American Society for Information Science, Delaware Valley Chapter records
Scope and Contents
This collection documents the Delaware Valley Chapter of the American Documentation Institute (ADI) and later, after a name change, of the American Society for Information Science (ASIS). The records are largely administrative, but provide insight into some of the concerns and challenges those in the information science profession faced from 1964 to 1971.
This collection is arranged in two series: the American Documentation Institute records and the American Society for Information Science records. These two organizations are, in fact the same; the American Documentation Institute was renamed the American Society for Information Science in late 1967. The records deal, almost exclusively, with the Delaware Valley Chapter.
The American Documentation Institute series dates from 1964 to 1968. Included are financial records, chairman’s records, constitution and by-laws, committee meeting minutes and files, correspondence, and information about the chapter’s representatives and students. There is also some information regarding the planning for the Annual Convention held in January 1968. These files are arranged alphabetically.
The American Society for Information Science series dates from 1961 to 1971. The series include materials from the ADI, which were probably used to inform decisions of ASIS leadership. Materials include by-laws and constitution; Chapter News, the newsletter of Delaware Valley Chapter of the American Society for Information Science; correspondence; Executive Committee files; information regarding the planning of the Information Retrieval Colloquium held in 1969; and information regarding membership. These files are arranged alphabetically.
This collection will be of value to researchers interested in the history of the information science profession, local efforts to form a community to deal with information science challenges, and the American Documentation Institute and the American Society for Information Science. Of particular value will be the constitution and bylaws of both the ADI and the ASIS; the Chapter News which provided membership information, synopses of national meetings, news regarding faculty and new professionals, and ASIS news.
Dates
- 1961-1974
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research use.
Usage restrictions
Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the Archives with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.
Administrative History
The Delaware Valley Chapter of the American Society for Information Science was a chapter of the national organization, American Society for Information Science, and appears to have been active from 1964 to 1971. More recently, the local chapter was centered at Drexel University’s iSchool.
The American Society for Information Science (ASIS) was founded as the American Documentation Institute in 1937 with the mission to develop microfilm “as an aid to information dissemination” (ASIS&T). Over the years, the focus of the organization expanded to include new technologies and issues in the information services field, and became “the national professional society for those concerned with all elements and problems of information science” (ASSIS&T). By the 1960s, the membership had increased dramatically as a result of increased concerns about the information explosion and further awareness of information services needs.
In 1968, in order to better represent the organization’s expanded goals, the American Documentation Institute changed its name to American Society for Information Science (ASIS), and stated its purpose to serve as a “non-profit professional association organized for scientific, literary and educational purposes and dedicated to the creations, organization, dissemination and application of knowledge concerning information and its transfer,” (ASIS Constitution). In addition to these goals, ASIS served as a community of users to provide help, advice and the development of new techniques to those involved in the information sciences field.
Special Interest Groups were formed in nine subject areas: education for information science, classification research, library automation and networks, information analysis centers, automatic language processing, reprographic technologies, biomedical and chemical information systems, behavior and social sciences, and arts and humanities.
During the 1980s and 1990s, ASIS continued to adapt to new technologies such as computers, databases and the internet. The organization changed its name to American Society for Information Science and Technology in 2000.
Bibliography:
American Society for Information Science and Technology (www.asist.org/history-of-asist.html).
American Society for Information Science, Constitution. (Box 1, Folder 21).
Extent
1 Cubic Feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Overview
The American Society for Information Science (ASIS), was a “non-profit professional association organized for scientific, literary and educational purposes and dedicated to the creations, organization, dissemination and application of knowledge concerning information and its transfer” (ASIS Constitution). ASIS also served as a community of users to provide help, advice and the development of new techniques to those involved in the information sciences field. This collection documents the Delaware Valley Chapter of the American Documentation Institute (ADI) and later, after a name change, of the American Society for Information Science (ASIS). The records are largely administrative, but provide insight into some of the concerns and challenges those in the information science profession faced from 1964 to 1971.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Provenance unknown.
Processing Information
The processing of this collection was made possible through a training session "Archives for Non-Archivists" hosted by the Council on Library and Information Resources and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
This collection is processed to the folder level.
Creator
- Title
- American Society for Information Science, Delaware Valley Chapter records, 1961-1974
- Status
- Basic Completed
- Date
- 2011, edited 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is in English
- Sponsor
- The processing of this collection was made possible through a training session "Archives for Non-Archivists" hosted by the Council on Library and Information Resources and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Repository Details
Part of the Drexel University Archives Repository
W. W. Hagerty Library
3300 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104 United States
215.895.6706
215.895.2070 (Fax)
archives@drexel.edu