Association for Information Science and Technology
ASIS&T is an international nonprofit professional association advancing information science, information technology, research, education, and professional practice.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Association for Information Science and Technology, commonly known as ASIS&T, is a nonprofit professional membership organization serving people and institutions concerned with the creation, organization, retrieval, analysis, management, preservation, and dissemination of information. Its membership spans information science and technology as well as librarianship, computer science, engineering, education, linguistics, chemistry, medicine, and related fields. The association operates as a meeting point between research, professional practice, education, and public discussion about information systems and information-intensive societies. The organization traces its origins to the Documentation Institute, formed by Watson Davis in 1935, and to the American Documentation Institute, incorporated on March 13, 1937. Its early work centered on microfilm as a means of reproducing and distributing technical and scholarly information. It developed microfilm readers and cameras, operated laboratories, and distributed materials through the Bibliofilm Service. The institute also established an Auxiliary Publication Program that enabled authors to circulate research reports and other works that were too long, technically difficult, or costly for conventional journal publication. The program produced thousands of documents over several decades, with distribution later supported by the Library of Congress. The association broadened its membership and intellectual scope during the mid-twentieth century. In 1952, its bylaws were changed to admit individual members rather than limiting participation largely to representatives of scientific societies, professional associations, foundations, and government bodies. In 1968, the American Documentation Institute became the American Society for Information Science, reflecting a wider interest in the information-transfer process and in the design, management, and use of information systems. In 2000, the name became the American Society for Information Science and Technology, acknowledging the growing importance of online databases and related technologies. In 2013, it adopted its current name, Association for Information Science and Technology, to emphasize its international membership and the global character of information work while retaining the ASIS&T acronym. ASIS&T sponsors an annual conference, publishes and supports scholarly and professional periodicals, administers special-interest groups and geographic chapters, provides continuing-education support, and connects job seekers with employers through services such as JobLine. Its flagship scholarly publication is the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, known historically as American Documentation, the Journal of the American Society for Information Science, and the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. The association also supports awards recognizing research, teaching, service, books, papers, and contributions to the history of information science. Its work addresses both the technical foundations and social consequences of information systems. Topics associated with its activities include information retrieval, databases, digital libraries, information behavior, knowledge organization, archives, human-computer interaction, information policy, scholarly communication, data management, artificial intelligence, and the effects of networked information environments. The association has responded to major technological shifts, including the move from batch processing to online systems, the spread of personal computers and consumer database access, and the expansion of the Internet and World Wide Web. In May 2025, ASIS&T announced that it had entered merger negotiations with the Special Libraries Association; the eventual outcome was not established in the supplied reference material.
History
ASIS&T developed from the Documentation Institute established by Watson Davis in 1935. On March 13, 1937, the organization became the American Documentation Institute, or ADI, with the collaboration of Atherton Seidell and others. Its initial focus was the use of microfilm to reproduce and distribute information. ADI developed microfilm equipment, operated early laboratories at the United States Department of Agriculture Library in Washington, D.C., and circulated documents through the Bibliofilm Service. One of its important early initiatives was the Auxiliary Publication Program. Over roughly three decades, the program distributed nearly 10,000 documents in the physical, natural, social, historical, and information sciences. It provided a publication route for research that was unusually long, technically complex, or expensive to print in conventional journals. In 1954, the Library of Congress Photoduplication Service assumed operational responsibility for distribution. The historical materials later became associated with the Library of Congress Technical Reports and Standards Unit. ADI's 1952 bylaw changes opened membership to individuals. This reflected the growing number of researchers and practitioners developing methods for information storage, searching, retrieval, and dissemination, and helped move the organization beyond a primarily institutional model. ADI also launched the journal American Documentation in 1950, building a continuing publication tradition in the field. In 1968, ADI changed its name to the American Society for Information Science, or ASIS, and American Documentation became the Journal of the American Society for Information Science. The new identity recognized that the field encompassed more than documentary reproduction and included the broader information-transfer process, information systems, and emerging automated technologies. During the 1970s, the association engaged with the transition from batch processing to online systems and with the changing relationship between libraries, computing, and information services. It sponsored a bicentennial conference and participated in planning and implementing White House Conferences associated with the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science in 1979 and 1991. The spread of personal computers and remotely accessible databases during the 1980s further expanded the profession. Services such as Grateful Med, Dialog, and CompuServe demonstrated that information retrieval was becoming available beyond large institutional computing environments. ASIS responded by forming groups concerned with office information, personal computing, international information issues, rural information services, nonprint media, social sciences, energy and the environment, and community information systems. It also established chapters outside North America, reflecting an increasingly international outlook. In 2000, the organization became the American Society for Information Science and Technology, or ASIS&T. The change highlighted the importance of online databases and technical systems in contemporary information work. Its principal journal was renamed the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. In 2013, the association adopted the name Association for Information Science and Technology. The journal subsequently became the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology in 2014. Today ASIS&T presents itself as a professional and scholarly community examining the technical bases, theoretical foundations, and social effects of information. It supports research, education, professional networking, continuing development, publications, conferences, special-interest groups, chapters, awards, and employment services. Its membership includes specialists from engineering, linguistics, librarianship, education, chemistry, computer science, medicine, and other disciplines. In May 2025, the association announced merger negotiations with the Special Libraries Association; the supplied sources do not confirm the final result.
