As we pause to observe the magazine's first quarter century, it's worth noting that we're still in the infancy of the Internet Age. A little more than a decade ago, personal computers were considered a radical step forward in communications technology. But the rapid transition to e-mail and the Internet is iconoclastic. So, we're doing two things. We're honoring our past and peering into the future. My ongoing question is how our customers will want information delivered in the next few years. On paper? On Web sites? Through diskettes? For the time being, it's all of the above.

I'm pleased to announce that you can get Internet access to past editions of Illinois Issues on a searchable Web site called the Illinois Periodicals Online (IPO) project. This is a project of the Northern Illinois University Libraries in DeKalb. You can search by keyword or topic to find out what we have written about people or issues. Also, you can browse back issues of the magazine. It's easy.

Not all of our issues are online yet. Like many Web sites, this is a work in progress. The IPO staff is proceeding by going backward. All issues from 1999 are available online, as well as some from 2000 and 1998. So are complete issues from 1975 to 1977. That's because the staff began by scanning our first issue. Then they realized that putting up thousands of pages will take a long time. Now they're working backward chronologically.

We happily agreed to be one of the project's guinea pigs, along with Illinois Parks and Recreation magazine. Eventually, the site will include topics from other publications about the arts, recreation, politics, commerce, biography, civics, genealogy, education, history, environment and science. To find Illinois Periodicals Online, go to www.lib.niu.edu/ipo.

Or, for a different view, look at the variety of topics on our own Web site: www.uis.edu/~ilissues. You'll find information about our magazine, and about state government.

I hope you've been following our 25th anniversary series, which began last October. Editor Peggy Boyer Long writes more about it in her column on page 4. The series was so thought-provoking that we preserved it on our Web site for your reference.

Once again, we are co-sponsoring the Motorola Excellence in Public Service Award to recognize appointed public officials who have been innovative in improving their agencies or departments. And, as before, we invite you to nominate people who deserve this recognition. See page 6 for details and a nomination form.