January 27, 2017
  
To: NASIG members and the associated professional community
 
In the wake of the recent contentious U.S. Presidential election, many people have expressed fear that our nation is ripe for an environment in which diverse views and characteristics are no longer valued. While our focus as a membership organization is “to advance and transform the management of information resources,” we cannot forget that this work is done by individual people who are experiencing a multitude of emotions right now, and therefore we must also do what we can to ensure that NASIG remains a space where a diversity of perspectives is welcomed, but divisive and abusive behaviors are not.
 
For more than 30 years, NASIG has been an organization dedicated to creating a community among a diverse group of individuals in the information chain. We have welcomed individuals from all scholarly communication perspectives, striving for a shared understanding of our challenges and goals. Our membership represents many walks of life in terms of sexual orientation, race, religion, etc., and we honor and value these varied characteristics in our constituents.
 
In recent years, injustices and imbalances in our world have been brought to light in more ways than were available to us before. We recognize that these are not new, but as we have become more aware of the impact on our lives and the lives of those around us, we are also seeing the widening of a divide between individuals.
 
To that end, we have evolved and expanded our Code of Conduct to clarify the expectations we have for the behavior of NASIG members not only at our annual conference, but in other NASIG venues, both physical and virtual. NASIG does not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form.  If any member or conference attendee feels they are experiencing such in a NASIG-sponsored venue, please contact a member of the Board immediately so that we can take appropriate action.
 
NASIG Code of Conduct -  https://goo.gl/OrFppM
 
Anna Creech, 2016-17 NASIG President
     on behalf of the 2016-17 NASIG Board
 
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Established in 1985, NASIG is an independent non-profit organization working to advance and transform the management of information resources in all formats and business models. For more information about NASIG and our member opportunities, please visit http://www.nasig.org/.