The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) is a
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
membership organization
A membership organization is any organization that allows people or entities to subscribe, and often requires them to pay a membership free or "subscription". Membership organizations typically have a particular purpose, which involves connecting p ...
for
information professional
An information professional or information specialist is someone who collects, records, organises, stores, preserves, retrieves, and disseminates printed or digital information. The service delivered to the client is known as an information service ...
s that sponsors an
annual conference as well as several
serial publications
In publishing and library and information science, the term serial is applied to materials "in any medium issued under the same title in a succession of discrete parts, usually numbered (or dated) and appearing at regular or irregular intervals wi ...
, including the ''
'' (JASIST). The organization provides administration and communications support for its various divisions, known as special-interest groups or SIGs; provides administration for geographically defined chapters; connects job seekers with potential employers; and provides organizational support for
continuing education
Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada.
Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...
programs for information professionals.
Founded as the American Documentation Institute (ADI) in 1937, the group became the American Society for Information Science (ASIS) in 1968 to reflect the organization's interest in "all aspects of the information transfer process" such as, "designing, managing and using information systems and technology."
[ Updating its name in 2000, the American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) signaled the widespread prevalence and increasing centrality of ]online database
In computing, a database is an organized collection of Data (computing), data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, Application software, applications, and ...
s and similar technical aspects of the information profession. In 2013 the organization adopted its current name, Association for Information Science and Technology, while retaining the ASIS&T acronym, to better reflect its international membership and the increasingly global nature of our information society
An information society is a society or subculture where the usage, Content creation, creation, information distribution, distribution, manipulation and information integration, integration of information is a significant activity. Its main drive ...
. Today the organization comprises professionals from various fields including engineering, linguistics, librarianship, education, chemistry, computer science, and medicine. Members share "a common interest in improving the ways society stores, retrieves, analyzes, manages, archives and disseminates information ".
History
Watson Davis formed the Documentation Institute in 1935, which became the American Documentation Institute (ADI) on 13 March 1937 with the collaboration of Atherton Seidell
Atherton Seidell (1878 – July 25, 1961), a founder of the American Documentation Institute (predecessor of the American Society for Information Science), was a chemist and who became a strong proponent of the use of microfilm for the management ...
and others. The organization was first concerned with microfilm
A microform is a scaled-down reproduction of a document, typically either photographic film or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original d ...
and its role as a vehicle for the dissemination of information. ADI worked toward the development of microfilm readers and cameras. Their first microfilm laboratories were located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Library in Washington, DC and the Institute distributed materials through the newly created Bibliofilm Service.
ADI established the Auxiliary Publication Program, which during its 30-year history released nearly 10,000 documents covering a wide range of subjects. The program enabled authors in the fields of physical, natural, social, historical and information sciences to publish and distribute research papers that were either too long, typographically complex or expensive to be published in journals using existing technology. In 1954, the Photoduplication Service at the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
took over the operation and became the source point for distributing ADI materials and in 2009 this material found its home in the Library's Technical Reports and Standards Unit.
ADI bylaws were amended in 1952 to allow individuals to become members due to the number of people that were engaged in the development of new principles and techniques. The goal was to make ADI a group that was concerned with all elements and problems of information science not just libraries. During this time there were increased interests and developments of automatic devices for searching, storage and retrieval.
During the 1970s many institutions were making the move from batch processing to online modes, from mainframe computers to more modern computers. With the advancement of technology the traditional boundaries began to fade and library schools started to add "information" in the titles of their programs. ASIS sponsored a bicentennial conference which focused on the role of information in the country's development. ASIS collaborated on planning and implementation of the in 1979 and 1991.
The popularity of personal computers in the 1980s marks a shift that allows individuals to access large databases, such as Grateful Med at the National Library of Medicine
The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library.
Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. I ...
, and user-oriented services such as Dialog and CompuServe from their homes. ASIS created groups on office information, personal computers, international information issues and rural information services in response to the changing environment. Eventually other groups were created, such as: non-print media, social sciences, energy and the environment, and community information systems. ASIS also added its first chapters outside North America.
Today ASIS&T is at the forefront of examining the technical bases, social consequences, and theoretical understanding of the information society. They also study the effects of widespread use of databases in government, industry, and education, and the development of information environments on the Internet and World Wide Web.
On May 23, 2025, it was announced that ASIS&T had entered merger negotiations with the Special Libraries Association
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is an international professional association for librarians, library and information professionals working in business, government, law, finance, non-profit, and academic organizations and institutions. Af ...
.
Mission
In a world where "information is of central importance to personal, social, political, and economic progress", ASIS&T seeks to advance the information sciences and information technology
Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...
by providing focus, opportunity, and support to information professionals and information organizations. ASIS&T seeks to advance knowledge "about information, its creation, properties, and use" as well as increase "public awareness of the information sciences and technologies and their benefits to society."
