Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to represent AIIP at the
Online Information conference and exhibition in London. For me, this was one of the highlights of my year as president - for several reasons:
The AIIP President's Breakfast traditionally kicks off the event just before the exhibition opening. I enjoyed chatting with members and vendors and getting to know several that I hadn't met before. The breakfast really highlighted what a collegial and diverse group AIIP is. Many, many thanks to
Dialog for their continued sponsorship of the breakfast, and to
FreePint, for also providing support.
The AIIP exhibit stand remained busy throughout the event. It was exciting to tell so many people about our organization, our members, and the kinds of work our members do. Inquirers wanted to know about becoming an independent info pro, and about hiring an independent information pro. It was encouraging to see that information work is a thriving industry.
I was honored to have the chance to present a session called, "Could Your Next Employer be You? A Look at the Independent Information Profession." In the session, I illustrated how the skills you learn working for someone else easily transfer to working for yourself. My slides are posted at the
AIIP website. To help people gain some insight into what an independent info pro does, we've also included a compilation of some of our members' recent projects.
Online Information is an important, global gathering of information professionals, and, in my opinion, it's critical that AIIP continues to participate.