https://www.niso.org/about/secure/Documents/BOD977.pdfNational Information Standards OrganizationNISOFoster the development and maintenance of standards that facilitate the creation, persistent management, and effective interchange of information so that it can be trusted for use in research and learning.QualityNISO standards are proven, reliable, useful, and effectiveCollaborationNISO encourages participation of all stakeholders in its standards processes which are themselves conducted in a manner that is fair, open, and transparentAgility and VisionNISO moves quickly and imaginatively to identify, define, and address standards challenges and standards needsIntegrityNISO earns trust through honesty and fairness 2.1.1 Insersecting Communities of Interest Work with intersecting communities of interest. NISO understands that its work cannot be limited to a single type of institution.Information services cross institutional boundaries, and NISO will work with allparticipating communities in its efforts, and will actively engage thosecommunities and any representative standards organizations to achieve its goals 2.1.2 Standards Life Cycle Work across the entire life cycle of an information standard. NISO's standards work will range from identifying need for a new standard tomaintaining a mature one. In this regard, NISO will:• act as a standards incubator helping to identify and articulate the need fornew information standards, and selecting the most promising for furtherdevelopment• identify nascent standards developed elsewhere and provide the supportnecessary to grow them into fully mature standards that are widelyimplemented• provide maintenance support that allows standards to change in concertwith evolving need• provide support for communities that wish to develop and maintain theirown standards in a manner that ensures their quality, integrity, reliability,and useWork at each of these stages will include education and support activities asnecessary to effective and inclusive standards development and use. 2.1.3 Strategic Map Focus and prioritize its efforts in relation to a strategic map. To do this NISO will maintain a strategic map of the information landscape thatpinpoints features of the landscape most critical for the creation, persistentmanagement and exchange of trusted information in support of research andlearning. Decisions about which standards initiatives to invest in will be madewith reference to this strategic map, and with a view of NISO’s mission, itsmembers’ interests, and an awareness of those areas where NISO brings a uniqueperspective to the problem area. NISO will be guided by its mission and thestrategic map while moving into new areas of activity and when making life cycledecisions about standards the organization may want to divest itself of. 2.1.4 Sustainable Standards Ensure that standards efforts are economically and organizationally sustainable. NISO understands that the resource commitment for standards increases as theymove through the lifecycle. NISO reviews standards at critical points in the lifecycle to determine if the expected benefit from the standard warrants continuedinvestment. NISO exits standards activities that provide insufficient benefit nomatter the stage of the lifecycle. This means that not every NISO initiative willresult in the development of a standard and that NISO may withdraw its effort orseek an alternate venue for a standard that reaches a point of diminishing returns. 4.1Development and DeploymentRapid development and deployment of information standardsThis change forces fundamental reconsideration of the very deliberate process of standards creation that worked so well for NISO and its members in the past. NISO must emerge as a nimble organization able quickly and effectively to identify, define, and support adoption of key information standards. In the past, Standard Development Organizations (SDO) were chartered at the national level and worked through well-defined processes to progress standards from national to an international level. NISO is very much a traditional SDO. The standards world of today is populated by a growing variety of non-traditional organizations like specialized standard setting consortia, ad hoc groups that spring up to create a single standard, and other groups like open source consortia. The increasing range of standards organizations is matched by an increasing array of standards formats and processes.4.2FunctionalityFundamental focus on functionalityIn the largely static print world, libraries were the primary providers of access to the information used in research and learning. In focusing its standards development around libraries and the tightly knit community of information and service providers who supported them, NISO had a logical and cost-effective means of developing useful information standards. In the increasingly chaotic digital world, researchers and learners acquire information from a wide variety of providers − only some of which are libraries. Libraries themselves are increasingly managers of a wide variety of information much of which they do not own in the way that they own their traditional print collections. To continue to fulfill its historic mission, NISO must focus on standards that support the greatest use and reuse of digital information and that allow users to trust the authenticity of that information − regardless of who creates or owns it A focus on functionality calls for NISO to provide leadership in addressing the fundamental issues of providing access to trusted information in today's environment, both to its dues-paying membership and to the wider community that engages with NISO on selected projects. NISO must shape a view of the information landscape and facilitate discussion amongst all the stake holders, members and the wider community in order to build the support necessary to ensure that the standards it helps to develop and maintain are adopted and implemented effectively by the broadest possible community.4.3Other Standards BodiesReview relations with other standards bodiesThe production, management, and exchange of trusted research and learning information with which NISO is centrally concerned is itself dependent upon the deployment of standards in other parts of the information landscape that are governed by other agencies, for example, by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), or the IMS Global Learning Consortium. The evolving complexity of the information landscape and the extent and variety of stakeholders acting upon it also requires that NISO be able to work across the entire standards life cycle, though not necessarily with every standard. Communities of information providers are increasingly emerging to define, create, or maintain standards that are specifically relevant to their constituents. NISO needs to work with these communities, leveraging distinctive strengths and applying respective efforts in ways that are complementary and mutually beneficial. In many cases, NISO is likely to find itself maturing or maintaining standards developed by others, and/or locating responsibility for maintaining standards developed by NISO in third-party organizations.4.4Core StandardsDetermine its priorities and engage with standards activities that advance the core missionIn a relatively static print-based world with few information providers of any real significance, NISO could make decisions early in the standards cycle to see a few standards through to their completion and ongoing maintenance. In a rapidly evolving world with many information providers of significance, NISO must evaluate each standards activity against the needs of the changing landscape. When a standard no longer serves NISO's mission, NISO will act as a bridge and find a more appropriate organization to maintain it and to extend it if appropriate.5.1Standards Development ProcessReplicable Standards Development ProcessFor any of the products/processes above pertaining to standards development, this document would be designed to help another organization, wishing to feed their