Preface

Although this is the March issue preface, it was composed in early January, a time which triggered two peripheral thoughts., One was simply that the shorter lead times envisioned by electronic publishing are very appealing. This preface had almost two months of lead time, but the rest of the issue´s content required twice that. According to a book reviewed in this issue (page 41), electronic publishing not only shortens production time but also speeds dissemination. However, the “catch” in this “paperless information system” is that authors and editors/publishers and readers need to be members of an information network. While this is feasible, it is not yet practical. The emerging possibilities would be a good subject for discussion in our new Forum feature (page 37). Write to me at the address below.