Discussion List Archives

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Annual Report on the EPC for the IUCr

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

--Boundary_(ID_oY80z3OmqE/pBIbs7uFcig)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

I forgot the attachment as usual!

-- 
Howard Flack        http://www.unige.ch/crystal/ahdf/Howard.Flack.html
Laboratoire de Cristallographie               Phone: 41 (22) 702 62 49
24 quai Ernest-Ansermet             mailto:Howard.Flack@cryst.unige.ch
CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland                   Fax: 41 (22) 702 61 08

--Boundary_(ID_oY80z3OmqE/pBIbs7uFcig)
Content-type: text/plain; name=1998.rep.draft.txt; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-disposition: inline; filename=1998.rep.draft.txt
Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable



<H2>IUCr 1998 Report - Committee on Electronic Publishing, Dissemination =
and Storage of Information</H2>

<P>
<I>Information Services</I>: The EPC has continued its task as editorial =
body for the on-line web information services of the IUCr. A high priorit=
y is set on providing up-to-date information of use to the whole crystall=
ographic community. The design of the pages has been restyled and a highe=
r degree of uniformity of presentation has been achieved. The current des=
ign is judged by many to be rather austere but a considerable amount of w=
ork and design talent would be required to modify this. It is not evident=
 that a much increased penetration of the community would result. The wor=
k of maintaining the content continues to be operated on a distributed ba=
sis with the major part of the input coming from Chester, Geneva and Pari=
s. Further extension of the content requires the collaboration of the com=
missions, committees, editors of the IUCr and individual crystallographer=
s. The functionning and software of the mirroring mechanism and its under=
lying file structure have been revamped. This has resulted in a greatly i=
mproved speed and efficiency in the file transfer and in the need for red=
uced storage space on the mirror servers. There is still a need for furth=
er mirrors to serve the needs of local communities whose access is limite=
d by slow international  transfer. National committees and regional assoc=
iates with a responsibility for areas that are currently poorly served ar=
e encouraged to make all possible effort to set up mirror servers.


<P> =

<I>List Server</I>: An IUCr e-mail based discussion list server was put i=
nto operation in early 1998. For this purpose the EPC drafted a <I>Policy=
 document on Creation and Management of IUCr Mail lists</I> which receive=
d the approval of the IUCr Executive Committee. The IUCr list server prov=
ides facilities for e-mail based discussion lists on topics relevant to t=
he Union and the field of crystallography. It can greatly facilitate the =
work of IUCr commissions, committees, <I>etc</I>. At present the server i=
s only lightly used.


<P>
<I>World Directory of Crystallographers</I>: A functional specification f=
or a new implementation of WDC as a relational database using technology =
parallel to, but not directly integrated into the IUCr-editorial-office p=
roduction database is currently at the discussion stage. The design of th=
is database is centered around the need to allow rapid, but supervised, u=
pdating of records in a secure manner. It is intended that it should be p=
ossible to consult the database on-line by a variety of the most popular =
industry-standard protocols. =



<P>
<I>Glasgow CD-ROM</I>: The EPC is collaborating in the project to produce=
 the CD-ROM for the 18th IUCr Congress and General Assembly in Glasgow, A=
ugust 1999. This is the first time the IUCr ventures into the realm of pu=
blication on CD-ROM. On arrival, Congress participants and, in September,=
 1999 subscribers to <I>Acta Crystallographica</I> A will receive a copy =
of the CD-ROM. Printed copies of the congress abstract book will be  dist=
ributed to congress participants but not to subscribers to <I>Acta Crysta=
llographica</I> A. The CD-ROM is sponsored by a commercial organization. =
The CD-ROM will contain the Congress abstracts, the sponsoring organizati=
on's web site, a selection from the IUCr's web information service, inclu=
ding the General Assembly papers, and the contents of a book, now out of =
print, for which the IUCr holds the copyright. Many aspects concerning th=
e design and technical aspects of this production were discussed at a mee=
ting in Chester in November 1998 between the Congress organizers, the spo=
nsoring organization, the EPC, the Promotions Officer and the Executive S=
ecretary. The scanning and digitization of the book by a commercial servi=
ce will also provide excellent experience for the electronification of al=
l back numbers of the IUCr journals.  =



<P>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
On-line access for Journal content in Acta D.  Healthgate. Managing edito=
r visited Healthgate at the time of the ACA meeting.
Must say something about this but what exactly?
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D


<P>
<I>Checking</I>: Contacts are being pursued with some other learned socie=
ties and publishers concerning the checking of their crystal structure da=
ta. It is projected that the web interface and criteria used for the chec=
king of these data for <I>Acta Crystallographica</I> C could be adapted t=
o the needs and requirements of the other interested parties as individua=
l joint developments with participation in costs. =



<P>
The EPC was happy to welcome L.M.D. Cranswick as a new member appointed b=
y the IUCr Executive Committee. The chairman of the EPC visited the IUCr =
editorial office in Chester, UK in November 1998.


<P>
H. D. Flack (Chairman),  L.M.D. Cranswick, Y. Epelboin, B. McMahon, P. St=
rickland.

--Boundary_(ID_oY80z3OmqE/pBIbs7uFcig)--

Reply to: [list | sender only]
International Union of Crystallography

Scientific Union Member of the International Science Council (admitted 1947). Member of CODATA, the ISC Committee on Data. Partner with UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in the International Year of Crystallography 2014.

International Science Council Scientific Freedom Policy

The IUCr observes the basic policy of non-discrimination and affirms the right and freedom of scientists to associate in international scientific activity without regard to such factors as ethnic origin, religion, citizenship, language, political stance, gender, sex or age, in accordance with the Statutes of the International Council for Science.

Useful links