Why did ICPSR begin producing codebooks as EPUB files?

There are several reasons for this transition:

1. The software supporting the (historic) creation of ICPSR PDF codebooks is no longer supported and required ICPSR to find an alternate approach to supplying codebook files as of July 1, 2024. Note however, that in most instances, PDF codebooks for printing will continue to be produced.
2. The U.S. federal government and many organizations, including most universities, have mandated that shared files meet 508 compliance and web content accessibility requirements. Sharing study codebooks as EPUBs makes these files accessible and meets accessibility requirements.