From Your Executive Director, January 2026

Greetings colleagues,

As we move into a new year of activity and opportunity for ASIS&T, I am pleased to reflect on a period marked by momentum, resilience, and forward-looking collaboration across our community.

First, I want to celebrate the tremendous success of the 2025 ASIS&T Annual Meeting in Crystal City. Nearly 600 colleagues joined us in person, creating an energetic, engaged environment for scholarly exchange, professional connection, and community building. In addition, almost 200 participants attended the two-day virtual meeting in December, extending the reach of the conference and reinforcing the value of our hybrid model. Together, these experiences demonstrated not only the vibrancy of our field but also ASIS&T’s ability to convene meaningful conversations across formats and geographies. I am grateful to the Program Committee, volunteers, presenters, and staff whose dedication made this event possible.

That spirit of adaptability was also on full display behind the scenes this year. When the original hotel for our 2026 Annual Meeting unexpectedly cancelled our contract, the situation demanded swift and decisive action. Thanks to the professionalism and persistence of our staff and partners, we were able to quickly rebook the meeting in Bangkok, securing an outstanding venue and reaffirming our commitment to global engagement. While challenges of this nature are never welcome, the outcome speaks to ASIS&T’s operational strength and our ability to protect the interests of the association and its members—even under pressure.

Looking ahead, I am especially excited about the upcoming Information Science Summit & Special Libraries Conference. This new event is intentionally designed to bridge research and practice, appealing both to practicing information scientists and to researchers working at the forefront of our discipline. By bringing these communities together, the Summit reflects a core belief of ASIS&T: that innovation in information science is strongest when theory and practice inform one another. We see this conference as an important addition to our portfolio—one that responds directly to member interests and to the evolving needs of the information professions.

I want to highlight the fact that we are about to launch the search for the next Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JASIST). This is a critically important leadership role for the association and for the field, shaping the journal’s scholarly direction, editorial standards, and global impact. The search will kick off in February, with a dedicated search committee working to identify candidates who bring strong intellectual vision, editorial experience, and a deep commitment to inclusivity and excellence in information science research. We are seeking a leader who will build on JASIST’s distinguished legacy while guiding the journal through a rapidly evolving scholarly publishing landscape. I encourage members to consider applying or to nominate colleagues whose leadership and scholarship would serve the journal and the community well.

While it is still relatively early in the integration of ASIS&T and SLA , the signs so far are genuinely encouraging. Former SLA members and communities are beginning to find a clear and welcoming home within ASIS&T, engaging in SIGs, Chapters, committees, events, and conversations that reflect their professional identities and priorities. We are seeing growing participation from practitioners who bring new perspectives and energy to the Society, enriching our collective work and helping to shape programs that better serve a broader range of information professionals. Integration of this scale takes time, care, and listening, but the early momentum suggests that ASIS&T is becoming a place where former SLA communities not only belong, but can thrive and help define the association's future.

Finally, this year marks a pivotal moment for the association with the launch of the ASIS&T 2025–2028 Strategic Plan. Developed under the leadership of the Board, the plan articulates a clear and ambitious vision for ASIS&T’s future—one that emphasizes inclusivity, global engagement, professional impact, and intellectual leadership. Importantly, the plan is now in the hands of our committees, which are beginning the critical work of operationalizing that vision. This transition—from strategy to action—is where real change happens. I am deeply appreciative of the volunteers who are investing their time and expertise to translate strategic goals into concrete initiatives that will benefit our members and the broader information science community.

Taken together, these developments underscore a simple truth: ASIS&T is moving forward with purpose. Our conferences are thriving, our governance is strategic, and our community continues to demonstrate creativity and commitment in the face of both opportunity and challenge. I look forward to working with all of you as we turn plans into progress and continue to strengthen ASIS&T’s role as a global home for information science.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support.

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