This study tracks the increasing use of the term "information broker" in the professional library literature, and looks at the extent to which the professional literature reflects the increasing trend of information commodification. The content of three online databases was analyzed: LIBRARY LITERATURE, LISA, and ABI/INFORM. Four terms that express the gathering, retrieving, and organizing of information for a fee were used to search each database over the period 1985-1995: information brokers; information consultants; information entrepreneurs; and information specialists. The information terminology searched for within the three databases showed a dramatic increase between 1985 and 1990. The database with the greatest increase in occurrence of the four terms was ABI/INFORM, most likely because it is a business database, and businesses are one of the main consumers of information brokerage services. The growth spurt between 1985 and 1990 shows an exploding interest in the idea of buying the services of a professional in the information retrieval field. The trend changed between 1990 and 1995. The data shows a leveling off between 1990 and 1995 of the frequency of hits for all four terms, with only gradual increases or decreases in use. Changing popularity of terms over time may influence their use in the professional literature. Frequencies for the occurrence of each individual search term are discussed. (Contains 12 references.) (SWC)