About the National Information Standards Organization (NISO)

What is the National Information Standards Organization?

The National Information Standards Organization is a nonprofit association accredited as a standards developer by the American National Standards Institute, the national clearinghouse for voluntary standards development in the US. NISOs Voting Members and other supporters include a broad base of information producers and users including libraries, publishers, government agencies, and companies that provide information services.

When was NISO Formed?

NISO was originally formed as the American National Standards Committee Z39 in 1939. Over the years its structure and name changed. In 1983, NISO was incorporated as a not-for-profit educational association in the District of Columbia and in 1984 was named the National Information Standards Organization. NISO is not an agency of the government. NISO is tax exempt under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

How is NISO Supported?

NISO is supported by the community it serves: information services, libraries, publishers, and abstracting and indexing services. NISO has 55 Voting Members which ballot and review all the standards developed by NISO. NISO has received grant funding from the Council on Library Resources, the Mellon Foundation, and a number of Corporate donors. In addition, over five hundred people give their time and expertise as members of Standards Committees and officers of the association.

• Who's Who at NISO
  • NISO Board of Directors
  • NISO Voting Members
  • NISO Committee Members
    • NISO Standards Committee AC: Guides to Accompany Microform Sets
    • NISO Standards Committee AG: Writing Abstracts
    • NISO Standards Committee AH: Scientific and Technical Reports
    • NISO Standards Committee AK: Sorting of Alphanumeric Characters and Others
    • NISO Standards Committee AL: Holding Statements for Bibliographic Items
    • NISO Standards Committee AM: S.I.C.I
    • NISO Standards Committee AN: Revision of Z39.23 STRN
    • NISO Standards Committee LL: Record Format for Patron Records
    • NISO Standards Committee MM: Environment Conditions for the Exhibition...
    • NISO Standards Committee OO: Bibliographic References
    • NISO Standards Committee Q: Periodicals - Format and Arrangement
    • NISO Standards Committee SS: Information to be Included in Advertisements...
    • NISO Standards Committee UU: Library Statistics
    • NISO Standards Committee YY: Basic Criteria for Index
• Becoming a NISO Participant
• NISO-L / NISO Announce
• More about Standards
• Maintenance Agencies for NISO Standards
• New Standards Evaluation and Recommendation Forms
• International Standards
• Obtaining NISO Standards (forthcoming link)
• Information Standards Quarterly (forthcoming link)

   National Information Standards Organization
   4733 Bethesda Ave., Suite 300
   Bethesda, MD   20814

   (301) 654-2512
   FAX: (301) 654-1721
   Internet: nisohq@cni.org


   Pat Harris, Executive Director
   Internet: pharris@cni.org