13 February 2019
The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) and National Federation of Advanced Information Services (NFAIS) have announced a proposed combination, designed to better serve their members during a time of rapid change.
The respective boards of NISO and NFAIS have unanimously approved moving ahead with the merger proposal, which is conditional on NFAIS member approval. The merged entity will aim to offer opportunities for enriched and invigorated programming, delivered in a more efficient and innovative way, to the combined group’s 250-plus members.
More people from diverse sectors of the industry should have the opportunity to engage in both the networking hub activities NFAIS traditionally led, as well as in the technical work that has been NISO’s focus. It is proposed that the combined organisation will maintain the NISO name whilst keeping various NFAIS initiatives, such as its Annual Conference and its Humanities Roundtable programme.
Deanna Marcum, President, NFAIS Board of Directors, said, “Speaking with a single voice, this new organisation will be more effective and influential in the larger community of content creation, distribution and discovery.”
Todd Carpenter, Executive Director of NISO, said, “NFAIS has a great history of convening events that bring people together. NISO has a strong track record of dealing with the details of developing and implementing technology solutions. Our shared future is about connecting ideas with grass roots implementation, to serve our members and maximise the impact of our community and its vital role in society today.”