**Apologies for cross posting**

The NISO Plus 2023 conference may have wrapped up last week, but this year’s event schedule has more in store for you! March happenings address timely and important issues in the information community and include our monthly roundtable, covering Implementing Inclusive Metadata, an open teleconference on NISO’s Standards-Specific Ontology Standard (SSOS), and our first Virtual Conference of 2023, on Accessibility.

MONTHLY ROUNDTABLE WEBINAR - FREE FOR NISO MEMBERS

Implementing Inclusive Metadata

Wednesday, March 8, 11.00 am - 12.30pm EST (US/Canada)

Inclusive terminology in metadata and its associated descriptors is essential for the successful discovery of relevant materials. As cultural shifts in the use of language occur, collaboration by content providers, platform providers, and librarians can make a major contribution to developing a fully inclusive information environment. This roundtable discussion will bring together stakeholders from across the information community for a cross-sector discussion of how metadata, controlled vocabularies, and other key elements of automated search can be improved in support of diversity and inclusion—both of users and of the information they seek. What guidance is there? What tools exist? How can changes be introduced with minimal disruption to systems constantly in use?

Confirmed Speakers include Jennifer Baxmeyer, Assistant University Librarian for Metadata Services, Princeton University Library; Lisa Gavell, Metadata Librarian & Product Liaison, ITHAKA; and a representative from the Metadata Best Practices for Trans and Gender Diverse Resources project (others to be confirmed).

NISO members - no registration needed

Non-NISO members, please register here (includes unlimited attendees from your organization)

The recording will be shared with all registered attendees

OPEN TELECONFERENCE

SSOS: Standards-Specific Ontology Standard

March 13, 2023 11:00 am–12:00 pm

The Standards-Specific Ontology Standard (SSOS) provides a high-level generic ontology which describes the life cycle of consensus-based standardization projects and published standardization deliverables, i.e., standards. Developers, publishers, distributors, and users of standards, including national standards bodies, regional and international standards bodies, standards development organizations, and business can use SSOS to better structure the life cycle information of their own standards or to better structure and automatically analyze and compare development stages of standardization activities and the life cycle of standards publications.

SSOS Working Group co-chairs Robert Wheeler (ASME) and Cord Wischhöfer (DIN) will join NISO Associate Executive Director Nettie Lagace to talk about how this work can improve the future of standards and information exchange in general. We anticipate that SSOS will be a newly-published ANSI/NISO standard by the time of our discussion!

Confirmed Speakers: Robert Wheeler, Director, Publishing Technologies, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and Cord Wischhöfer, CEO, DIN Software GmbH

Open teleconferences are free and open to all. See our event page for info on how to join. 

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

Accessibility

March 29, 2023 12:00–4:00 pm EDT (US/Canada)

It can be all too easy to forget that the final letter “A” in DEIA is for accessibility. However, it is critical—and in many cases, a legal requirement—to ensure that the information we create, curate, and disseminate is accessible to all. This four-hour event will cover the perspectives and expertise needed to ensure that products and services meet required accessibility specifications. Whatever the product or interface, coordinating efforts between users, developers, administrators, information professionals, and others key stakeholders and service providers is essential. What are the stumbling blocks, and what are some of the emerging solutions—whether technological or standards-based? Attendees will come away with a greater understanding of what is needed and what is possible. 

Confirmed Speakers include, Caroline Desrosiers, Founder & CEO, Scribely; Bill Kasdorf, Principal Kasdorf & Associates, LLC; Mark McCallum, Business Development Director for UK and Europe, codemantra; Stacy Scott, Accessibility Officer, Taylor & Francis; Tzviya Siegman, Information Standards Lead, Wiley; and Neil Soiffer, Chief Listening Office, Talking Cat Software.

Register here. Discounts available for NISO Voting/LSA members and NASIG members; full-time students, and unemployed/retired registrants.

We hope you can join us next month for this valuable programming! Please see our events page for more information, including updates on confirmed speakers,

Best Wishes,

The NISO Team

NISO

3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 302

Baltimore, MD 21211

Phone: 301.654.2512

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