AIIP Intel

Hello AIIP members! I took this photo a few days ago on a walk near my house. Love those fall colors!

Town Hall Opportunities

It was good to see some of you at our recent Town Hall meeting! Did you know that the Board holds these meetings every quarter to share information with members and answer any questions you have? The next Town Hall is  January 16, 2025. You can find upcoming meeting dates and recordings of past meetings on the Board Meetings page on the Members Only portion of the website. Log in to access them.

At our recent Town Hall, 2025 Symposium Planning Committee Chair Denise Carter shared some details about AIIP's virtual global symposium in April 2025. If you missed the live meeting, be sure to check out the recording!

Next Book Club Meeting:  November 7

Did you know that AIIP has an ongoing Book Club event, hosted by yours truly and Denise Carter?

• The good news – our discussion is on books we’ve read that we’ve liked, not on one particular book! So come share your favorites and learn more from others with no specific reading requirements.

• The better news – our November 7 Book Club will focus on the theme, “Thriving Solo: Improving Our Mental Well-Being.” We'll highlight one of our newer AIIP members, Helen Rimmer, author of The Kind Librarian. Please join us at noon EST and learn more about her book and her business!

More Upcoming Virtual Events

• New member Welcome Webinar, November 12 at noon EST – open to all members to network and get to know one another!

• On November 19, book yourself at noon EST for “Unlocking Opportunities:  7 Powerful Ways Volunteering Expands Your Professional Network.” Speaking from experience, I can say that volunteering with AIIP has been hugely beneficial to me personally and professionally. Join the discussion on November 19!
• Check out the events calendar for the latest details.

Quarterly Volunteer Spotlight

Please join the AIIP Board and me in celebrating this quarter’s Volunteer Spotlight honoree – Marj Atkinson! Marj wears many volunteer hats for AIIP – including participating on the Membership Committee and the Outreach Committee, serving as the Blog Editor, running our Local Groups, and now also helping out with the AIIP25 Symposium Planning Committee. If you encounter Marj in your AIIP interactions, be sure to thank her!

Looking for ways you can make a difference like Marj? Check out our current volunteer opportunities on the Member-Only side of the website.

Thanks for reading,

Kelly Berry
AIIP President, 2024-2025

Proudly Independent & Globally Connected

It feels like just yesterday I was in St. Louis at the AIIP24 Symposium, talking about goal setting and planning for the future. And now we are approaching the end of the year and planning our business goals for 2025. (Right? Are we all starting to set goals for 2025?)

So this seems like the perfect time to be introducing our upcoming symposium – AIIP25:  Proudly Independent and Globally Connected.

Our Symposium Planning Committee is excited to be able to serve a diverse and global audience of aspiring, emerging, and established infopreneurs with this event! We are hard at work putting together the program and finding ways to provide value to current and future AIIP members.

What can you do to prepare for AIIP25?

1. Mark your calendar for April 8-10, 2025.
2. Include this event in your 2025 budget. (Professional Development should be a part of your business budget!)
3. Look for upcoming messages on #AIIP25 to get more details on what’s to come!
4. Share promotional content from AIIP with your network to encourage them to check out the Symposium - which is open to all infopreneurs.

Volunteer Opportunities

Whether you’re new to AIIP or not, the best way to engage with your fellow AIIPers is to volunteer! I can tell you, based on my own personal experience, that as soon as I reached out to offer to volunteer, I became much better connected to other members who have become dear friends and business partners. And I have learned skills as a volunteer that have helped my own business as well.

Not sure where to get started? Check out a list of current opportunities on the members-only side of the website.

Speaking of volunteering, in November the Virtual Events Committee will be hosting a terrific event:  Unlocking Opportunities: 7 Powerful Ways Volunteering Expands Your Professional Network! Check out the events calendar for more details.

Thanks for reading,

Kelly Berry
AIIP President, 2024-2025

President@aiip.org

I can’t believe we are here at the end of August and sliding quickly into September. Even for those of us who no longer have kids in school, September feels like a clear transition. As in, enough already with all the vacations and everyday fun, it’s time to get back to work!

This photo shows our family minivan packed to the gills when our daughter moved into her dorm freshman year.

If your 2024 summer was anything like mine, it involved some work, some vacation, and some slowed projects, as everyone I worked with was on vacation on a different week.

So, starting in September, my mindset is – Back to Work! Here’s what this means to me.

1. Set One Clear Goal

Pick one specific goal that you’d like to accomplish. Consider following Dr. Sarah Glova’s One Page Plan that she shared with us at the AIIP24 Symposium (and that you can learn about by watching her TEDx talk). What do you want to have accomplished by the end of 2024? Or what do you want to have started by the end of the year? My goal – finish my new website and branding and have it live. What’s your goal?