potential standard or guideline to NISO for certification/trial-use/maintenance to understand the steps to be taken to facilitate that process. These documents would be designed to provide a roadway by which any organization, group of interested individuals or other standard developing group, could understand how to develop the product/process to ensure that no substantial barrier is created that would prevent the work from migrating to NISO. These documents are designed to be used by Product Managers and software and standards developers.5.2Z39Z39 StandardsStandards that are added to the Z39 series are developed through a formal standards process and are accorded the status of ANSI/NISO standards. The process includes the issuance of Draft Standards for Trial Use and a trial period of testing and analysis. Formal standards are reviewed every five years and either renewed, modified or retired. NISO standards in the Z39 series are available without charge on the NISO web site.5.3Standards MaintenanceStandards MaintenanceA variety of maintenance activities may be required for the ongoing use of a standard. This can include the registration of profiles, shared services, discussion lists, and other features needed by the community using the standard. Although NISO may outsource any of these features, it oversees the maintenance function over key products.5.4CertificationCertification ProgramSome standards organizations have the capability to certify that technology meets the needs of a particular set of standards. The information community has some certification programs, and NISO may contract with agencies that wish to create certification for NISO standards.5.5Strategic MapStrategic MapThe Strategic Map is one of the most essential and important products of NISO. Developed from the recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Panel for a "synthesizing framework" to guide NISO's decision-making, it is a publication used both internally to the organization and externally by the membership to understand the information landscape and how products/solutions interface and interoperate and where standards exist and/or are needed to facilitate the interoperability of products. This document is designed to be used by all levels of members’ staff, from the CEO/President to the software engineers. It provides a context and understanding of what exists, what doesn’t and where opportunities exist for both products and standards. The document would be the result of NISO convening key, leading thinkers both from within the NISO membership and outside, to serve on a development/review committee. This document would likely be reviewed and/or revised quarterly, minimally every six months.5.6White PapersWhite PapersNISO White Papers are contributed or solicited papers that address an issue that has implications for standards development. White Papers can be viewed as a prestandardization activity. A NISO White Paper might define and explore some of the questions that come into play before formal standardization work is started. Or a NISO White Paper might identify areas that are opportunities for standards development and suggest possible approaches. All White Papers are posted on the NISO website and published in hardcopy by NISO Press.5.7Best PracticesBest PracticesNISO Best Practices are utilized in scenarios where librarians, publishers, product managers and developers are seeking an understanding of the most appropriate way to utilize a standard or conduct a process within the context of the market in which they function. Specifically, a Product Manger uses a best practices document when faced with a variety of options within a standard, and seeks to know and/or understand under a specific set of circumstances dictated by the market, or users requires implementation of the options in select configurations. A best practices document may also pertain to a process, and as such, may consist of recommendations concerning how to conduct a process, write a proposal or other similar activities.5.8ProfilesProfilesA profile is used when an organization developing a product that is written to comply with a standard, but the standard contains sufficient complexity and/or vagaries so as to make the final working compliance of the product uncertain if, for instance, valid but incompatible parameters are selected. In these cases a “profile” is established to outline a particular set of configuration options to ensure that products interfacing via the standard perform as expected. These documents are typically going to be used by programmers, product managers, and potentially customer service staff, all who are involved in configuring a product for testing and/or use by customers. It provides substantial value in that it enables the product to be moved to a demonstrable production status quickly with minimum delays in testing and/or configuration.5.9Technical Reports and/or GuidelinesTechnical Reports and/or GuidelinesTechnical Reports and/or Guidelines are documents designed to provide useful information for those trying to achieve a specific technical task. These can cover a broad range of topics, for example the content, organization, and presentation of indexes. The document will go into extensive detail about the subject, including areas that need to be thought about and functionality that should be planned and/or included. The document will provide enough detail for the user to be able to proceed in developing or enhancing the applicable product.5.10EducationEducation Programs (Pre and Post Standardization)Educational Programs are designed for all types of people functioning within the markets served by NISO and their primary purpose is sub-categorized depending upon if it is a pre or post standardization program. • Pre-Standardization. In this phase the focus of an educational program centers on the objective of bringing together key players that face a problem that could be solved through standardization, and, in a neutral forum, to scope what that standardization process would need to encompass to provide a solution. • Post-Standardization. Once a standard is released, a critical component of the standard being accepted and used is to educate the marketplace about the availability of the standard, the means of implementation, and the resources available to help in those areas. • General Presentations to Organizations. As part of the NISO Educational Programs, NISO will also arrange for general educational presentations to organizations for a fee on any of the products and services produced. It is generally expected that this type of training would be done on a subcontracting basis with qualified personnel recruited on the topic of the presentation.5.11AdvocacyAdvocacyAdvocacy consists of representing the cause and/or need for standards where such representation furthers the cause of NISO and its membership. NISO advocates for standards in a wide variety of venues, including professional conferences, meetings related to standards, and funding arenas. Examples of advocacy activities are: • Working with and or becoming a member of other standards organizations. • Speaking with or before legislative agencies. • Lobbying NISO membership to support standards seen as critical to the future success of NISO. • Speaking at conferences to promote an understanding of the work of NISO and, when required, specific standards held under the NISO umbrella.5.12IntelligenceIntelligence; Scan Of Environment and Explanation to MembersIntelligence scans are a service provided to the entire NISO membership, most importantly to those who are Presidents, CEO’s, or Directors of member organizations, The scan provides an overview and summary of what is happening in specific market segments of technology. In particular it would focus on new product developments and announcements, conference topics of interest, new and emerging areas where NISO might play a key role. This scan would likely take the form of a monthly or quarterly e-document, not longer than 5 pages, done in an attractive graphic format to make for quick scanning.