In 2025, we’re building a better APS. From a brand-new website and online learning system to a fresh look at how we promote the hobby, we’ll be rolling out new projects and updates to services throughout the year – and above all, finding ways to serve our members better. 

The first of our two biggest updates is our new online learning system, Stamp SCHOOL (Stephen Campbell Home of Online Learning). Replacing C3a, Stamp SCHOOL will use a top-of-the-line learning management system, Forj, to not only host philatelic courses for beginners to advanced collectors, but also to provide an online community space for APS members and chapters. Stamp SCHOOL was made possible by the generous gift of Karen Campbell, in memory of her late husband, Stephen “Steve” Campbell, an avid collector with an abiding passion for education.

In 2025, we’ll also debut a total overhaul of our website, stamps.org. The new website will be more intuitive and useful for members, more attractive to newcomers to the hobby, and a time saver for APS and APRL staff, and we can’t wait for it to arrive! But don’t worry – you’ll still be able to access the current site while we’re working on our updates, and we’ll have plenty of information in the coming months about how the transition to the new site will take place. Our new website is made possible by the generosity of the late Alfred F. “Al” Kugel and Dottie Kugel, and the ongoing sale of Al’s singular collection of military postal history.

Stamp SCHOOL and the new and improved stamps.org will debut later this year, but we’ve got plenty of other projects planned for 2025. Here are a few things you can expect in the coming months:

• Quarterly promotions at APS StampStore in conjunction with HipStamp
• Community features for members and clubs, powered by Forj
• A new format and publishing schedule for the Philatelic Literature Review
• A brand-new, bimonthly e-newsletter from the American Philatelic Research Library
• A new look and format for StampEd
• An improved and streamlined APS weekly e-newsletter

We can’t wait to share all of these exciting new developments with you throughout the year. If you don’t already subscribe to our e-newsletters and follow us on social media, now is a great time to start; you’ll find all the latest updates there first! 

Have a happy New Year, but then it’s time to don your hard hats – the APS is officially under construction!