Celebrating 20 years in business

20 years later: Mistakes and lessons learned

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 20 years since that fateful email message – the one that changed my career. At the time, I was in grad school, about to earn a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. I was working two part-time library jobs, and one thing I learned from both jobs […]

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Time to upgrade

Vendor wish list – Making sure an upgrade isn’t a downgrade

As an investigator, I rely on my collection of premium databases for hard-to-find information. You’d be surprised what you can’t find through Google. Over the years, I’ve worked with lots of different vendors who offer great products and customer service, and they’re well worth the investment. To their credit, database providers often upgrade their products […]

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Celebrating 18 years

Here’s to another 18 years

Eighteen years ago, I started working with my first client. As I was closing in on completing my Masters degree in Library and Information Services, one of my connections from grad school brought me in on a very cool project creating a virtual academic library for online MBA students. This connection contacted me at the […]

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teach not sell

Vendor wish list – teach, don’t sell

In previous posts, I’ve written about my wish list for information vendors. After nearly 18 years in business, I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate and purchase a lot of products, meeting lots of vendors along the way. I’ve also had a chance to notice some trends in the selling process. One nice trend is that […]

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independent business owners

More myths about going independent

Some time ago, I wrote about my career path from librarian to business owner and the top three myths about going independent. A recent encounter with a new acquaintance highlighted even more misconceptions about what it’s like working for myself, so I decided to revisit the topic. This time I checked with my fellow AIIP […]

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Association of Independent Information Professionals

Value of my AIIP membership

I belong to several professional organizations, and none offers the value that I get from the Association of Independent Information Professionals, or AIIP. In the past, I’ve written about why I belong to AIIP, but a recent discussion on the association’s private email discussion list prompted me to write the following post: Every so often, […]

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Wish list for information vendors

My wish list For information vendors – Part 2

In my business, I spend a lot of time buying information and information-related products. A while ago, I posted a wish list for information vendors, which focused on issues that generally arise before the sale. In part 2 – again compiled with the help of my AIIP colleagues – I offer 10 suggestions for fee-based […]

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Association of Independent Information Professionals

Why I’m a member of AIIP

As many of you know, I’m an active member and a past-president of the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP). I first joined in 2001, a year after starting my business, and it didn’t take long to realize that AIIP would become an essential part of my business success. An Independent Information Professional is someone […]

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Wish list for information vendors

My wish list for information vendors

As an info pro/researcher/investigator, I use a lot of specialized database products for news, public records, and other info. As a result, I’ve had a chance to work with lots of database vendors, and, in my 15+ years in business, I’ve worked with some who are great at what they do and some who aren’t. […]

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SLA2015

What I learned at #SLA2015

One event I regularly attend and rarely miss is the annual conference of the Special Libraries Association. For me, this year’s conference was unique, because it was the first time in a while that I wasn’t speaking or running a meeting. I had no obligations other than to learn and network as much as possible. […]

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