EPUB-labs is intended to be an informal, open development
space, with associated mailing list, for ebook and media
developers to begin exploring the best ways of achieving
support for enhanced transmedia and internationalization
experiences for ebooks.  epub-labs is intended to foster
discussion of best practices for html5, css v2/v3, and
other technologies for enhanced ebooks, in both web-based
and more traditional package delivery formats.

epub-labs is not an IDPF program, and it is not part of the
official IDPF standards development process.  Nor is it a
part of IDPF's Maintenance Group activities supporting the
current EPUB specification.  The formalization of new EPUB
standards will proceed through an official IDPF epub track.

epub-labs will serve as an adjunct to official standards
process guided by the IDPF by providing a open framework to
demonstrate test implementations and obtain open feedback and
community improvement.  However, IDPF is obviously free to
avail itself of the work of epub-labs in its specification
process, the development of reference implementations, or
test and verification suites.  Strong associations and on-
going communication exist between the principals behind the
epub-labs community, IDPF, and AAP Digital Issues Working
Group.

epub-labs invites "attachments" and associations with any
existing community developer efforts supporting the epub
ecosystem.

epub-labs is intended to be a commons.  No restricted
content IP should be brought into the environment.  Eg.,
complete proprietary packaged ebooks available on the
commercial market will not produce optimal community
results.  (Proposed technical standards may possess IP
entanglements; the epub-labs forum will discuss their
relative merits -- video codecs being a poster child).

Please submit samples, trial excerpts, and demos based on
public domain materials whenever possible.  All enhancements,
whether video, textual, audio, or geographic should point to
items in the public domain or possessing CC licenses that
permit non-commercial use (acknowledging the terms of the
CC license).

I propose that we use the following text as a sample
whenever appropriate.  Of course, other texts can be
used as well.

Letters and Speeches of the Honorable John F. Fitzgerald
http://www.archive.org/details/lettersspeecheso00fitz

The source repository is hosted at github - if this is
unsatisfactory, it can be changed or moved.

http://github.com/internetarchive/epub-labs

The Internet Archive is hosting this facility, however we do
not desire to intervene beyond necessary site maintenance and
our own developers' participation.  We will not apply a claim
to any IP, content, or materials deposited on the site by
other parties.

A mailing list is available for subscription at:

http://mail.archive.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/epub-labs

If other community tools can or should be added, please do
not hesitate to make suggestions through the list.

Thank you, and daemons' speed!