Continuous Maintenance Procedures

Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative (SUSHI) Protocol (ANSI/NISO Z39.93)

Proposal of Changes:


Under NISO’s Continuous Maintenance procedures, anyone may propose changes to ANSI/NISO Z39.93 (SUSHI) at any time. Each change will be considered by the SUSHI Standing Committee according to the schedule shown in Section 2. The SUSHI Standing Committee and NISO leadership committees may also propose changes.

The SUSHI Standing Committee shall follow the continuous maintenance procedures in this document in lieu of periodic maintenance and stabilized maintenance procedures. All changes to the Z39.93 SUSHI standard shall be conducted in compliance with this document.

Section 1. Instructions for Submittal of Proposed Change to ANSI/NISO Standard Z39.93 (SUSHI) Under Continuous Maintenance


Comments or proposals for revisions to any part of the standard may be submitted in writing (including electronically) to NISO any time. Submissions must be accompanied by the submitter’s name, affiliation, and e-mail address.

Suggestions for improving this standard are invited. Comments are to be submitted in writing, sent to:

National Information Standards Organization (NISO) - ANSI/NISO Z39.93
Attn: Standards Program Manager 

3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 302
Baltimore, MD 21211

Tel.: 301-654-2512 (main) 
Fax: 410-685-5278

E-mail: nisohq@niso.org

A web form for submitting comments is also available. Comments may also be submitted to NISO online at www.niso.org/contact where they will be forwarded to the Standing Committee for review.

Section 2. Maintenance Review Schedule 


All submittals received by NISO are acknowledged and forwarded to the SUSHI Standing Committee for consideration. 

The SUSHI Standing Committee will consider comments as part of the agenda on its regularly-scheduled teleconferences, which take place monthly. 

The SUSHI Standing Committee will inform submitters of the disposition of their proposals within one month following each meeting.

Section 3. Resolution of Proposed Changes


The SUSHI Standing Committee may respond to submissions in the following ways:

a. Proposed change accepted without modification
b. Proposed change accepted with modification
c. Proposed change accepted for further study
d. Proposed change rejected

Responses are voted upon by the SUSHI Standing Committee and approved by committee majority.

The SUSHI Standing Committee shall provide reasons for its responses and an estimated schedule for any action, as applicable. 

All submitted changes and Standing Committee responses will be recorded in a change log made available at http://www.niso.org/workrooms/sushi. In addition, NISO will announce maintenance activity on its monthly newsletter, Newsline, and via the SUSHI developers’ list: http://www.niso.org/workrooms/sushi/developers_list/

When a sufficient number of accepted changes have been accumulated, but no later than four years after the previous approval date, the SUSHI Standing Committee will prepare a revision of the standard and the revision will be processed according to the NISO Operating Procedures provisions for balloting and approving a revised standard. Changes shall be recorded as an addendum to the standard.

Section 4. Publication of a New Edition or Reaffirmation


A new edition of a standard under continuous maintenance shall occur within five years of the prior publication date. An existing standard that has not been revised for four (4) years of the original publication date shall be reviewed at the beginning of the fourth year. If it is determined that the standard is needed but that no modification is required, action to reaffirm the standard shall be initiated.