The National Federation of Advanced Information Services (NFAIS) has announced that the Association for Information and Dissemination Centers (ASIDIC) Board has voted unanimously to accept its proposal for a potential merger, and has put forth its recommendation to the ASIDIC membership. The ASIDIC Board will hold information meetings with their members during June. A formal email ballot will be held at the end of the month. Several NFAIS member organisations are also members of ASIDIC.
Established in 1968, ASIDIC has served a diverse membership from the information industry. In April 2010, the ASIDIC Board of Directors announced that it was time to recommend the dissolution of ASIDIC as an organisation. To ensure that the ASIDIC mission and spirit be preserved, the ASIDIC Board solicited expressions of interest regarding a potential merger.
NFAIS submitted a letter in this regard on April 15, 2010. This was followed by a formal proposal in May. According to NFAIS, NFAIS members who have paid their ASIDIC membership for 2010 will be given a pro-rated rebate. Other ASIDIC members in good standing will be granted NFAIS membership through June 30, 2011. They will then be given the option to continue NFAIS membership with a 3-year transition to full NFAIS dues. Any remaining ASIDIC assets will be used to attract conference speakers to NFAIS events.
A member of an ASIDIC Member organisation will be invited to serve as a non-voting NFAIS Board member from the close of the merger through June 30, 2011 to assist the NFAIS Board in ensuring a successful transition as well as ensuring the preservation of the ASIDIC spirit and mission within NFAIS.
