Library as Implant; Librarian as Cyborg
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.

Michael Schuyler, Deputy Director, Kitsap Regional Library, & Lead Columnist, Computers in Libraries

The future will be more futuristic than you ever thought possible. Librarians seem to feel that the future will be a little more automated, a little more wireless, and a little more online, perhaps, but otherwise libraries will provide the same kinds of service they do today and become community centers as well. The problem is, this view is too introverted. It fails to place the library in the context of the future, which may turn out very differently than we understand today. Futurists are predicting that 10 years out, we may be right, but 20 years out, we may see a future that is so vastly different, we cannot imagine what it will look like. If you think of technological progress as a gently rising curve, the only way you’ll find the future is by looking straight up. The future library may very well be an implant; the future librarian may not be a Homo sapiens.

Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Session A101 — Advanced Research Strategies
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Mary Ellen Bates, Bates Information Services

Learn how to think outside the box, how to handle questions that appear to be unanswerable, and how to determine whether it is better to select online or off-online sources. We’ve all had them—the questions that have no single answer (why is my competitor growing at 20 percent/year?); questions that no one really knows the answer to (how many cellular radio towers are there and where are they located?); or questions that no one will answer (get me the price list for that company’s wholesale products). This session, featuring a long-time info pro, looks at strategies for quickly spotting unanswerable questions and the techniques for finding the answers.

Session A102 — Web Search Instruction: Tips & Techniques from the Trenches
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Greg Notess, Reference Librarian, Montana State University, and Creator, Search Engine Showdown

With the constantly changing nature of the Web, how do we help our users learn to search and keep up with the changes? This session suggests a variety of techniques for teaching both new and experienced users to efficiently and effectively search the Web. It covers the advantages and disadvantages of techniques for hands-on training, demo sessions, and online tutorials.

Lunch Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Session A103 — Designing for Findability
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Peter Morville, President, Semantic Studios

What is the Web’s #1 usability problem? It’s poor findability. People can’t find what they need. This billion-dollar illness affects every large Web site and intranet and extends beyond the Web into almost every aspect of our lives. Unfortunately, there is no simple cure. Real solutions require the synthesis of ideas drawn from disparate fields such as business strategy, library science, interaction design, and knowledge management. In this provocative session, venture onto the bleeding edge of findability. Explore how search engines, Web logs, faceted classification, and social networks can be harnessed to make your documents and applications more findable.

Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Session A104 — 30 Search Tips in 40 Minutes: Turbo-Charging your Web Research
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Mary Ellen Bates, Bates Information Services

This session is jam-packed with valuable tips about how to search the Web more effectively. You don’t need to be an expert to use these techniques, but even long-time researchers will learn some new tricks from this session.

Session A105 — FirstGov.gov: Impact on Information Searchers
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Stephen E. Arnold, Arnold Information Technology

This session looks at the first government-wide index, launched by the U.S. government in 2000. It examines the use of a Web services model to deliver a single point of content, the collaborative services for knowledge-sharing across federal agencies, and the success of the initiative.
 

Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
 

Computers in Libraries 2003 — Wed., March 12 Track B: Intranets & Portals

Intranets, portals, and the strategy for organizing information and managing content are critical within organizations today. This track, sponsored by Intranet Professional, focuses on strategies and case studies of intranet professionals whose key roles involve creating usable and valuable intranets and portals. It also focuses on personalization strategies for ensuring customers get what they need and want from these sites.

Organized by Mary Lee Kennedy, Editor, Intranet Professional
Moderated by Bonnie Burwell, Burwell Information Services

Session B101 — Global Enterprise Portals: Case Study
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Nancy Baldwin, Vice President, Morgan Stanley
Annalise Eberhart, Portal Product Manager, Morgan Stanley
Eric Gross, Knowledge Management Consultant

Morgan Stanley’s law division portal project involves global users, multiple Web platforms, multiple vendor contracts, a wide range of content requirements, cost-cutting initiatives, and a diverse user base. This case study discusses the law division’s experiences rolling out a portal to meet the needs of its own users as well as 60,000 internal clients. By building technology inhouse and collaborating with vendors, users receive a variety of materials from both internal and external sources. Hear tips from the team that set up the enterprise portal, including a personalizable electronic library that is accessed daily by law and compliance professionals around the globe.

