| Vol. 23, No. 3 | February 1996 | ISSN 1063-9136 |
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replacement of the CD-ROM with online delivery of "oversize" files, the investigation of the potential establishment of mirror sites to ensure speedy network access, the bundling of ApJ and ApJ Supplement in the electronic version.
The processing of electronically submitted manuscripts from AASTex through SGML and finally typesetting was fine-tuned. Editors were trained for SGML. Because this process is now stabilized, papers submitted electronically appear one or two issues earlier than they otherwise would have done.
The AIP report included many items not directly related to the AAS publishing program which I will not repeat here. Of particular interest to the AAS pub board was the development of a toolkit to enable authors to submit manuscripts in WordPerfect/Word and the development of SGML front end editing system which will "represent a complete 're-engineering' of the publication process..[leading to] a comprehensive SGML-formatted data resource of all publication data." AIP has installed the Netscape Communications Server which will allow for, among other things, "the capability to securely conduct commerce via the Internet/Web, including the exchange of credit card information." |
Of interest to astronomy librarians was the news that the translation journals (e.g. Astronomy Report and Astronomy Letters) will be among the first to go electronic at AIP (in 1997).
By the way, AIP publishes Electronic Publishing News out of its Woodbury office. Peggy Judd is the editor.
Soon will no longer be the yellow pages but rather the online index entitled Papers Submitted to North American Astronomical Publications. The index will remain substantially the same, just the nickname is to be removed. Paper production will be phased out. It is now available online (or through the AAS homepage) Solar Physics has been added, bringing the total number of journals included to nine.
A policy of minimum standards for all Web Pages displaying the AAS logo and a mechanism for approving the use of the AAS logo etc. on pages mounted outside the AAS executive office (e.g. by divisions) will be put into place.
In keeping with the new emphasis on teaching and education both in terms of promotion and tenure committees etc. and also at the AAS itself, the possibility of publishing refereed papers dealing with astronomy education was discussed. No definite plan of action came out of this discussion, but the possibilities will be investigated. Physics Teacher was mentioned as already including astronomy articles (although when I looked at |
it, I was not impressed with the quantity) as well as Mercury.
And then we had lunch!
(AAS)
Highlights of the January 1996 meeting in San Antonio submitted by Jane Holmquist
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