PULLMAN – The digital age arrived with full force at Washington State Magazine this month, with the WSU quarterly for the first time publishing an entirely online issue.
The award-winning magazine is going without its usual press run as part of a one-time cost-saving measure, a move that evoked some consternation among its loyal readership of alumni and friends of the university. But in a lemons-to-lemonade gesture, the magazine’s staff examined how the age of global, high-speed information is affecting magazines in general and university life.
Science writer Eric Sorensen interviewed researchers across the campus to look at the changing role of the word online and how it affects the way we read. Editor Tim Steury looked at the impact of information technology on the WSU library system, now tenth in the nation among research libraries for spending on electronics.
Meanwhile, Art Director John Paxson loaded the issue with electronic bells and whistles not found in paper publications. Among them will be a video of Athletic Director Bill Moos’ first press conference and videos of researchers discussing the impact of digital technology on the brain and technology itself.
The magazine can be found at http://wsm.wsu.edu/godigital/.