Session B102 — From Web Site to Portal
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Debbie Hartzman, Senior Analyst, Information Literacy, and
Ann Hoffman, Manager, Information Resources, Amgen Inc.
Dudee Chiang, Library Portal Team Lead, Amgen Inc.

The Amgen Libraries had an extensive Web site that brought internal and external content to the corporation. In 2002, the company began to implement Plumtree software to develop a corporate portal. The library was identified as an important partner in this process and several “easy” functions were implemented in the beta test. After the portal was rolled out worldwide, the library appointed a portal team to determine how to transform the existing Web pages to a portal design and to work closely with the information technology department. The team evaluated current pages, prioritized tasks, created and tested gadgets, determined the “look and feel” of the gadgets, designed the portal page, and more. Along the way, the team re-thought the way they looked at information delivery and developed unique new ways to maximize the strengths of portal software. Join our speakers as they share Amgen’s experience and lessons learned.

Lunch Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Session B103 — Navigating the Open Road: Open-Source Intranet Development
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Andrew White, Assistant Director, Library Information Systems, Health Sciences Center Library, and 
Joseph Balsamo, Systems Administrator, Stony Brook University

With the increase in public access to Web-based library resources, academic and research libraries invest much time caring for the demanding computing environments found in public network access labs and classrooms. Many problems force systems administrators to waste valuable time on issues that can be better addressed via automation. To reduce the administrative burden, our speakers came up with an intranet solution, dubbed HSC Libnet. Built using open-source software including PHP, mySQL, and Apache, the solution automates Account Management, Helpdesk, Inventory, and Statistics. Learn from these speakers’ hands-on experiences! 

Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Session B104 — An Academic Portal for Integrating Library Resources
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Maryellen Allen, University of South Florida

The University of South Florida’s (USF) portal addressed the goal of a single sign-on for users to all electronic information by using Blackboard software. The portal provides access to electronic course space for every course, including automatic registration of enrolled students, access to official university e-mail and virtual library resources, plus real-time information about available seats in the open-use computer labs, etc. The portal (myUSF) allows users to select Web pages for individual USF libraries, an “ask-a-librarian” choice, and the Virtual Library that provides access to the licensed resources without additional authentication. This session shares the strategies, technology, challenges, and experiences of developing and implementing a portal.

Session B105 — 10 Steps to Excellent Intranets
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Howard McQueen and Jean DeMatteo, McQueen Consulting

What top 10 steps have proven successful in stimulating an intranet to achieve a measure of excellence? Hear secrets from our speakers, veterans of 7 years of consulting and implementing improvements in the intranet domain. The session may surprise you since it de-emphasizes technology in favor of creating the framework for delivering excellence in content management. Learn how to create benchmarks that focus on editorial, metatorial, and bottoms up information architecture practices.
 

Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
 

Computers in Libraries 2003 — Wed., March 12 Track C: Roles for Info Pros in Systems & Technology

We are all challenged to keep up with technology and new information strategies, change with our organizations, deal with an overload of information, and to continue to satisfy, if not exceed, the ever-increasing expectations of our clients. How do we do it? Hear from some industry pioneers and leaders about how they are adapting and moving toward an unknown future.

Moderated by Donna Scheeder, Congressional Research Service

Session C101 — Evolving Roles & Skills
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Robyn Frank, Director, Library and Research Services, Executive Office of the President, White House

What does it take to provide key information services to the highest office in the land? Hear about the skills and strategies necessary to satisfy an information- hungry, but demanding and diverse clientele. Robyn Frank draws on experience with the National Agricultural Library, the Congressional Research Service, and most recently the White House.

Session C102 — Changing Hats: From Reference Librarian to Electronic Specialist
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Carol DeAngelo, Bio & Physical Sciences Reference Librarian/Electronic Journals Specialist, Naval Research Laboratory/Ruth H. Hooker Research

It may seem odd for a reference librarian to take on the job of managing a large electronic journals collection. However, many librarians are finding varied opportunities if they are willing to tackle new technologies. This session discusses one librarian’s transition and the skills she has learned, specifically about licenses, contracts, negotiations, updating Web pages, consortia, and dealing with access difficulties—all while still answering ask-a-librarian questions!

