The Ginsparg-initiative has given a fruitful answer to the
preprint service and its archiving. It is at present run at a
National Research Center.
The Physics Societies should take means to guarantee that this service
is available on a long term basis, -even if the LANL were closed,-
and extend it to other fields of physics.
Thus the physicists worldwide should be urged to join using the server.
The Physics Societies should either take over the service,
or mirror it, or delegate it to companies with the respective
boundary conditions.
It should be accompanied by setting up servers at all physics
laboratories and give access to all physicists to the web.
This is more an educational task.
In addition, the Physics Societies should set up dedicated electronic
services in specific fields, including the exchange of data,
the coupling of computers and programmes.
Furthermore a huge task is the set-up and offering of information
providers, filters, dedicated work-surfaces, retrieval assistance,
etc.
This is a whole new market and needs all kinds of professions,
software writing, distributors, librarians, editors, etc.
The properties of such services being developed by the prospective
users, the service and installation is best in the hands of the
Societies or their cooperating industrial partners.
Whether some of the present industrial bodies such as
publishers, libraries, distributors, are taking the pole or
whether new structures will form, should peacefully be left to the
indsutrial competition. The present large international publishers
and the University Libraries do have the advantage of a large
staff of professionals and an established set of referees.
So, if they enter they will be transformed but survive.
But probably other, even new companies with less inertia,
may have a perfect chance.
Since one cannot forsee the future
development, and has no means to steer it , we here should not
point a direction but offer to all willing to participate
our collaboration.
Personally I think, we all should try hard to cooperate with all parties,
Physics societies, publishers, librarians, willing to search for the best way
to cast the future, to have enough expertise, strength and audacity on board.
Forming task forces addressing specific topics small enough to be
flexible and fast enough, but containing enough breadth could be best:
joint work-groups of the APS, EPS or some of their societies, a publisher,
a software house, and a few University departments, groups or libraries.
The results of these experiments should be presented and discussed
internationally. Setting and organizing the scene for a full fledged
sensibilization and discussion of the world-wide physics community
is at present the main task of the Physics societies instead of fixing
new standards too early.