Some Things Never Change: AIIP Connections Preserved
By: Barbara Hanlon Pappas
Editor’s note: Before the AIIP Connections blog, our members shared knowledge through the print and digital editions of the AIIP Connections newsletter. Issues from 1991 through 2019 are now archived on in the members-only section of the association’s website.
I attended my first AIIP conference in 2019 and decided that I wanted to be more involved with the association. I am interested in websites, so I introduced myself to the webmaster and web committee chair, Connie Clem, and asked if she could use a volunteer. During the Spring of 2020, I finished a project assisting Connie with uploading issues to the AIIP Connections Archive. It was a rewarding experience, for some surprising reasons.
Not only was it satisfying to help with website maintenance, but the content in AIIP Connections issues dating back to the 1990s and early 2000s gave me some interesting insights. It was fun to read about early iterations of internet technology, and to notice how far we have come. It was great to see pieces written years ago by or about many of the people I met at my first conference.
But what the AIIP Connections Archive really brought into focus is how AIIP members have always helped each other out by sharing cutting edge information, links to websites of interest, new tech tools and gadgets, business strategies, and realistic wisdom when the going gets tough. I was struck by how relevant these archived articles are today, from the shared experience of starting an independent information business, to detailed overviews of niche areas, vendor relationships and products, and the nuts and bolts of what it takes over time to keep that business running successfully.
More recently during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was amazed to discover articles written long ago that address topics of relevance now, such as Transforming a Bedroom into an Executive Office (Winter 2001), Wondering Whether to Stay in Business? Members Reach Out (September 2007), Three Cs to Grow Your Business: Communicate! Collaborate! Connect! (July/August 2008), Will All Info Pros be in Private Practice? (April-June 2009), and When You See a Fork in the Road, Take It! (April-June 2009) – just to name a few.
It is very comforting to know that AIIP members have been at the forefront of one trend after the other, dealing head-on with extremely difficult challenges and yet staying the course. Being independent does not mean being isolated. And, in this unprecedented year of 2020, it is more important than ever to stay connected.
Barbara Hanlon Pappas is the founder and owner of ProFile Library Services of D.C., Inc., a woman-owned small business dedicated to providing high quality support and information services to a variety of libraries and institutions, including those within law firms, associations, government agencies and other corporate or special libraries.