Vision
To establish an information professionalism in the world by: Advancing knowledge about information; Providing analysis of ideas; Valuing theory, research, applications, and service; Nurturing new perspectives, interests, and ideas; Increasing public awareness of the information sciences and technologies and their benefits to society."
Membership
Originally membership was based on representatives nominated by scientific societies, professional associations, foundations, and government agencies. Changes made to the bylaws in 1952 opened the organization to any individual with interest in the dissemination of information. Today, fee-based memberships can be either individual or institutional, with no formal requirements to join as an individual. Similar to most organizations of its kind, ASIS&T offers benefits to its members in the form of subscriptions to publications, access to job assistance services (JobLine); and discounts to ASIS&T-sponsored events.
Leadership
The current President of ASIS&T is Ian Ruthven, Professor at the University of Strathclyde. The President-Elect is Maria Boon, Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A complete list of Past Presidents is listed on th
ASIS&T website
The Board of Directors includes Chris Cunningham (Treasurer), Lu An, Timothy Dickey, Bhakti Gala, Lisa Hussey, Aylin Imeri, and Luanne Sinnamon.
Lydia Middleton has served as the Executive Director of ASIS&T since May 2017.
Publications
In 1966, ADI began publication of the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology
The ''Annual Review of Information Science and Technology'' was relaunched by the Association for Information Science and Technology's Board of Directors in 2021, following a 10-year publishing hiatus. Previously, this annual review journal was p ...
. Its successor organizations continued publishing the annual review under that title until 2011.
JASIS / JASIST
ADI decided in 1950 to create a journal modeled after the defunct ''Journal of Documentary Reproduction'', which had been published by the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
from 1938 to 1942. ADI published the journal ''American Documentation''. from 1950 until 1968, when ADI changed its name as an organization and renamed ''American Documentation'' as the ''Journal of the American Society for Information Science'' (JASIS). With the society's subsequent name changes the journal title followed suit, becoming the ''Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology'' (JASIST) in 2000, and then the '''' in 2014.
Awards
''See also'':
ASIS&T bestows several awards including the Award of Merit, its highest honor, as well as the Best Information Science Book Award; the Bob Williams Research Paper Award and Bob Williams Research Grant which recognizes the best refereed paper and project relevant to the history of information science and technology; Best paper award in the ''Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology;'' the Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award; and the Watson Davis Award for Service.Awards and Honors
Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T).
See also
*
Association of Information Technology Professionals
The Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) is a professional association that focuses on information technology education for business professionals. The group is a non-profit US-oriented group, but its activities are performe ...
(AITP)
* Society of Information Technology Management (SOCITM), related group based in the UK
;Related governmental agencies
:*
National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) was an agency in the United States government between 1970 and 2008. The activities of the Commission were consolidated into the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Record ...
(NCLIS)
:*
Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for librar ...
(IMLS)
*
Documentation science
Documentation science is the study of the wikt:recording, recording and Information retrieval, retrieval of information. It includes methods for storing, retrieving, and sharing of information captured on physical as well as digital documents. T ...
*
Library Science
Library and information science (LIS)Library and Information Sciences is the name used in the Dewey Decimal Classification for class 20 from the 18th edition (1971) to the 22nd edition (2003). are two interconnected disciplines that deal with info ...
*
Information Science
References
Further reading
*Buckland, M. (1999). The landscape of information science: The American Society for Information Science at 62. ''Journal of the American Society for Information Science.'' 50(11), 970–974.
* Dierking, Angela Lynn (August 1975). "A History of the American Society for Information Science Masters Thesis". Texas Women's University, School of Library Science, Denton, Texas.
* Farkas-Conn, Irene S. (1990). ''From Documentation to Information Science: the Beginnings and Early Development of the American Documentation Institute'', American Society for information Science, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press . .
*Garfield, E. (1999). "From 1950s Documentalists to 20th Century Information Scientists - and Beyond: ASIS Enters the Year 2000 Facing Remarkable Advances and Challenges in Harnessing the Information Technology Revolution." ''Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology,'' 26(2), 26–29.
*Miller, Karen. 2013. “The History of ASIS&T and Information Science and Technology.” ''Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science & Technology'' 39 (3): 33–37.
*Williams, Robert. 2012. "The Changed and Changing ADI/ASIS/ASIS&T After 75 Years." ''Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology'' 38(5).
External links
*
ASIS&T Digital LibraryASIS&T Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Association for Information Science and Technology
Professional associations based in the United States
1937 establishments in the United States
Library-related professional associations
Information science