Converting an SGML/XML Hybrid to TEI-XML: The Case of the Internet Shakespeare Editions

Abstract

In late 2018, the Internet Shakespeare Editions (ISE) software experienced catastrophic code failure. In this paper, we describe the boutique markup language used by the ISE (known as IML for ISE Markup Language), various fundamental differences between IML and TEI, and the challenging work of converting and remediating the ISEʼs IML-encoded files. Our central question is how to do this work in a principled, efficient, well documented, replicable, and transferable way. We conclude with recommendations for re-encoding legacy projects and stabilizing them for long-term preservation.