#21740
Becoming an Information Architect 
The birth, development and launch of an engaging, well-designed Web site starts with an idea and a vision. Beyond that, detailed planning and organization, open communication among team members and a common goal bring the idea to fruition. And information architects play a key role in that process.
Cohen, Sacha. Monster.com (2004). Careers>Information Design
#21330
It seems like a lifetime ago when I asked my boss if I could adopt the title 'Information Architect.' After all, according to Richard Saul Wurman's definition, that is what I was. He laughed at me and said Information Architect isn’t a title, or a role. It’s not a job. That conversation took place only four years ago.
Malone, Erin. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Careers>Information Design
#20294
Defining 'Value-Adding Work' of In-House Information Development Groups 
Many in-house information development groups are redefining their role (or seeking to justify their existence) around the concept of 'value-adding work.' But which tasks are value-adding? Finding an answer to this question is critical for the survival of information development groups. Unfortunately, there is no easy, 'one size fits all' answer, because the response depends largely on your point of view. Thus, deciding what is and isn't value-adding may require technical communicators to do more project-by-project task, audience, and media analysis than ever before.
Collins, William L. STC Proceedings (1998). Careers>Content Management>Information Design>Content Strategy
#10427
As the responsibilities of and demand for technical communicators have grown, demand for a new set of skills called information design has emerged. Information design is preparing communication products so that they achieve performance objectives established for them. Although some technical communicators now call themselves information designers, the field originally emerged from architects, graphic designers, and library scientists, and related work by instructional designers. Information designers prepare blueprints for communication products. To do so effectively, they need skills in information design and development, the technology they are communicating, the technology of communication, the industries they are communicating to, and business skills. They must also be comfortable with a variety of media and genres. Moving to information design creates a new career ladder for technical communicators.
Carliner, Saul. Technical Communication Online (2001). Careers>Information Design
#13055
Future Travels of the InfoWrangler
Some of the questions most commonly asked by professionals in a given field are 'where is the field headed?' and 'how will that affect me?' In this article, I give one person's view of where the fields of technical communication, training, and marketing communications are headed and how that might affect people working in those fields.
Carliner, Saul. Intercom (1998). Careers>Information Design
#20440
You have collected the pieces you would like to include in your portfolio. You have sorted through your collection and selected your best work. You have made entry cards for each piece to provide a good introduction for each sample. And you are ready to place your work, introduction page, entry cards, section dividers, and give-aways into your new leather portfolio. Where do you start?
Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson. Careers>Portfolios>Information Design>Card Sorting
#26453
Information Architecture Institute Job Board 
The IAI Job Board lists job postings related to information architecture, as well as information design, interaction design, user experience, and HCI.
Interaction Design Association (2005). Careers>Job Listings>Information Design
#22483
Information Architecture: A Rose by Any Other Name...
The efforts to define our field and our role are understandable by-products of our economic times and of forces in our contexts of practice. What are the pressures behind this quest for definition? What are the options (and potential advantages) of refusing to pigeonhole ourselves?
Stott, Lynn. Boxes and Arrows (2004). Careers>Information Design>Professionalism
#22471
Information Architecture: Where Does It Fit?
It seemed five years ago that 'information architect' was becoming a popular, fancy name for tech writer. Have all of the information architects of the late '90s morphed into usability specialists with a special emphasis on the Web? Or have they gone back to being 'learning products engineers' and 'technical writers'?
Lizak, Samantha. STC Williamette Valley (2004). Careers>Information Design>Web Design
#29782
Information Design and Becoming a Business Partner
The information age provides great opportunity--and threat--to technical communicators. By understanding more about the general domain--specifically the relationship between communication and information design--we have the opportunity to become valued business partners to our employers and clients.
Knemeyer, Dirk. STC Proceedings (2004). Careers>Information Design>TC
#20701
On-demand printing, easy low-cost Web storefronts, and simple payment processing provide unprecedented methods and opportunities for technical writers to produce small, focused documentation for specific audiences. Seemingly all that is missing is the motivation.
Meyer, Gordon R. Usable Help (2003). Careers>Information Design>Writing>Technical Writing
#23892
An Interview with Peter Morville and Lou Rosenfeld, Information Architects
An interview with Peter Morville and Lou Rosenfeld covering the topic of what the information architecture is, how information architecture relates to usability, and the challenges faced when constructing a successful information architecture.
Evans, Meryl K. Digital Web Magazine (2002). Careers>Information Design
#27259
This site is a consolidation of publicly available and privately submitted job postings in HCI, Usability, User Experience, Interaction Design, Information Architecture and Ergonomics.
OK-Cancel. Careers>Job Listings>Information Design>Usability
#26794
It's likely that few professionals worry more about how their services are perceived than librarians. Lawyers may have more reason for concern, but many of them laugh all the way to the bank. We have little if not our reputation. So the new report published by OCLC, '€œPerceptions of Libraries and Information Resources,' deserves notice. Do libraries still matter? On what level? Will library use likely increase or decrease?--generated heartwarming comments but also much to cause concern.
Tennant, Roy. Library Journal (2006). Careers>Information Design>Databases
#31722
Potential Position Descriptions for Information Engineering Professionals
This article defines the tasks and responsibilities for up to seven levels of information engineers, plus two levels of management, because the author found that many companies do not provide formal position descriptions for their technical writers and other communication specialists.
Capri, Steve. Writing Assistance (2007). Careers>Information Design>Advice
#21726
Software for Information Architects
Information professionals have a love-hate relationship with technology. We love IT because it has made our jobs necessary by enabling the creation and connection of tremendous volumes of content, applications and processes. We hate IT because it constantly threatens to replace the need for us.
Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2001). Careers>Information Design>Software
#21367
The Indie life: Talking with Louis Rosenfeld
Think you'd like to set up shop as an independent information architecture consultant? Polar Bear book co-author Louis Rosenfeld has a few words of advice: it's not your IA skills that are necessarily the most important ones.
Nattress, Paul. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Careers>Freelance>Information Design
#21737
What an Information Architect Does
Indicates the number of companies (out of 19 surveyed) that included specific requirements in their job descriptions for information architects.
Garrett, Jesse James. JJG.net (2004). Careers>Information Design
#21294
Why I'm Not Calling Myself an Information Architect Anymore
Attending conferences often crystallizes the direction of a career or confirms choices made as people meet and communities bond over similar goals. It isn't often that you hear about someone throwing off the mantle of a title or dropping out of a discipline altogether. David Heller explains why he feels the title IA isn't appropriate to what he does anymore.
Heller, David. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Careers>Information Design
#33252
Salaries and Benefits for Information Architects
The Argus Center for Information Architects received 229 responses to this survey, which ran from January 3 through January 10, 2001.
#33253
This survey was conducted June 18-21, 2003. A total of 186 responses were collected. You can also download the full results including open-ended responses, a comma-delimited text file.
Information Architecture Institute (2003). Careers>Salaries>Information Design
#34046
User Experience Designer or ...? What You Call Yourself Matters
Using a self-designation with a certain amount of specificity sacrifices practicality to accuracy. Individuals who have been hired as a single-function specialist may have the luxury of presenting as a “usability engineer” or “information architect”. For the independent consultant, this strategy can have definite negative consequences.
Bailie, Rahel Anne. Intentional Design Inc. (2009). Careers>Usability>User Experience>Information Design
