By joel.herndon | March 9, 2011
“Data are larger than the social sciences” and data concerns have grown beyond the traditional communities comprising IASSIST." –respondent to strategic plan survey (2009)
As preparations intensify for IASSIST 2011, I encourage IASSIST members to review the 2010-2014 Strategic Plan with its focus on Advocacy, Community, and Professional Development.
As IASSIST moves into the second year of the plan, the organization finds itself in an environment where data concerns have expanded to the point that many organizations have placed data curation, data sharing, and developing data literacy at the forefront of their agenda. As IASSIST adapts to these changes, its members must make choices about how to focus our efforts in the upcoming year and how IASSIST should grow to embrace a range of new opportunities surrounding data.
How can you participate in shaping IASSISTs future? On a very practical level, IASSIST has created a series of new action and interest groups designed to engage the membership in many areas of the strategic plan. I would strongly encourage anyone with an interest in these groups to contact the chairs to determine how to become involved.
Action groups and interest groups are not the only mechanisms for participating in the future of IASSIST though. Do you have an idea for the organization that doesn’t fit the current structure? Suggest a roundtable for the conference. Form a new interest group. Want to reach the IASSIST community outside of the conference? Both the iBlog and the IASSIST list allow you to reach the IASSIST community instantly.
IASSIST has a long history of embracing member ideas and promoting these ideas to the larger data community. DDI, the IASSIST Fellows program, and the new “Latin Engagement” action group all grew out of the interests of IASSIST members. Your ideas for IASSIST can have a direct impact on both IASSIST and the larger data community.
The “data deluge” surrounding IASSIST has the potential to make this period one of the most productive periods of IASSIST’s history. Get involved and help us shape the future of IASSIST!