Recently, a distinguished panel of experts in science, science policy, information science, and scientific publishing was convened at the National Academy of Sciences to consider issues related to communication, dissemination, and use of information in the physical sciences and to make recommendations for increasing the productivity of the scientific enterprise in the United States.

Hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) and chaired by Dr. Alvin Trivelpiece, former Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a group of nine panelists (with input from nineteen additional invited participants) enthusiastically endorsed a vision of a comprehensive information infrastructure for the physical sciences that benefits both the scientific community and the national good. Such an infrastructure would accommodate the changing nature of scientific endeavor, enhance scientific communication, and improve research competitiveness. The Panel agreed this vision is an essential step in integrating "the whole of science to provide a basis to improve society, the economy, and the environment."

This vision is of vital concern to all of us in the scientific and technical community, and we are pleased to announce that full text of the just-issued report of the Panel's findings and recommendations is now available online at http://www.osti.gov/physicalsciences. We hope you will take time to read this important document and that the vision of a new future information infrastructure for the physical sciences is as exciting and promising a prospect for you as it is for us.

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