new, enhanced MIT CogNet.

About Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc. (DCL)

DCL (www.dclab.com) is a leader in helping organizations grow the value of their content assets investment. With digitization and content management expertise across multiple industries including publishing, life sciences, government, manufacturing, technology and professional organizations, DCL uses its advanced technology and U.S.-based project management teams to help solve the most complex conversion challenges securely, accurately and on time. Founded in 1981, DCL was named one of EContent's Top 100 Companies in the Digital Content Industry in 2014 for the fourth straight year.

Contact: Ariane Doud, Warner Communications, (978) 283-2674, Email

SOURCE Data Conversion Laboratory

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