- 2025
Merger negotiations announced
[1]ASIS&T announced negotiations concerning a possible merger with the Special Libraries Association.
- 2014
Journal renamed JASIST
[1]The association's principal journal became the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology.
- 2013
Current association name adopted
[1]The organization adopted the name Association for Information Science and Technology to reflect its international membership and global scope.
- 2000
Technology added to the association name
[1]The organization became the American Society for Information Science and Technology, or ASIS&T.
- 1968
Organization becomes ASIS
[1]The American Documentation Institute became the American Society for Information Science, and its journal was renamed JASIS.
- 1966
Annual review publication begins
[1]ADI began publishing the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, which continued under successor organizations until 2011.
- 1952
Individual membership introduced
[1]Bylaw changes allowed individuals interested in information dissemination and related methods to join.
- 1950
American Documentation begins publication
[1]ADI launched American Documentation, the predecessor of its later information-science journal.
- 1937
American Documentation Institute founded
[1]The Documentation Institute became the American Documentation Institute on March 13, beginning its formal institutional history.
- 1935
Documentation Institute established
[1]Watson Davis formed the Documentation Institute, the organizational predecessor of ASIS&T.
Products and positioning
A global professional and scholarly association connecting information science research, information technology, education, and practice.
Scholarly journal · 1950
Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology
ASIS&T's principal scholarly journal publishes research on information science and technology, including information retrieval, information behavior, knowledge organization, digital information environments, information policy, and related theoretical and applied topics. It evolved from American Documentation, launched in 1950, and from the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and its later technology-focused title.
Professional conference
ASIS&T Annual Meeting
The annual meeting is a principal forum for presenting research, discussing emerging information technologies, sharing professional practice, and connecting specialists across libraries, computing, education, industry, government, and other information-intensive fields.
Digital information resource
ASIS&T Digital Library
The digital library provides access to association publications and professional or scholarly information resources associated with ASIS&T's research and educational mission.
Career service
JobLine
JobLine connects information professionals seeking employment with organizations recruiting for information science, technology, library, data, research, and related roles. It is offered as part of the association's professional-support activities.
Professional recognition
ASIS&T awards
The awards program recognizes achievement across information science and technology. Named recognitions include the Award of Merit, Best Information Science Book Award, Bob Williams Research Paper Award, Bob Williams Research Grant, JASIST best-paper recognition, Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award, and Watson Davis Award for Service.
Brand decisions
2025
Merger negotiations with the Special Libraries AssociationM&ABackground
ASIS&T announced negotiations concerning a possible combination with the Special Libraries Association.
Action taken
The organizations entered merger negotiations; the supplied sources do not establish a completed merger or its terms.
2013
Adopted the Association for Information Science and Technology nameStrategyBackground
The organization sought to reflect an increasingly international membership and the global character of information society.
Action taken
It adopted its current name while preserving the ASIS&T acronym.
Aftermath
The new identity presented ASIS&T as an international professional association rather than an exclusively American society.
2000
Added technology to the association nameStrategyBackground
Online databases and technical information systems had become central to the profession.
Action taken
The American Society for Information Science became the American Society for Information Science and Technology, retaining the ASIS&T acronym.
Aftermath
The name signaled a stronger connection between information science and applied information technologies.
1968
Broadened the organization from documentation to information scienceStrategyBackground
Automation and expanding interest in information storage, retrieval, systems, and the wider information-transfer process made the original documentation-centered identity increasingly narrow.
Action taken
ADI changed its name to the American Society for Information Science and renamed its journal accordingly.
Aftermath
The change established the ASIS identity and positioned the association around the broader field of information science.
Sources2 sources
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