Angel K. Washington DurrSLIS 5366 Spring 2010

February 21, 2010

•Acquire information for profit•“Information Freelancer”•No 401k or health benfits•Can be full or part time•Paid on case by case or contract basis

•Can be traced back to Gutenberg•Brigitte de Gastines, SVP France•Maurice de Turchheim bought company•Matthew Lesko, Washington Researchers

•Information Industry Association•Bulletin for the American Society of Information Science•Susan Klement•Kelly Warnken•R.R. Bowkers

•Founding•Over 500 members today•Conference

•Advance the knowledge and understanding of the information profession;

•Promote and maintain high professional and ethical standards among its members;

•Encourage independent information professionals to assemble to discuss common issues;

•Promote the interchange of information among independent information professionals and various organizations;

•Keep the public informed of the profession and of the responsibilities of the information professional.

•Job Postings•Work Independently•Good resources•Publications

•Independent•Small Business Experience•Marketing•MLS (Not Required)•Depends on specialization

•$40,000-$200,000 yearly•Difficult to gage because of nature of work•Hourly or contract•Sometimes upfront, sometimes at intervals

•Search Engines only index 14% of web•Information Brokers can find the rest•Only 485 in U.S.•21 in Canada

•Dialog, CDP, Datastar, Lexis, Dow Jones and Newsnet•Other information found elsewhere•Pay for own subscriptions•Adaptable to many sources

•No Certification Process Currently•May Happen in the Future•Will Be Difficult Due to the Nature of Profession

•Who Owns Information?•At What Cost? •Copyright Laws•Photocopy Restrictions•Policy Provided by AIIP

•Legal Background•Work for Small Firms, Usually•Access Information They Can’t•Help Financially•Time Constraints•Predetermined Salary•AALL Has Section

“Jobs for librarians outside traditional settings will grow the fastest over the decade. Non-traditional jobs include working as information brokers…Many companies are turning to librarians because of their research and organizational skills and their knowledge of computer databases and library automation systems.” –Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008.

•Become Indispensible•Accurate and Quick Information•Be Competitive•Keep a Good Toolbox•For Many it’s a Second Career