If you are thinking about selecting textbooks, this is a reminder that the Journal has two very handy sources of information about texts. One of these comes along with this issuethe Book Buyers Guide.

This spring, as an experiment, we have prepared a complete Book Buyers Guide, not just a supplement, and we have also made it a separate document instead of having it bound in the issue. (If you like this, please tell us!) In addition, there is always book and textbook information available every day, all day, via the Chemical Education Resource Shelf on our World Wide Web site.

New Features and New Faces

With this issue the first of the book reviews done under Ed Walsh's editorship appear (see pages 343­345). We think that he is off to a very capable and very fast start--he has only been in the job for a few months. If you have suggestions for Ed, or if you want to review a book or publication in some other medium, he would welcome that. You can reach him at Department of Chemistry, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA 16335-3902; phone: 814/332-5359; fax: 814/332-2789; email: ewalsh@alleg.edu.

Another new face is that of Joseph BelBruno, who will edit a new feature, The Advanced Chemistry Classroom and Laboratory. See the Announcements section for details and contact BelBruno if you have ideas or are interested in contributing.

Look for the Journal Banner

You have two chances to visit a Journal booth and meet your Journal staff in the next few months. Emory Howell and his assistant, Caren Daniel, will be at the NSTA National Meeting that is being held in New Orleans on April 3-6. He has more information in Especially for High School Teachers on the opposite page. Then on April 13-18 there will be a booth at the ACS Spring National Meeting in San Francisco; turn to pages 276-279 for more details. If you are in San Francisco, look for the Journal banner on booth 626 of the Exposition. We hope that many of you will stop by to talk to the staff and to check out Journal publications. Bring a friend. We will have plenty of introductory and gift subscriber forms available for your use.

Symposium To Honor J. J. Lagowski

At the ACS Spring Meeting in San Francisco the symposium "Press On Regardless: J. J. Lagowski and the Journal of Chemical Education" will be held as a CHED session on Tuesday afternoon, April 15. Joe's colleagues, former students, and collaborators will honor him at this symposium and at the CHED Division banquet that same evening.

More About Who Reads the Journal

Here is the second half of the findings that resulted from the Journal's survey of its readership that took place about a year ago. The first part was reported in the February 1997 issue, page 142.

· On average, how long do you save your copies of the Journal? 6% < 1 year; 10% 1-3 years; 8% 3-5 years; 75% indefinitely.

· In an average year, how often do you refer back to specific articles or other content information in previous issues of the Journal? 1% never; 34% 1-3 times; 32% 4-6 times; 12% 7-9 times; 21% more than 10 times.

· On average, how many other people (besides yourself) read or use your copy of the Journal? (check one). 0, 67%; 1, 21%; 2, 7%; 3, 3%; 4, 1%.

· From the list below, mark the equipment or technology you and/or your students use on a regular basis. (Check all that apply.) [Answers are reported in the order: I use; My Students Use; I Plan to Use in the Future]

a. Fax: 73%, 11%, 5%

b. Email: 75%, 48%, 14%

c. Internet/Internet gopher: 56%, 38%, 19%

d. World Wide Web: 59%, 43%, 20%

e. CD-ROM: 56%, 29%, 20%

f. Calculator: 93%, 76%, 2%

g. Automatic data collection devices and interfaces: 38%, 32%, 20%

h. Structural models, model kits: 76%, 64%, 2%

i. Computer hardware (e.g., PCs): 90%, 71%, 3%

j. Video or multimedia hardware/software: 57%, 27%, 18%

k. Computer software: 89%, 69%, 5%

Remember To Order JCE: CD 1996

Don't forget to order your copy of our prototype of what will be an annual series of CD-ROMs that contain the full text and graphics for all articles, features, and reviews published in the previous year. The 1996 issue can include only September through December issues, but if you get a copy and give us feedback there will be two very important benefits. First, when you complete and return the questionnaire that accompanies the CD, we will send you a certificate worth $10 toward the purchase of JCE: CD 1997. Second, your feedback will be used to shape JCE: CD 1997 and future issues. An abstract of JCE: CD 1996 can be found on page 128 of the January 1997 Journal; more information can be found in this issue on page 281.