2. Determine How To Measure Success

How do you define success for the goal that you set? Is there something you can measure to show that you are making REAL progress that advances your business? We’re not talking incremental progress here but something obvious. For my goal it’s pretty easy – the website is live. What does a successful goal look like for you?

3. Break the Goal into Tiny Pieces

Now take that goal and end result, and start breaking the goal into pieces. The tinier the better. Start by breaking things into sections. For my website, I tackled one page at a time – content, images, links, videos. I have a checklist and I’m working my way through it. What about you?

Struggling to make progress? Then turn to AIIP to help! Consider a Get-it-Done Peer Group, an Accountability Buddy or a Mentor! And don’t forget all the amazing insights from your fellow AIIPers available on the Virtual Event Recordings Page – on a wide range of topics to help you grow your business!
Let’s make some progress together at the start of this school year, whether there’s any school involved for us or not!

AIIP25 Symposium Planning

I am pleased to say that we have a committee actively at work to plan a special symposium event in April 2025. A big thank you to Denise Carter, our Symposium Chair, and volunteers Heather Carine, Jen Doyle, Chris Cochran, and Richard Hulser.

There's always room for more volunteers - so reach out to me if you're interested in helping us plan this global virtual event! 

Infopreneur Secrets Webinar

Check out the special webinar coming up on September 13 covering the secrets to becoming a successful infopreneur! This event is open to both members and nonmembers and requires registration. Learn more about this event and more on our Events Calendar.

Thanks for reading,

Kelly Berry
AIIP President, 2024-2025

President@aiip.org

Board Initiatives

This month I thought I’d share some things your AIIP Board is working on. Did you know Board members not only hold quarterly Board meetings right after each Town Hall, but we also meet monthly for a caucus call?

Some of our current initiatives:

• Membership Promotion:  Starting August 1, AIIP will run a special offer of $99 for 6 months of membership. This special will run only until September 30. Please boost the visibility of this special offer and help us recruit new members!
• Membership Milestones:  Your AIIP Board is so appreciative of longstanding AIIP members! We are working on ways to more formally thank you for your loyalty to AIIP over the years, including special recognition for milestone anniversaries. A plan to celebrate retiring members is also in the works!
  We are proud to have such a full range of members – from students and those just starting up all the way through to experienced information professionals who can serve as mentors as they wind down their infopreneur business. Lots to celebrate!
• Knowledge & Information Management:  Did you know that AIIP was formed in 1987? This amazing group of information professionals has been equally amazing at archiving information over the past 37 years. We are streamlining the archives to make it easier for volunteers and Board members to find and use information effectively. Know any KM experts or archivists that could help with that? (Ha!)

In other news . . .

August 6 Welcome Webinar, noon-1pm EDT

New and long-time members are encouraged to join in for a friendly conversation and networking with AIIP members from across the world. Show our new members what a welcoming organization we are! Connect with your peers, compare notes or find new ways to collaborate! Find the Zoom link on the Members Only Virtual Events page.

Volunteer Spotlight

Please join me in celebrating our Volunteer Spotlight members for this quarter:

• Betty Nordeng, Willowriv Consulting, who provides unending support of AIIP and its members on social media and beyond!
• 2024 Annual Event Committee Leaders:  Elizabeth McLean, Knowsaic; Heather Carine, Carine Research; Elizabeth Hutchinson, School Libraries.

July Town Hall Recording

Members who missed the July Town Hall meeting can access the recording on the Members Only side of the website. We honored our spotlight volunteers and discussed the 2024 Symposium and plans for the 2025 virtual/global Symposium. Curious? Check it out!

Thanks for reading,

Kelly Berry
AIIP President, 2024-2025

Lessons from the strawberry . . .

As we approach the 4th of July, or Independence Day here in the U.S. (not to mention Canada Day on July 1!), I wanted to share my patriotic red, white and blue photo from a week or so ago. See the beautiful red strawberries I grew? On the white paper towel sitting on my blue counter? Makes you feel a bit patriotic, right? Or maybe hungry.

There’s a reason beyond the colors that I’m sharing this photo. You see, I was so pleased with myself that I bought this hanging strawberry plant earlier this summer. I watched the buds turn to flowers, and the flowers turn to tiny white strawberries, and finally to these beauties. I took a photo because I was so proud that I grew something I could eat!  (I am not much of a gardener.)

Well, good thing I got that photo and enjoyed every juicy bite, because the squirrels have now eaten Every Single Strawberry since then. They even leave the stems with little tiny bites of strawberry left on them all along the railing of my deck, as if to taunt me. I have not had a single strawberry since that photo, but there are half eaten stems all over my backyard.

And – here are my lessons learned:

• Savor every bite of something delicious - live in the moment!

