Dean Griffiths and Dr. Beth Fitzsimmons appointed to National Advisory Board

Dr. José-Marie Griffiths, dean of the School of Information and Library Science (SILS), and Dr. Beth Fitzsimmons, member of SILS Board of Visitors and the Louis Round Wilson Academy, have been appointed to serve on the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) Advisory Board.

The Advisory Board advises the director of NTIS, the under secretary for technology and the secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce on policies, the mission of the NTIS and plans for the future.

According to the NTIS Web site, "The National Technical Information Service serves our nation as the largest central resource for government-funded scientific, technical, engineering, and business related information available today. For 60 years NTIS has assured businesses, universities, and the public timely access to well over 3 million publications covering over 350 subject areas."

Dr. Griffiths is the dean of the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a member of the National Science Board, recently appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the Senate. She is the founding chair of The Knowledge TrustSM and the Louis Round Wilson Academy.

Dr. Fitzsimmons is the chair of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. She was appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2004. She is the President of Information Strategists located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The appointment is effective immediately and ends June 30, 2009.