NFAIS And asidic announce merger 

 

 

 

Philadelphia, PA, June 30, 2010 - The National Federation of Advanced Information Services (NFAIS - www.nfais.org), and ASIDIC (formerly the Association of Information and Dissemination Centers - www.asidic.org), today jointly announced the assimilation of ASIDIC members into the NFAIS Community as a result of the dissolution of ASIDIC.

"Since its founding in 1968 ASIDIC has been true to its mission and has served its members well," said ASIDIC President, Tim Ingoldsby. "But as the Board of Directors looked forward in these changing times, we determined that it was in the best interest of our members to recommend the dissolution of ASIDIC and to identify an organization with a similar mission that could not only serve our members, but also continue the spirit that has sustained ASIDIC throughout its history. After a call for proposals and several months of discussions with interested parties, I am pleased to announce that the Board, supported by a majority vote of its member organizations, has partnered with NFAIS to reach our objective."

NFAIS President, Judith Russell, Dean of Libraries at the University of Florida, expressed the unanimous sentiments of the NFAIS Board. "ASIDIC is a respected sister organization. It has had an illustrious and successful past and has served its members admirably for almost half a century. NFAIS is honored that the ASIDIC Board believes that we offer their members the best possible opportunity for continuing the spirit and tradition that ASIDIC has provided. We look forward to serving them in the years to come and are pleased to welcome them into the NFAIS Community."

According to NFAIS Executive Director, Bonnie Lawlor, the agreement will provide ASIDIC members in good standing with all NFAIS member benefits through June 30, 2011, after which they will have the option to continue their NFAIS membership through a three-year transition period. Any ASIDIC assets remaining after the merger will be used as requested by the ASIDIC Board and that is to attract conference speakers to NFAIS events that are in keeping with the mission and spirit of ASIDIC. In addition, a member of an ASIDIC Member organization will be invited to serve as a non-voting NFAIS Board member from the close of the merger through June 30, 2011 in order to assist the NFAIS Board in a successful membership transition and to ensure the preservation of the ASIDIC spirit and mission within NFAIS.

"Being involved in the dissolution of an organization as respected as ASIDIC has been a bittersweet experience for all involved," said Lawlor. "The ASIDIC Board has acted solely in the best interests of its member organizations and I have nothing but respect for the thought that they put into their difficult decision to dissolve and the efficiency of the process that they put into place to make a merger happen. It has been a pleasure to work with them and the ASIDIC Executive Secretary, Don Hawkins, over the past few months and I look forward to serving them as NFAIS members. Don and I will continue to work together in the months to come to ensure a smooth transition as well as the preservation of the history of ASIDIC's many contributions to the Information Industry."

 

For more information, contact Jill O'Neill, Director of Communication and Planning (jilloneill@nfais.org, or (215)-893-1561 phone)

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NFAIS: Serving the Global Information Community