American Society for Information Science and Technology
Encyclopedia
The American Society for Information Science and Technology, sometimes abbreviated ASIS&T or ASIST, is a non-profit
membership organization
for information professional
s. Established in 1937 as American Documentation Institute
, the organization sponsors an annual conference as well as several serial publications, including the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (JASIST) and the society Bulletin. The society 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
programs for information professionals.
(ADI) by Watson Davis, Atherton Seidell
, and others, the organization was first concerned with microfilm and its role as a vehicle for the dissemination of information. 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 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.
In January 1968, ADI became the American Society for Information Science. The change was made to represent the organization’s interest in “all aspects of the information transfer process” such as, “designing, managing and using information systems and technology." In 2000 the organization updated its name, adding Technology to embrace the prevalence and increasing centrality of online database
s and other technical aspects of the information profession. Today, the organization comprises professionals from various fields including engineering, linguistics, librarianship, education, chemistry, computer science and medicine. The members share "a common interest in improving the ways society stores, retrieves, analyzes, manages, archives and disseminates information".
s and information technology
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."
for nearly half a century, but publication of the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology
(ARIST) ceased in 2011.
Related governmental agencies
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
membership organization
Membership organization
A membership organization is a broad term for a group or body which has members. Typically any member of the public can join and a membership fee or "subscription" is payable, but arrangements vary widely...
for information professional
Information professional
An information professional is an individual who preserves, organizes, and disseminates information. Information professionals are skilled in the organization and retrieval of recorded knowledge. Traditionally, their work has been with print materials, but these skills are being increasingly used...
s. Established in 1937 as American Documentation Institute
American Documentation Institute
The American Documentation Institute was founded by Watson Davis in 1935 as Documentation Institute which changed its name to the American Documentation Institute in 1937...
, the organization sponsors an annual conference as well as several serial publications, including the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (JASIST) and the society Bulletin. The society 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
Continuing education is an all-encompassing term within a broad spectrum of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada...
programs for information professionals.
History
Founded on 13 March 1937 as the American Documentation InstituteAmerican Documentation Institute
The American Documentation Institute was founded by Watson Davis in 1935 as Documentation Institute which changed its name to the American Documentation Institute in 1937...
(ADI) by Watson Davis, Atherton Seidell
Atherton Seidell
Atherton Seidell , a founder of the American Documentation Institute , was a chemist and who became a strong proponent of the use of microfilm for the management of scientific information...
, and others, the organization was first concerned with microfilm and its role as a vehicle for the dissemination of information. 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 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.
In January 1968, ADI became the American Society for Information Science. The change was made to represent the organization’s interest in “all aspects of the information transfer process” such as, “designing, managing and using information systems and technology." In 2000 the organization updated its name, adding Technology to embrace the prevalence and increasing centrality of online database
Online database
An online database is a database accessible from a network, including from the Internet.It differs from a local database, held in an individual computer or its attached storage, such as a CD....
s and other technical aspects of the information profession. Today, the organization comprises professionals from various fields including engineering, linguistics, librarianship, education, chemistry, computer science and medicine. The members share "a common interest in improving the ways society stores, retrieves, analyzes, manages, archives and disseminates information".
Mission
In a world where "information is of central importance to personal, social, political, and economic progress", the Society seeks to advance the information scienceInformation science
-Introduction:Information science is an interdisciplinary science primarily concerned with the analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information...
s and information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
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."
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 Society publications, access to job assistance services (JobLine); and discounts to ASIS&T-sponsored events.Publications
In addition to the scholarly JASIST, the organization publishes the bi-monthly Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology focused on the latest developments and emerging issues in the field. The organization also published a review journalReview journal
A review journal in academic publishing is a periodical or series that is devoted to the publication of review articles that summarize the progress in some particular area or topic during a preceding period.-Types:Review journals can be divided by...
for nearly half a century, but publication of the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology
Annual Review of Information Science and Technology
The Annual Review of Information Science and Technology was an annual review journal published from 1966 to 2011. It was established in 1965 by the American Documentation Institute and the National Science Foundation. It published review articles rather than empirical research articles. It's last ...
(ARIST) ceased in 2011.
See also
- Association of Information Technology ProfessionalsAssociation of Information Technology ProfessionalsThe Association of Information Technology Professionals is a professional association that focuses on information technology education. The group is a non-profit national group, but its activities are performed by about 200 local chapters organized on a geographic basis, and a similar number of...
(AITP) - Society of Information Technology ManagementSocitmAs described on the Socitm website, "The Society of Information Technology Management was founded in 1986 as the professional association for information technology managers working in and for the public sector in the UK....
(SOCITM), related group based in the UK
Related governmental agencies
- National Commission on Libraries and Information ScienceNational Commission on Libraries and Information ScienceThe National Commission on Libraries and Information Science 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.-Origins:...
(NCLIS) - Institute of Museum and Library ServicesInstitute of Museum and Library ServicesThe Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mission to "create strong libraries and museums that connect...
(IMLS)