Abstract
Someone from the National Information Standards Organization once said, "The wonderful thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from." What exactly are Z39.50, EDI, X12, EDIFACT, NCIP, SICI, and ONIX? What is the point of all those cryptic-sounding letters? There are times when standards all seem to merge in a large bowl of alphabet soup. This presentation addresses existing and emerging standards and helps explain specific applications of standards in a library environment.