The Inorganic Database, the IUCr, and Electronic Dissemination of Information

Phil Coppens

Undoubtedly, publication of the four sections of Acta Crystallographica, the Journal of Applied Crystallography, the Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, and the International Tables of Crystallography are among the most important activities of the Union. All of these are affected by the still accelerating developments in electronic communication started in the past decade. In addition to already existing databases, electronic journals and electronic libraries may become the chief means of communication in the not-so-distant future, and we should look ahead to that time.

There are two aspects to electronic publishing, which are author-to-publisher and publisher-to-user communication, the word publishing meaning to include all components of checking, refereeing, and editing. Acta C with its large amount of numerical information is the most obvious candidate for adoption of the new methods. Syd Hall, Acta C's Section Editor, has been placing strong emphasis on submission of CIF files, which greatly simplify the handling and eliminate typesetting, thus speeding up publication and reducing cost. CIF files are now also becoming the preferred means of submission of structural data to journals of the American Chemical Society.

The electronic databases are part of the publisher-to-user communication. The Chester office has over the years cooperated closely with the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center. I am happy to report that the IUCr has now reached an agreement with the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD) of the Fachinformationszentrum Karlsruhe (FIZ) under which the database will be made available at a very reasonable price to academic and other not-for-profit users, and a procedure will be worked out for joint checking and direct transmission of CIF files from Chester to Karlsruhe. Copies of the database on CD-ROM can be ordered using the form printed in this Newsletter. It is our hope and expectation that this arrangement will lead to widespread use of ICSD and to the rapid availability of inorganic structural information.

Beyond submission of papers and the use of databases is the advent of electronic libraries and electronically published journals. Recent issues of Science have carried reports on an electronic Physics journal with optional refereeing, with the tacit assumption that non-refereed articles will carry that much less clout. Most scientists may not be ready to eliminate paper altogether, especially for manuscripts based on theory and discussion, but electronic versions of journals will likely become the preferred choice for some, and perhaps the means of distribution for all of us (bypassing the postal service?). The International Tables are certainly prime candidates for electronic distribution. The means for charging for such a service are not obvious; since it is so easy to send papers electronically, how does one prevent unauthorized redistribution? The IUCr will have to work with its publishers and with other Scientific Societies to find answers to such questions.

An announcement on the availability of ICSD can be found elsewhere in this issue. I hope that its use will be widespread.