Professional Organizations

Matthew Laliberte of Flywire collected this list of professional organizations that have been proven to be useful to information architects.

American Society for Information Science and Technology (http://www.asis.org/): The American Society for Information Science (ASIS) has been the leader for over 60 years in keeping information professionals on the cutting-edge. ASIS provides high-quality and unique education and conference programs, highly-regarded publications and journals, and other professional services for information systems developers, on-line professionals, information resource managers, librarians, record managers, and others who Bridge the Gap between the present and the future, between research and application, and between developer and user.

Usability Professional's Association (http://www.upassoc.org): The Usability Professionals' Association was formed to:
· Provide a network and opportunities through which usability professionals can communicate and share information about skills and skill development, methodology used and/or proposed in the profession, tools, technology, and organizational issues.
· Present the viewpoints of the profession to the public and other interested parties.
· Educate the general public and others on the usefulness of the profession.
· Represent the profession before governmental bodies and agencies.
· Provide the methods and means to increase the members' knowledge of the profession through seminars, newsletters, magazines, and other communication tools, and through meetings and conventions.
· Serve the best interests of the usability profession.

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (http://www.hfes.org/): The Society's mission is to promote the discovery and exchange of knowledge concerning the characteristics of human beings that are applicable to the design of systems and devices of all kinds. The Society furthers serious consideration of knowledge about the assignment of appropriate functions for humans and machines, whether people serve as operators, maintainers, or users in the system. And, it advocates systematic use of such knowledge to achieve compatibility in the design of interactive systems of people, machines, and environments to ensure their effectiveness, safety, and ease of performance.

Society for Technical Communication (http://www.stc-va.org/): Society for Technical Communication -- STC is a professional association that advances the arts and sciences of technical communication. Its 25,000 members include technical writers, editors, graphic designers, multimedia artists, Web and Intranet page information designers, translators and others whose work involves making technical information understandable and available to those who need it.

Association for Computing Machinery (http://www.acm.org/): ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences, and applications of information technology. With a world-wide membership of 80,000, ACM functions as a locus for computing professionals and students working in the various fields of Information Technology. A Special Interest Group (SIGCHI) regarding Computer Human Interaction exists within the ACM at the following URL: http://www.acm.org/sigchi/

American Society of Indexers (http://www.asindexing.org): ASI is the only professional organization in the United States devoted solely to the advancement of indexing, abstracting, and database building. A list of international indexes societies can be viewed at the following URL: http://www.asindexing.org/orgpub.shtml#indexing

The American Center for Design (http://www.ac4d.org/home/home.asp) The American Center for Design is a primary source of information about design and its role in our culture and our economy. ACD is currently the only professional organization that addresses the multifaceted and continually changing nature of design. ACD's members represent all design disciplines, and their work demonstrates that design theory and innovation are inseparable from design practice. ACD is committed to connecting its members to each other, and to the research, ideas, and technologies that are continually shaping, reshaping, and influencing design and design practice.