The AAS electronic resource

Abstract

Recent experience is helping to sharpen our understanding of how the electronic world differs from the centuries-old, paper-based communication methods. The electronic future is highly interlinked, with all different types of information being included in the web of available resources. The enhanced ability to interchange information electronically improves the effectiveness of communication. At this time the author community does not make full use of the new capabilities. Most astronomers writing for electronic distribution have been slow to adopt new styles of presentation which exploit the new capabilities inherent in the electronic environment. By working together and sharing the burden, the community's resources can be multiplied. A coordinated distributed effort can yield a much more valuable product than any single person or group. Long term archiving and site maintenance are important responsibilities for publishers of electronic scholarly information. Ensuring access to electronic information into the foreseeable future takes planning from the beginning, and requires cooperation between the publishers, libraries, and other scholarly institutions.