“Information architecture is the process of organizing and structuring information so that it is logical in design and presentation. It establishes categories and relationships among different pieces of information. It defines metadata schemes, navigation and search interfaces. Good architecture not only helps users find information, but also facilitates updating content by having clear rules for adding new information. And its effects show up on the bottom line with surprising speed when users can get what they need in just a few clicks.” (Judith Lamont – KMWorld) – courtesy of elegant hack

“While much of oneís success or failure depends on the skills specific to information architecture – like diagramming, documenting, organizing – an even greater indicator is soft skills: dealing with conflict, negotiating, and communicating. These soft skills are important in any profession or job role, but are of high importance in information architecture, which requires applying them in sometimes unconventional ways.” (Jeff Lash – Digital Web Magazine)

“(…) that describes which aspects of the enterprise’s architecture should be developed and when. My goal is to show that there are certain aspects of a site’s architecture that are worth tackling right away for quick wins, others that you’ll get around to later, and others that you might never reach in a distributed, highly politicized enterprise environment.” (Louis Rosenfeld)

Spatial Semantics: How Users Derive Shape from Information Space (iawiki)

“(…) document templates, process map posters and other tools to help you in your practice. The documents, which have been donated by various people in the organization, have been found to be useful at one time or another. Items can be used in combination or alone as needed.” (AIfIA) – courtesy of victor lombardi

“The phrase ‘information architecture’ appears to have been coined, or at least brought to wide attention, by Richard Saul Wurman, a man trained as an architect but who has become also a skilled graphic designer and the author, editor, and/or publisher of numerous books that employ fine graphics in the presentation of information in a variety of fields.” (R.E. Wyllys – Univ. of Texas: Grad. School of Library & Information Science)

“Sitemaps and site indexes are forms of supplemental navigation. They give users a way to navigate a site without having to use the global navigation. By providing a way to visualize and understand the layout and structure of the site, a sitemap can help a lost or confused user find her way. Sitemaps are more widely implemented than site indexes, but both have their place and fulfill a unique information need.” (Chiara Fox – Boxes and Arrows)

“In March of 2002, Louis Rosenfeld and Christina Wodtke invited a group of people to discuss how to advance the field of information architecture (IA). One previous effort, ACIA, provided valuable information but was too closely paired to a commercial company to be sustainable. Another, Info-Arch.org, generated many grass-roots ideas but few concrete results. The new group was large enough to represent diverse opinions yet small enough to stay focused on the task. After eight months of online discussions, phone calls, and a meeting at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in California, the idea of the Asilomar Institute for Information Architecture (AIfIA) was born.” (Asilomar Institute for Information Architecture)

“This document itself has an emergent nature. There is no essay plan, there is no marking guide, there is no expectation of word count or of completion deadline. This process is already instructive: I noticed that I’ve planted a thousand seeds, which I already know not all will flower.” (Eric Scheid – IAwiki)

“(…) low on theory, high on practice. It contains practical examples, how-toís, doís and doníts and ready-to-use templates, illustrating concepts, tools and deliverables that can be used immediately in real life by anyone responsible for designing web sites. Practical explanations and tips are illustrated with case studies from industry leaders like IBM and Microsoft, and clear explanations of the latest cutting-edge research from the academic world.” (Peter van Dijck)

“Returning to the challenges of managing data, he singles out two problems common to many IA situations: a failure to keep up with information explosion (…); and the other side of the coin, stuff that is good at present but won’t be within six months. ‘We now use a term a client gave us: rot ñ redundant, outdated and trivial ñ and if you leave content alone it turns to rot. Itís a great acronym.'” (Ann Light – Usability News)

“(…) having a background in cognitive psychology supports the practice of information architecture, and it is precisely those interconnections and support that will be explored.” (Jason Withrow – Boxes and Arrows)

“Labels and definitions inevitably vary from context to context. But is it unethical to consciously provide different answers to the same questions? No, but it is a bit two-faced and can sometimes make one feel a bit uncomfortable. Just remember: we’re always speaking different languages in different contexts. Itís simply a requirement for effective communication.” (Louis Rosenfeld – Boxes and Arrows)

“Simple, well written articles suitable for someone structuring their first site” (Donna Maurer – IAwiki)

“(…) the Board of Certification for architectural qualifications has a problem with the use of the term ‘architecture’ in the IT sector since it might cause people to have erroneous expectations of the services IAs offer.” (Andrew Dillon – Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology – Vol. 9, No. 6)

“The issue of internationalization of Information Architecture as a discipline and a profession is not the same in all parts of the world. In some countries they need a translation of articles and websites – in other countries they don’t.” (Gunnar Langemark Café) – courtesy of logos

“(…) creating and documenting process has been a good exercise to help institutionalize ways of working, to help educate new team members as well as to unveil the mysteries of what we do for executives, product folks, and development teams.” (Erin Malone – Boxes and Arrows)

“Connecting people from diverse disciplines, countries and cultures is a strategic imperative, not only for AIfIA but for the information architecture community as a whole. Our competitive advantage derives from our very ability to build bridges and span networks.” (Peter Morville – Semantic Studios)

“We translate Information Architecture articles to and from a number of languages.” (Peter van Dijck – AIfIA)