New Web technology transforms ACS Journals

[Jonathan Morgan <j_morgan@acs.org>]

New Web technology transforms American Chemical Society's online
journals

New delivery platform and software capabilities provide
state-of-the-art online experience for information discovery,
interactivity and research productivity for scientists and
professionals worldwide

WASHINGTON Nov. 17, 2008 - The Publications Division of the
American Chemical Society (ACS) (http://pubs.acs.org) has
announced the launch of a dynamic new online resource for the
hosting and delivery of the Society's flagship Journal of the
American Chemical Society and its preeminent portfolio of
peer-reviewed scholarly journals covering the major
subdisciplines of chemistry as well as interface areas of
scientific inquiry.

Developed by ACS in conjunction with software partner Atypon
Systems (www.atypon.com), the new online offering, powered by
Atypon's Literatum technology, provides a fully integrated Web
platform rich with new features and functionality, customized to
deliver a more robust electronic journal and to enhance the
online reading experience for ACS customers and their end-users.

Building on the ACS's reputation for editorial excellence and the
Society's commitment of service to its members, authors, and
readers around the globe, this new technology initiative
reinforces the Society's position as one of the leading
innovators in scientific publishing. The new Web site delivers
enhanced searching and browsing capabilities, better user
navigation in aid of reader comprehension, and improved
administrative features for librarians and other institutional
customers.

Responding after an external beta testing period that involved a
group of ACS customers, Terry Bucknell, Electronic Resources
Manager at the University of Liverpool, remarked, "I would just
like to emphasize what a fantastic, state-of-the-art site this
is. It combines rich functionality with clarity and simplicity.
Congratulations all round. I look forward to our users being able
to get their hands on it!"

A Flash-based demonstration available from the ACS Publications
Web site at http://pubs.acs.org/flashdemo showcases many of the
features and benefits of the new site. The following are but a
few of the new capabilities:

- Enhanced PDF and Full-Text HTML functionality (e.g. Related
Content Recommendations, Figure Browser, Forward Citation
listings)

- Enriched Tables of Contents (e.g. Figure Thumbnail Previews,
Multiple Abstract and Citation Downloads, Navigation to CAS
SciFinder Resources)

- Advanced Search Interface (e.g. Simple and Advanced Search
Capabilities, Tabbed Results for Research Articles and News &
Features Content, Filters Column to Refine Results, Related
Snippets on Displayed Content)

- New Home Pages for All ACS Journals (e.g. Content Highlights
Area, Search by Citation, Graphical Abstract Highlights,
Syndicated Articles displayed from Chemical & Engineering News)

- Abstract-Level Display for ACS Legacy Archives (e.g. Improved
Navigation Options from Archive Content, First Page of Articles
Displayed within New Abstract Template for Increased
Functionality)

"The development of this platform has transformed and made more
flexible our ability to display and deliver the high-quality
peer-reviewed research information published by ACS in service to
the community of scholars worldwide," said Brian Crawford, Ph.D.,
President of ACS Publications. "This is a significant
accomplishment, and one that is integral to our commitment to be
the world's most trusted source of the comprehensive knowledge
needed to cultivate the chemists of tomorrow.:

"The innovative approach taken to this expansion of our Web
publishing capabilities has been achieved not only through our
partnership with Atypon Systems, but also the ingenuity of ACS'
own IT staff, and the dedicated talents of the entire Journals
Publishing Group, led by Senior Vice President Dr. Susan King,"
Crawford added. "This initiative continues to benefit from close
collaboration among information professionals throughout the
Society, including our colleagues at Chemical Abstracts Service,
with whom we share the ACS goal of providing indispensable
information resources for chemists and other research
professionals worldwide."

Reflecting on the nearly two-year endeavor required to build the
new platform, John Sullivan, Chief Information Officer for the
ACS, said, "Technology innovation and measured change are
essential to the long term success of any organization. Looking
back to 2005, it was clear that the Society needed to update and
replace the internal information systems and underlying
technology that had supported the online delivery of journals
ever since the inception of the ACS Web Editions in 1995."

"Culminating with this release of our new Web delivery platform,
we have now realized our vision of an end-to-end digital
publishing workflow," he said. "This transformative effect on our
processes puts ACS in a very strong technology position moving
forward, and promises to facilitate many more publishing
innovations, such as richer linking and integration of ACS Web
Editions journals content with the Society's diverse information
resources, and with community-based Web 2.0 interactive online
services of the sort made possible by the ACS Member Network.:

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For further information please contact:
Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042

Michael Woods
m_woods@acs.org
202-872-6293