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Re: Fwd: IT Online

Dear Syd

Mike's comments below are interesting. I think the important point is not how 
much material is put online, but how easy it is to find material and how can 
the user can get to the most useful information in as few clicks as possible. 
In this context, we see it is very important to have good navigation and 
searching for the online International Tables and that this will need to be 
distinctly different from that used in the journals service. I like the idea 
of constructing themed pages such as Mike suggests, i.e. all the mathematical 
formulae relevant to crystallography or pages say for biological 
crystallographers, but would expect these to link to the fuller explanations 
in the relevant chapters. What we are doing as a first priority to to get the 
backbone of the volumes (all the chapters and individual sections) online, 
but then would want to add themed navigation as a layer on top of this. We 
would, of course, need to commission authors/editors for the themed pages. 

Best wishes
Peter  



On Monday 14 March 2005 1:08 am, Sydney Hall wrote:
> Attached is input from Mike Glazer. Your comments
> on these suggestions are encouraged.
> ------
> Professor Sydney R. Hall
> School Biomedical & Chemical Sciences
> University of Western Australia
> Crawley, 6009  AUSTRALIA.
> Ph: +61 (8) 6488 2725
> Fx: +61 (8) 6488 1118
> "Data data everywhere but not a thought to think!" - Theodore Roszak
> 
> 
> 
> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> >
> > 1. Our subject has the  benefits of a good deal of mathematics,
> > reference material as well as images, and so we should try to make use
> > of this.
> >
> > 2. There is little point in making electronic versions of the existing
> > books per se with all the descriptive bits but it is better to extract
> > those items that are useful reference material. If one simply copied 
> > the
> > books onto the web it would get in the way of finding the material one
> > is seeking.  Too much verbage on web pages is something that I find
> > annoying. If you want to have all the text put on the web then I 
> > suggest
> > that it is separated from the actual reference material.
> >
> > 3. So I would favour making the information as succinct as possible but
> > at the same time readily accessible.
> >
> > 4. For example, pages could be constructed giving all the mathematical
> > formulae relevant to crystallography, without the need necessary to
> > explain the derivations etc (this could be added as a link but should
> > not get in the way of the presentation).
> >
> > 5. Similarly with respect to say Vol D tensor tables would be given.
> >
> 
> 

-- 

Best wishes

Peter Strickland
Managing Editor
IUCr Journals

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