Information Broker
What is an Information Broker?
The term "Information Broker" is really a misnomer. If any profession prides itself on accuracy, it is the profession of Information Brokering. An Information Broker doesn't actually broker anything.
Webster's pocket dictionary defines a broker as "an agent who buys and sells for a fee". An information broker actually has far more in common with an attorney or a doctor than with brokers who deal in such things as real estate. They don't sell information and they don't take a fee for arranging such a sale. Just like doctors, lawyers, CPAs, and the like, they charge a fee for professional services. They are not actually "brokers" of anything.
An Information Broker isn't simply a librarian, though there is nothing wrong with librarians. An Information Broker isn't simply one who "goes online" and searches for the answers to your questions and problems; although this may or may not be a part of his/her duties. An Information Broker isn't someone who "has all the answers", and to say so would be ridiculous because no one has ALL the answers to any given problem. An Information Broker, or IB as it is known in the profession, is a professional who is skilled in a number of areas, that combined, provide you with the best chance of obtaining the information you need.