The Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) is an international

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that professio ...

for

information professional An information professional or information specialist is someone who collects, records, organises, stores, preserves, retrieves, and disseminates printed or digital information. The service delivered to the client is known as an information service ...

s specializing in primary and secondary research,

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

and

communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

, information management and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

and

consulting A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization. Consulting servic ...

, and

writing Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...

and

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, o ...

History

The Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) was founded in 1987 in the United States by a group of independent

s (then more commonly known as information brokers) led by Marilyn Levine, a professor of library and information science at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. As

personal computers A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

had become much more common, many

librarians A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

and

entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

thought that independent information services were viable. Thus, Levine and 25 other information professionals met in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

in 1987 to make an association for networking and to support information entrepreneurs. AIIP adopted its Code of Ethical Business Practice in 1989, last revised in 2002.

Membership

Members are mostly solo practitioners and small business entrepreneurs who specialize in many different aspects of the information profession.

Library schools Education for librarianship, including for paraprofessional library workers, varies around the world, and has changed over time. In recent decades, many institutions offering librarianship education have changed their names to reflect the shift from ...

business schools A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, school of business administration, o ...

, and business books list AIIP as a professional resource.

Activities

AIIP's activities include its

webinars Web conferencing is used as an umbrella term for various types of online conferencing and collaborative services including webinars (web seminars), webcasts, and web meetings. Sometimes it may be used also in the more narrow sense of the peer-l ...

, virtual meetups, local events, a

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

program, the ''AIIP Connections''

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

, and a members-only e-mail discussion list. AIIP members use the AIIP Annual Conference to

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

and partner, learn about vendors, and hone information professional skills and business management. The AIIP 2021 Annual Conference was held online 14–16 April 2021 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Likewise, the AIIP Annual Conference will also be held online on 28 April to 1 May 2022.

Governing Structure

AIIP is led by a Board of Directors, comprising the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

President-Elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Unit ...

, Past President,

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

and three Directors-at-Large. The President is elected to a three-year term, and appoints ad hoc committees as needed. The Secretary and Treasurer also serve for three-year terms; the Directors-at-Large serve for two-year terms. The Board is responsible for the strategic direction of the association and for leadership of the programs and services of the association. Any member may be a member of an AIIP

committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

, and full members may chair an AIIP committee. AIIP does not have local chapters.

Awards

AIIP, like other akin organizations, recognizes the contributions of its members with sundry awards. * AIIP Connections Writer's Award is an award of $350 awarded to the person who writes the best original article in the ''AIIP Connections'' blog. * Marilyn Levine AIIP President's Award is given to the person or institution that best supports the goals of AIIP. * Pam Wegmann International Award goes to a member living outside of North America in recognition of his or her contributions. * Roger Summit Award Lecture features an information industry leader giving an inspirational speech. * Roger Summit Conference Sponsorship Award is an award of $1,000 and free conference registration to an AIIP member attending his or her first AIIP Annual Conference. * Sue Rugge Memorial Award is an award of $500 to full member who has greatly mentored another member. * Volunteer Spotlight Award is a semi-annual award that recognizes members who have made great contributions in

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

ing.

References

External links

Official websiteAIIP Connections Blog
{{Authority control Organizations based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Library-related professional associations Organizations established in 1987