CAS Web Site News

New Additions Enhance Web Site

The content of the CAS Web Site has continued to expand with recent additions to the Download Library and a new searchable database of links to other Web sites.

The Download Library now boasts 37 additional volumes of CAS publications, including 23 volumes of the CAS Forum, and 14 issues of the CAS Discussion Paper Program . Web site visitors can now download, view, and print actuarial research papers from the Forum dating back to 1987 and from the Discussion Paper Program dating back to 1982. The Forum has evolved to be primarily devoted to papers submitted in response to CAS research committees' calls for papers. The Discussion Paper Program contains papers submitted in response to an annual call for papers by the Committee on Continuing Education, which are generally presented at the CAS Spring Meeting.

Voicing his approval of the new Download Library additions, CAS Vice President_Administration Gary Dean explained, "An important advantage of accessing publications electronically is the savings in storage space. Three or four volumes of the Forum and Discussion Papers each year take up significant space on the bookshelf, and after several years, it can be difficult to find room. Office space is expensive and hard copy storage is a recurring cost." Commenting on the ease of use of the online publications, Dean said, "Electronic publications are readily accessible day or night for those with Internet connections. The download library is well organized and it's easy to find the publications. There is no danger that the copy that is needed has been borrowed or misplaced."

In addition to Forums and Discussion Paper Programs, the Web Site's virtual library, at www.casact.org/casbibsearch.cfm, includes Proceedings, papers accepted by the Committee on Review of Papers but not yet published, meeting and seminar handouts, and downloadable programs, spreadsheets and workbooks.

The Committee on Online Services developed the new searchable database of links to other Web sites to provide users with an easier way to find links of actuarial interest. Rather than scrolling through a long list of links, Web Site visitors now have the ability to search for sites by topic or keyword. Visitors can also complete a form to submit new links to the searchable database. The links database can be searched through the "Sites of Interest" section of the CAS Web Site.