About the Information Architecture Institute

The Information Architecture Institute is a 501(6)c professional organization, operated by a dedicated, multi-national group of people. Volunteering our own resources, we aspire to build bridges to related disciplines and organizations. We invite you to join us in advancing the state of information architecture through research, education, advocacy and community service.

We live in exciting times. As the information age rolls forward, our businesses, markets and societies are being transformed into adaptive, connected networks. The Internet of today only hints at the ubiquitous communication infrastructure of tomorrow. The construction of this brave new world requires a new kind of architecture, focused on digital structures of information and software rather than physical structures of bricks and mortar. As we spend more time working and playing in these shared information spaces, people will need and demand better search, navigation and collaboration systems.

We are working hard to build an international membership that connects people with diverse languages, cultures and perspectives. So far, we have over 1400 members from 80 countries. Our Board of Directors and Board of Advisors are comprised of individuals from six continents. Our Translations Initiative and Local Group Program serves to promote and extend our services to all corners of the world.

Read our Annual Report (2006-2007) (PDF) to find out what we accomplished in our third year of operation.

Read our latest Letter from the Board of Directors for up to date news on the Institute's activity.

Spotlight on our People

Livia Labate
Ombusdsman (Membership and IT/Systems Director)

Philadelphia, PA, USA

Livia Labate photo

Livia has been designing shared information systems my entire professional life. I consulted for small, medium and large enterprises across several countries for several years, where she learned that observation and adaptability are IA’s best friends. As the owner of her own business, she learned how to apply IA to business situations as successfully as to design problems. Finally, as the one responsible for developing the practice inside a large organization, she's learned that competence, self-confidence and bravery take you very far, but it’s in caring for and understanding the goals, interests and needs of others that you deliver meaningful results.

She was lucky to come across the IA community and subsequently the IA Institute, where she jumped to the opportunity to participate in the Translations Initiative, Mentoring Initiative and as a member of the Board of Directors in 2003-2005. She has also been part of the organizing committee for the IA Summit for the past 5 years where she's been involved with pre-conference seminars, organizing Bird-of-a-Feather sessions and more recently, the very successful Wall of Deliverables.

The quality and energy of the IA community was a key influencer in her decision to pursue Information Architecture as a career. More than a professional relationship, it’s in the IA community that she connects with people with like minds and interests, and continues to expand her horizons and contribute to something bigger than herself.

For more on Livia, see livlab.com.

Spotlight on our Partners

PARTNER


American Society for Information Science and Technology

The American Society for Information Science and Technology's Information Architecture SIG is the home of the SIG-IA mailing list and the ASIST Bulletin. The Bulletin's IA Column, edited by IAI board member Stacy Surla, features guest writers from the field of IA. Visit their site to read the current IA Column.