I'm an Information Architect working for University Outreach and Engagement at Michigan State University. I specialize in Web site accessibility & usability techniques, while maintaining a user centered design approach. I code with the intent of passing off data so that it's easy to maintain and edit for any knowledge level.
As an Information Architect, I control content, how it looks, what’s usable, what actually goes on a page, and finally, how to code it. Most of the time, coding is not the job of the Information Architect, but I find it fundamental to learn what HAS to go into the structure of a document. The progress of accessibility features make ALT tags and "Skip Navigation" links a must for any design to consider along the way. Although, they don’t do much in terms of the display, it’s time and money spent coding it into the page and less of a headache for an end user, based on who they are and how they’ve found your site, either through normal browsing techniques or through a handheld device.
While off the clock, I balance work with family, and sometimes work more than I should mentally. I’m a natural workhorse with the tendency to go the extra mile. I don’t leave products as they are for users’ to develop problems down the line. As an Information Architect, you can’t possibly do that and wear the title at the same time. Web development, design, and structure are ever evolving concepts that change on a daily basis. When you consider a Web site, consider it a working document. You can’t leave it alone and expect users to flock. With the blogosphere so heavily outweighing much else, it’s been proven that you can’t. Technologies pop up over night and become the rave. When sites are built on a solid structure of Web Standards, integration of these new technologies is so much easier, and adhering to a user-centered design is so less painful.