Electronic Publishing in the Real World;
The AAS and Its Outreach Efforts
By Heather Dalterio and Peter B. Boyce

In the world of electronic publishing, no organization is an
island. The relevant technologies are developing and changing so
quickly and so constantly that it is impossible for one
organization (particularly one the size of the AAS) to expect to
master it alone.  The AAS has actively sought to pursue dialogue
and cooperative projects with a number of organizations whose
interests lie within the same realm as our own, and whose strengths
complement our strengths. 
     Within the community of scientific professionals and 
scientific publishing, both of the Institutes  which publish AAS
journals (The American Institute of Physics and the University of
Chicago Press), have taken an active role in the research and
development of ways for the AAS to make use this new technology. 
     For the past few years, the AAS has been an active member 
of the  Joint Society Task Force on Electronic Publishing, a group
of member societies of  the American Institute of Physics,  which
meets regularly to discuss common publishing concerns, share
information gained in individual electronic publishing efforts, and
to investigate areas of possible cooperative projects. These
conversations have not been limited to member societies of AIP, but
have also expanded to include other scientific societies active in
this arena, including the  American Mathematical Society and the
American Chemical Society. Similarly, the Association of Research
Libraries has hosted  a series of workshops on electronic
publishing in which the AAS has participated.  These have been
helpful in facilitating discussions with a wide base of users. 
     Some of the most valuable contributions to date to the 
AAS' electronic publishing efforts have stemmed from a cooperative
relationship with NASA's project STELAR, a pilot project to study
on-line astronomical literature (see article on page 11). This
project has strengthened our ties to the library community and
their expertise on this subject. In particular the Library of
Congress has agreed to a tentative distribution agreement to test
various delivery methods of the electronic documents stored in the
STELAR database. 
     The Online Computer Library Center in Columbus, Ohio 
has also proven to be a source of valuable information. OCLC has
committed a significant amount of time and energy into the 
preparation and release one of the first truly on-line refereed
scientific journals (Current Clinical Trials On-Line).  The AAS is
presently exploring options for future cooperative projects with
OCLC.