It's hard to believe that just a few months back, a Zoom call was an awkward novelty for most of us. But crises require innovation, and the pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual meetings and transformed the common conference call forever.

AWWA, like other large organizations, has adapted quickly to an increasingly digital world. This adaptation is clearly evident in how AWWA delivers its publications. In 2019, AWWA introduced its online‐only research journal, AWWA Water Science, which is continuously published, meaning new content is regularly added and immediately available to read. The newly named Journal AWWA, formerly called Journal ‐ American Water Works Association, was redesigned to be easier to use and more visually appealing. An added benefit of AWWA's ongoing digital transformation is the availability of archived online content. Not only can members access the most recent issue, they can access any published article from Journal AWWA dating back to 1914 and Opflow dating back to 1975.

Continuing with the response to digital publishing trends and evolving member expectations, AWWA is implementing a 2021 strategy that introduces production efficiency for AWWA's periodicals and maintains global water professionals’ online access to research, best practices, and other timely information. Starting in 2021, AWWA will reduce the number of print issues for Journal AWWA and Opflow from 12 to 10 annually. Each periodical will print a combined January/February issue in January and a July/August issue in July. During the “off” months of February and August, the periodicals will introduce curated and timely collections of new and different content online.

This means you have access to more collections of water‐related information in February and August. For example, the online collections might include a consolidated assortment of the most popular recent articles. The collections might also include an anthology of sorts, with several articles focused on a single, time‐sensitive water topic. You can count on us to notify you when it's time to tap into this new type of published content, and we will use your feedback to adjust what we publish.

AWWA members will receive more diverse content than ever before. As Bill Murphy, AWWA's director of publications, put it, “We are always looking for new ways to deliver value to members, and if we can do that and achieve cost efficiencies, it's a win–win. The change in the number of print issues reflects a common trend in publishing. This adjustment allows us to provide additional content to our members.”

AWWA Water Science provides the online, peer‐reviewed articles focusing on the principles and innovations in water works and water supply. Journal AWWA has transitioned to broader water sector information that includes feature articles, columns (like this one), and news—available in print and online. Opflow features new and established technologies in water and wastewater operations—also available in print and online. AWWA members receive complimentary subscriptions to all three AWWA periodicals and full digital archives, so the articles are easily accessible and searchable anytime, anywhere, and from any device.

Slightly reducing the frequency of the printed editions does not reduce the amount of valuable information provided. Busy AWWA members, including members from outside of North America, can access information whenever they need it. At the same time, the small reduction in printed issues allows for large production efficiency and, as a plus, less impact on the environment. (Let's not forget that making paper requires a lot of water.)

AWWA's newly adopted 2025 Strategic Plan recognized that to be successful and sustainable in 2021, organizations must understand and embrace the digital transformation. Among its objectives are that AWWA will “Increase the use of technology through which AWWA and its members create and share knowledge resources” and “Enhance opportunities for global water professionals to connect and exchange knowledge and experiences.”

Even before the new Strategic Plan was adopted, AWWA was advancing these objectives. We introduced envoi this year, a new digital platform for delivering technical content, which allows access to the most updated AWWA standards and manuals 24/7. We're offering video streaming on demand, allowing subscribers immediate access to AWWA's Safety First and WSO (Water System Operations) channels. We've also created the AWWA Exam Prep app, helping water operators prepare for certification on their phone or other digital devices.

The new periodicals approach supports these Strategic Plan objectives. But one thing that can't be ignored—at least by me—is that with 10 printed editions of Journal AWWA, there will be two fewer “Last Drop” columns in 2021. As a result, you can rest assured that I'll endeavor to make every drop count!

很难相信仅仅几个月前，对我们大多数人来说，Zoom通话是一个尴尬的新颖性。但是危机需要创新，这种流行病加速了虚拟会议的采用，并永远改变了普通的电话会议。

与其他大型组织一样，AWWA也已迅速适应了日益数字化的世界。在AWWA如何发布其出版物中，显然可以明显看出这种改编。2019年，AWWA推出了其仅在线研究期刊AWWA Water Science，该期刊不断出版，这意味着定期添加新内容并立即可供阅读。新命名的Journal AWWA（以前称为Journal-American Water Works Association）经过重新设计，使其更易于使用且更具视觉吸引力。AWWA正在进行的数字化转型的另一个好处是可获得在线存档内容。成员不仅可以访问最新一期，还可以访问Journal AWWA上可追溯至1914年的任何已发表文章，并且Opflow可以追溯到1975年。

为响应数字出版趋势和不断发展的成员期望，AWWA正在实施2021年战略，该战略将提高AWWA期刊的生产效率，并保持全球水务专业人员在线访问研究，最佳做法和其他及时信息。从2021年开始，AWWA将把《Journal AWWA》和《Opflow》的印刷数量每年从12减少到10。每期期刊将在1月出版一月/二月刊，在七月出版七/八月刊。在2月和8月的“休假”月份中，期刊将在线上介绍及时精选的新内容和不同内容的集合。

这意味着您可以在2月和8月访问更多与水有关的信息。例如，在线收藏可能包括最近最受欢迎的文章的合并分类。这些收藏可能还包括各种选集，其中有几篇文章集中在一个时间敏感的水主题上。您可以依靠我们来通知您何时需要使用这种新类型的已发布内容，并且我们将使用您的反馈来调整我们发布的内容。

AWWA成员将收到比以往更多的内容。正如AWWA出版物主管Bill Murphy所说：“我们一直在寻找新的方式为会员创造价值，如果我们能够做到这一点并实现成本效益，那将是双赢。印刷发行数量的变化反映了出版业的共同趋势。这项调整使我们能够向会员提供更多内容。”

AWWA Water Science提供了在线的，经过同行评审的文章，重点介绍了水厂和供水的原理和创新。Journal AWWA已过渡到更广泛的水务部门信息，其中包括专题文章，专栏（如本篇文章）和新闻（可通过印刷和在线获得）。Opflow在水和废水操作中采用了新的和成熟的技术-也可以通过印刷和在线获得。AWWA成员可以免费订阅所有三个AWWA期刊和完整的数字档案，因此可以随时随地通过任何设备轻松访问和搜索这些文章。

稍微降低印刷版本的频率不会减少所提供的有价值信息的数量。繁忙的AWWA成员（包括来自北美以外的成员）可以在需要时访问信息。同时，印刷数量的少量减​​少可提高生产效率，并且对环境的影响也较小。（不要忘记造纸需要大量水。）

AWWA最近通过的2025年战略计划认识到，要在2021年取得成功并保持可持续发展，组织必须理解并接受数字化转型。AWWA的目标之一是“增加对AWWA及其成员用于创建和共享知识资源的技术的使用”和“为全球水务专业人员增加联系和交流知识与经验的机会”。

甚至在新的战略计划通过之前，AWWA都在推进这些目标。我们在今年推出了envoi，这是一个用于交付技术内容的新数字平台，它可以访问最新的AWWA标准和24/7手册。我们按需提供视频流，使订户可以立即访问AWWA的“安全第一”和WSO（水系统运营）频道。我们还创建了AWWA Exam Prep应用程序，以帮助水务运营商准备在其电话或其他数字设备上进行认证。

新的期刊方法支持这些战略计划目标。但是至少在我看来，不可忽视的一件事是，到10版《Journal AWWA》印刷版，到2021年，“ Last Drop”专栏将减少两列。因此，您可以放心，我会努力使每一滴都计数！