F I D

Introduction:

The International Federation for Information and Documentation (FID) promotes research and development in information science and documentation management through international cooperation. 

The FID is a non-governmental, non-profit organization with members in over 90 countries. Its members include information professionals, institutions, and users. 

The FID's headquarters are in The Hague, Netherlands. 

The FID was founded in Brussels in 1895 as the Institut International de Bibliographie (IIB) by two Belgian lawyers Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine. In 1938, the IIB was renamed the Federation Internationale de Documentation.

In 1934 - The headquarters of FID was shifted from Brussels to The Hague.

The changes in names and years are :

• 1931 – The International Institute for Documentation 
• 1937 – The International Federation for Documentation 
• 1988 – The International Federation for Information and Documentation 

The Institute was one of the sponsors of the first World Congress of Universal Documentation, held in Paris in 1937. FID was dissolved in 2002.

Goals of FID:

Its original goal was to promote universal access to recorded knowledge through the creation of an international system of classification.

• Improving the competitiveness of business, industry, and national economies
• Advancing science and technology
• Strengthening development possibilities
• Enhancing quality of life
• Improving the ability of decision-makers 

The FID promotes research and development in information science and documentation management in the physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The FID also provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences, and for organizations and individuals to coordinate their efforts at an international level.

Publications:

FID publications are membership-driven, multilingual, and specialize in information science and documentation. The FID's publishing operation specializes in information science and documentation and produces multi-lingual publications. The FID's serial publications include:

• FID. News Bulletin: A monthly members' newsletter
• FID Communications.
• International Forum on Information and Documentation (IFID): An international professional journal published quarterly

Activities:

• Coordination: International coordination of documentation activities

• Research: Studies in the theoretical and operational aspects of machine techniques and systems

• Evaluation: Survey and evaluation of linguistic and related studies with real or potential application to information processing

• Publishing: Specializes in information science and documentation, with small publication runs, multi-lingual publications, and membership-driven operations

• Education: Organizes continuing education and training courses, and stimulates educational strategies and goals at the international level

• Partnerships: Acts as a partner and facilitator of international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral partnerships in both the public and private sectors

• Networks: Creates and stimulates personal and institutional networks in an international setting

• Information infrastructures: Helps countries in the development of information infrastructures

• Research and development: Encourages scientific and technological research and the development of new information and communication