5. Documentation and Astronomical Data: (Documentation Et Donnees Astronomiques)

Extract

The restructuring of our commission, adopted at the last General Assembly, was undoubtedly beneficial and various activities were developed under the aegis of the commission.

Two very important changes have marked the last triennium: the World Wide Web and electronic publishing. The American Astronomical Society is the first to have introduced an electronic version of an astronomical journal and will be followed soon by the Astronomy and Astrophysics Journal. Last February, an ICSU/UNESCO Conference was held in Paris on this topic. A.G. Hearn was the IAU representative. An extensive report of this meeting can also be found on the Web (http://astro.fys.ruu.nl:8000/iau) and the proceedings are available also on the Web (http://www.lmcp.jussieu.fr/icsu/Information/index.html. A Joint Discussion on this very hot topic will be held during the Kyoto General Assembly.