Abstract

Digital publishing is still in its infancy, but it is useful to relate what
might be called the prologue to the history of digital publishing
in French in Quebec. This article presents the actors who have
contributed, and continue to contribute, to the transition from
print to digital culture in Quebec. It offers a panoramic view of this
transition in the various publishing genres from newspapers and
magazines, to journals, books, theses, dictionaries, bibliographical
databases, and legal texts. A typology of the actors working in these
different genres emerges, comprising publisher, aggregator (general or
specialist), distributor, production technician, retailer, and librarian.
The builders of Quebec’s digital publishing milieu are acknowledged
through brief descriptions of their projects and enterprises. Many of
them have displayed a notable capacity to engage in the development
of new models for the production and diffusion of culture and
research. The quality of their products, services, and expertise has
been recognized several times over through international partnerships
and co-operative ventures.