New and Emerging Specs & Standards (May 2026)
ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207:2026 — Systems and software engineering — Software life cycle processes
Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7
“This document establishes a common framework for software life cycle processes. Its terminology can be referenced and applied across the software industry. It contains processes, activities and tasks that can be applied during the acquisition of a software system, product, or service and during the supply, development, operation, maintenance, and disposal of software products and services. This is accomplished through the involvement of stakeholders, with the goal of achieving customer satisfaction. This document includes those aspects of system definition needed to provide the context for software systems and services. This document also provides processes that can be employed for defining, controlling, and improving software life cycle processes within an organization or a project. This document is applicable to one-of-a-kind software systems, software systems for wide commercial or public distribution, and customised, adaptable software systems. Software includes the software portion of firmware. It applies to a complete stand-alone software system and to software systems that are embedded and integrated into larger more complex and complete systems of systems (SoS). The processes, activities, and tasks of this document can also be applied during the acquisition of a system that contains software. This document applies to the full life cycle of software systems, products, and services, including conception, development, operations, support, and retirement, and to their acquisition and supply, whether performed internally or externally to an organization. The life cycle processes of this document can be applied concurrently, iteratively, and recursively to a software system and incrementally to its elements. This document can be applied in organizations and software projects using a variety of formal engineering approaches. It is applicable for agile approaches and methods, which are most widely used for software development, sustainment, and maintenance, and which are believed to be more affordable and to deliver usable products more quickly. This document does not identify or require any specific software life cycle model, development methodology, method, modelling approach, or techniques for selecting a life cycle model for the organization or project and mapping the processes, activities, and tasks in this document into that model. Using engineering judgment to help achieve the desired level of quality is also outside the scope of this document. This document does not detail information items in terms of name, format, explicit content, and recording media. ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289 identifies the content for life cycle process information items (documentation).”
ISO 21139-22:2026 — Permanence and durability of commercial prints Part 22: Backlit display in indoor or shaded outdoor conditions — Light stability
Technical Committee: ISO/TC 42
“This document specifies the test method for light stability measurements of prints on transparent or translucent foils, transparent or translucent film, and paper or printed on a textile, which are displayed on backlit units installed in indoor or in shaded outdoor conditions, which are protected against direct precipitation and radiative heating. Installations of backlit display units in outdoor areas without shading, which are exposed to direct weathering and/or radiative heating, are excluded. This document is applicable to the various product classes of “commercial prints” that are suitable for backlit display. These commercial prints often contain combinations of text, pictorial images and/or artwork. This document provides guidelines for colour measurements, data analysis, and also provides guidance for translation of test results into suitable image permanence performance claims considering the variability of backlit designs and environmental conditions. This document is applicable to both analogue and digitally printed matter. Methods and principles apply to both colour and monochrome prints.”
ISO/IEC 19583-26:2026 — Information technology — Concepts and usage of metadata
Part 26: XML for representation of ISO/IEC 11179-3:2013 content
Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 32
“This document specifies the structure of ISO/IEC 11179-3:2013 representation in W3C XML Schema suitable for communication of content between compliant registries. The schema described in this document will implement a class and attribute vocabulary that matches the conceptual model presented in ISO/IEC 11179-3:2013 in W3C XML Schema format. The purpose of the schema is for the exchange of compliant metadata, and to support the validation of messages exchanged between registries. It is not intended for the communication of data element metadata alongside the data to which the metadata refers. The document specifies the schema and the principles and conventions that were followed to map classes, attributes, and associations of the conceptual model into an acyclic, directed graph suitable for an unambiguous document-based representation.”
2025 Update to the IFLA Standards Procedures Manual [IFLA]
“The IFLA Advisory Committee on Standards announces the release of the December 2025 update to the IFLA Standards Procedures Manual. The focus of this update is on providing greater guidance on conducting worldwide reviews, clarifying procedures for approving minor updates to standards, procedures for standards with frequent updates, standards published as web resources rather than as PDF files, and translation of standards.”
Expanding Networks, Strengthening Data, Transforming Services [Research Information]
“The year 2025 was a pivotal moment for the ISSN International Centre (CIEPS), combining symbolic celebrations with tangible progress. While commemorating its fiftieth anniversary, the organisation accelerated its strategic transformation under the 2025–2029 Action Plan. This dual focus on heritage and innovation defines the Centre’s current trajectory. Meanwhile, the ISSN network continued to grow, reaching 96 member countries by early 2026, with new national centres opening and others in development. This steady growth reflects the global relevance of the ISSN system and its ability to adapt to diverse publishing environments. However, it also reinforces the need for stronger coordination, harmonised practices, and shared tools across the network.”
Introducing the Internet Governance Network [ICANN]
“Over the past two years, the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society outcomes (WSIS+20) Outreach Network demonstrated the value of a dedicated space for the ICANN community and interested stakeholders to exchange information. The network brought together over 600 participants from across the Internet ecosystem to share updates, highlight developments, and compare perspectives as the WSIS+20 review progressed. These exchanges helped participants better understand the landscape, the range of viewpoints, and engage more constructively in the process. Building on that experience and following the conclusion of the WSIS+20 review, ICANN is launching the Internet Governance Network.”
Content Authenticity and Provenance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Call to Action for the Libraries, Archives and Museums Community [The Signal]
“Released in February 2026 as a product of the C2PA for G+LAM Community of Practice, the white paper “Content Authenticity and Provenance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Call-to-Action for the LAMs Community” (download PDF) advocates for libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs) to take proactive and pragmatic steps to ensure that digital collections content, especially content impacted by AI at any point in its lifecycle, remains authentic, transparent, and verifiable from creation through access in order to meet the LAMs community’s mission of public trust.”