• Envision the best outcome and enjoy your vision (in this case, an overflowing basket full of yummy fresh ripe strawberries). Even if it doesn’t pan out, you’re still better off than if you didn’t have that vision (at least I got those three!)
• Even if you invest lots of time and energy in something, you may not be the one reaping the reward (or the only one)
• I hate squirrels.

Similar to my strawberry saga, we here at AIIP like to envision the best outcome and plan for success!  We are here to help each other find new ways to grow our businesses, through educational Virtual Events, support from our Peers and Mentors, learning new skills as a volunteer, and the general camaraderie and support of our fellow members.

As we move into the middle of the year, I want to thank you all for your devotion, membership, and volunteerism. That is what makes this organization so great! I hope you can put a vision of success together for your business and personal life – and see forward progress this year! But don’t forget to savor every moment along the way as well, in case any ‘squirrels’ get in the way of your best laid plans!

Member updates

2024 and 2025 Symposium

We are glad to see that everyone who attended the AIIP 2024 Symposium enjoyed the sessions and networking time together. And we're excited for our global focus for the 2025 Symposium, with keynote speakers coming to our members from multiple time zones.

Planning is already underway for 2025, but we’d love a couple more volunteers! If you’re curious to learn how to manage a global event or want to learn some new technology or work with some incredible keynote speakers, reach out to me (President@aiip.org) and we can add you to the team working to put together an amazing virtual event for all. 

Join us at the July 18 Town Hall event (11:30 am U.S. Eastern time) to hear about 2024 Symposium outcomes and what's taking shape for 2025. Check the Events listing for more information on this upcoming Town Hall.

Thank You to Our Supporting Members

Thank you to our Supporting members, Ulla de Stricker, Janel Kinlaw, and Marcy Phelps, who have shown their dedication to and support of AIIP through their supporting membership, along with their many years (and many roles) of volunteering! We appreciate your support of AIIP!

Thanks for reading,

Kelly Berry
AIIP President, 2024-2025

Here in Wisconsin, the flowering trees have bloomed, and we're finally planting our annuals.

If you attended the AIIP24 Symposium, you'll recall Jennifer Burke’s presentation,
“Cultivating Evergreen Thought Leadership.” I hope it inspired you to create varied content to promote your business!

This spring, as everything around me grows, I reflect on how AIIP helps us grow our businesses.

How does AIIP help you grow?

During my conversations with members, many have mentioned the credibility they gain from the AIIP logo and code of ethics. But AIIP offers so much more!

Events like our annual symposium provide both specialized knowledge and general business development skills. Are you also taking advantage of our line-up of virtual events and recordings of past events if you missed them live?

Another way to grow is through personal connections. Introduce yourself on the discussion list, update your AIIP profile, and join our next Welcome Webinar.

How do you help AIIP grow?

AIIP’s mission is to equip our members for ongoing business success. To continue supporting you, we need your help in growing our community. If you're a volunteer, thank you for your contributions! We're always looking for more volunteers for both short-term and ongoing roles.

Looking for other ways to help?  Consider sharing AIIP content on social media, displaying the AIIP logo on your website, and listing your AIIP membership on LinkedIn.  And of course, spread the word to other information professionals who could benefit from AIIP services. Simple actions like these can enhance our organization's visibility and ensure AIIP thrives. Let's continue to grow together!

Member updates

Annual Business Meeting Access

Our Annual Business Meeting took place at the AIIP24 Symposium in St. Louis (and virtually) on Saturday, April 20.  Log in to access the recording of the meeting along with the reports and documents from the meeting.  A big thank you to the departing Board Members and welcome to the new ones!

Virtual Awards & Symposium Takeaways

On May 2, AIIP held a virtual awards ceremony to recognize this year’s award recipients, and we also discussed some key takeaways from the symposium. Log in to watch the recorded session.

Help AIIP congratulate our 2024 award winners!

• Udo Hohlfeld, Sue Rugge Memorial Award
• Susan Baerwald, Marilyn M. Levine AIIP President’s Award
• Marj Atkinson, Roger Summit Conference Sponsorship Award
• Susan Tenby, Roger Summit Lecture Award

Volunteer Opportunities

The fastest way to make connections with members, learn more about AIIP programs, and improve your own professional development is to volunteer!  We have a wide variety of roles, so consider either demonstrating your capabilities or learning some new skillsets, and see what stands out to you. Log in to check out the list of open positions, or just send an email to volunteers@aiip.org and we’ll help connect you with the right project or position!

Like to read?

It feels like a safe bet to say that many AIIPers are also avid readers! Did you know  we have a webpage with book recommendations by AIIP members?  And that we have an AIIP Affiliate page with Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that supports independent bookstores?  A portion of every purchase you make through this affiliate page goes to AIIP and to independent bookstores!  This service is only available in the U.S., but if you know of similar offerings in other countries, please let me know!

Thanks for reading,

Kelly Berry
AIIP President, 2024-2025

president@aiip.org