Recommendations on Information and Communication
Preface
Information and Communication have become an increasingly important component of our research and teaching, and likewise, electronic forms of publication, distribution, and archiving have begun to play a dominant role. Progress in communication technology brings many benefits to mathematics, but there is no doubt that the mathematical community also needs an excellent organizational infrastructure to make best use of the new technologies for its own advancement. We mathematicians have to play an active role in this development in order to ensure that the new technological environment meets our needs. Thousands of mathematicians and mathematical institutions the world over are experimenting with the possibilities of modern technology, at many levels and with varying degree of cooperation. There is a clear need for support and for international coordination of these activities, and especially, for guidelines for best practice.
For this reason the Executive Committee (EC) of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) has, based on an enabling resolution of the 1998 IMU General Assembly in Dresden, established the Committee on Electronic Information and Communication (CEIC) at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Berlin. CEIC's Terms of Reference and the list of its members are given in chapter 1.
This booklet collects CEIC's current recommendations on various aspects of electronic information and communication. These recommendations have been drafted by CEIC members and finalized in open discussions during CEIC's 1998 - 2002 term. They have been endorsed by the IMU Executive Committee.
CEIC and the EC urge the adhering organizations of IMU to disseminate these recommendations in their national mathematical communities widely and take an active part in the development of community-driven good practice. Fostering the current evolution of our information and publication systems will continue to be a major task for the foreseeable future. CEIC aims to be a spearhead in this movement, but to succeed it needs the support of all mathematicians. We have to work together on a broad international basis to define the goals and solve the problems.
Shanghai, August 2002 IMU Committee on Electronic Information and Communication