National Federation of Abstracting and Indexing Societies
National Federation of Abstracting and Information Societies was a US non-profit organization, 1958-2019.
National Federation of Abstracting and Information Societies was a United States non-profit institutional membership organization of content and technology providers, specifically those that support the authoritative information needs and activities of professionals across a spectrum of scholarly disciplines and fields of research.
History
Inspired to respond to Sputnik, G. Miles Conrad, Director of Biological Abstracts (later BIOSIS) called an urgent meeting of leading not-for-profit and government scientific abstracting and indexing services. Conrad implored the assembled group to join forces, cooperate, and interact, so that together we could make rapid progress in achieving national priorities while at the same time promoting the international advancement of science. As a result, the Federation was formed.
The name was initially National Federation of Science Abstracting and Information Services then broadened first to National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services and late National Federation of Advanced Information Services.
Stella Keenan was NFAIS Executive Director from 1968 to 1974. Dale Baker eas President, 1962-63 and Treasurer 1970-72.
On July 1, 2019, NFAIS merged with the National Information Standards Organization and ceased independent operations.
Contributions
The organization provided analysis, news alerts and educational services to its more than sixty members. n 1958, the National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services (NFAIS) is a membership organization made up of more than 60 leading information publishers, producers, and providers. Its purpose is to serve the world's information community through education, research, and publication.
The Federation dedicated itself to the enhancement and advancement of the scholarly publishing community by:
- facilitating the exchange of information among NFAIS members.
- presenting the collective opinion of NFAIS members to the public.
- promoting NFAIS members and the role they play in the information community.
- sponsoring timely and topical conferences, seminars, and courses.
- publishing newsletters, books, report series, and codes of practice for new technologies.
- encouraging cooperation among the players in the information community." (1)
Publications
NFAIS publications included:
- NFAIS bulletin, 1987-
- NFAIS Newsletter.
- The NFAIS yearbook of the information industry, c1992-
- A study of coverage overlap among fourteen major science and technology abstracting and indexing services. [Contributors T. C. Bearman & W. A. Kunberger. Philadelphia : NFAIS, 1977.(NFAIS-77-1).
Further reading
- "National Federation of Advanced Information Services." Wikipedia [1]
- National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services. (1998, September 9). Home page. [2]
- National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services. (2019, July 1). Merger of major information industry associations finalized. [3]
Papers
Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia. Special Collections Research Center (SPC) MSS 005: NFAIS archival material, 1958-1985. 28.0 cu. ft (70 archives boxes). Description at [4]