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Library Quality Standards (NUST)

Who uses NISO standards?

Publishers, information aggregators and content providers, libraries and other information providers use NISO standards. All those whose business depends on interoperability with other systems and processes use NISO standards.

Why do we need standards? Because standards . . .

  • Make information systems easier to use and less expensive to operate.
  • Expand markets domestically and abroad for all those who develop and sell information products and services.
  • Provide stability so all those managing information keep pace with a changing business environment.
  • Assure your customers and business partners that your products and services meet a necessary level of quality and reliability.

What is NISO?

NISO is where content publishers, libraries, and software developers turn for information industry standards that allow them to work together. Through NISO, all of these communities are able to collaborate on mutually accepted standards—solutions that enhance their operations today and form a foundation for the future.

NISO, the National Information Standards Organization, a non-profit association accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), identifies, develops, maintains, and publishes technical standards to manage information in today's continually changing digital environment. NISO standards apply to both traditional and new technologies and to information across its whole lifecycle, from creation through documentation, use, repurposing, storage, metadata, and preservation.

Founded in 1939, the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) is an industry-based, nonprofit, non-governmental association. NISO is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to identify, develop, maintain, and publish voluntary, consensus-based standards for managing information.

What does NISO do?

NISO fosters 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.

We achieve this mission by focusing on three core areas of activity: Engagement, Interoperability and Education. NISO enables libraries, publishers, and vendors to engage across and solve problems of mutual interest by providing a neutral forum in which they can engage and build consensus. NISO brings together diverse working groups and guide their work as they develop solutions to community concerns. The core problems that we collectively solve focus primarily on technological interoperability and building efficiency among these different organizations that comprise our community. NISO standards focus on content creation and curation, discovery and interchange, analytics and business processes that facilitate content exchange. Critical to the adoption of these technologies is building awareness and support for these solutions through education.  NISO’s educational programs include free, written content on the NISO website, webinars, open teleconferences, in-person and virtual conferences.

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Standards and Publications

The DIREKT Project Online Information Literacy (IL) Module Platform