Lunch Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Session C103 — Keeping Current in 40 Minutes or Less—Guaranteed!!
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Steven M. Cohen, Assistant Librarian, Rivkin Radler, LLP

All information professionals attempt to keep current by attending conferences, reading trade journals, and subscribing to e-mail lists. But with information overload, it is a challenge. This session suggests strategies for getting the most “bang for your buck” and getting as much content as needed using as few media and tools as possible. Learn about Web tools, Web logs, RSS feeds, and many other cutting-edge methods that make keeping current as simple and as time-effective as possible.

Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Session C104 — Skills for E-Learning Environments
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

D. Scott Brandt, Technology Training Librarian, Purdue University Libraries

Scott Brandt, AKA “Techman” suggests several technologies and skills needed to fill the role of e-learning coordinator, technical instructor, Web trainer, information-literacy specialist—all the teaching and training roles that are so critical in information communities today. He discusses online handouts and compares several technologies (HTML, ColdFusion, and Flash) to handle these.

Session C105 — Climbing the Information Supply Chain: Tools & Techniques
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Rebecca Jones, Dysart & Jones Associates

Information service providers and librarians are both faced with many changes and challenges these days. This session looks at the role of Internet librarians, systems librarians, computer specialists—anyone involved with computers in libraries—and discusses key strategies for a successful future and how to make an impact in the daily lives and work of our constituents.
 

Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
 

Computers in Libraries 2003 — Wed., March 12 Track D: Web Design & Technologies

Sponsored by Computers in Libraries magazine, this track focuses on the technologies that power library Web services to help users. Pop open the hood and look at XML and database solutions in action, explore some open-source solutions, and keep pace with the latest usability research that affects library site development.

Organized and moderated by Darlene Fichter, Data Services Librarian, University of Saskatchewan

Session D101 — Open-Source Software for Libraries
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Frank Cervone, Assistant University Librarian for Information Technology, Northwestern University

Many libraries are turning to open-source solutions to help deliver core library services. At this session, you’ll learn what open-source software is, why so many people are excited about it, how your library can find and use open-source software, and how your staff could contribute to an open-source project.

Session D102 — Harnessing XML Database-Driven Content for Library Web Sites
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Karen A. Coombs, Instruction Librarian, SUNY Cortland
Xiaochang (Shaw) Yu, Systems Librarian, Virginia Commonwealth University

Are you wondering if you should use a database for your Web site? Should you switch some of your content to XML or repackage vendor-supplied content as XML? What’s involved in developing with XML or storing your content in a database? The first speaker describes how databases can streamline Web site maintenance and enhance information collection abilities. She illustrates a series of Active Server Pages projects that enable librarians to participate in the content creation and maintenance process without knowing HTML. The second speaker describes some new software releases that make XML developing easy. Learn about developing simple applications in ColdFusion MX for parsing, searching, and transforming XML documents in a library context. This session offers great step-by-step help in how to present XML documents on the Web.

Lunch Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Session D103 — Dis-Integrated Technical Services and Electronic Journals
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Andrew Pace, Head, Systems, North Carolina State University Libraries and Columnist, Computers in Libraries

“Dis-Integrated Library Systems” presents an overview of the disjointed workflow and system development as it applies to the technical services management of electronic resources and their subsequent public display via the Web. After looking at the state of development by libraries, systems vendors, and the open-source community, the presentation puts forth some possible solutions that will maximize existing systems and data, while creating a usable system that takes advantage of the electronic resources environment.

Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Session D104 — Small-Scale Usability Testing: Evolution Not Revolution
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Darlene Fichter, Data Services Librarian, University of Saskatchewan

Is the idea of embarking on a major usability study daunting? How will you find the time to carry it out, let alone make all the revisions? Don’t despair. Hear how to perform small incremental tests to improve the usability of a Web site. Learn about techniques and see some results from tests of a health sciences library Web site. Get tips about how to foster a culture of continuous assessment.

Session D105 — Tricorders, Light Sabers, and HAL
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Richard Wayne, Assistant Director, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Find out how to use new multimedia tools in conjunction with today’s new and emerging library automation technology. University of Texas Southwestern has recently implemented several technology initiatives, including widespread wireless, Endeavor’s Encompass and LinkFinder Plus, OCLC Illiad, laptop and PDA lending, electronic dissertations, high-end public desktops with scanners and CD-DVD writers, virtual reference, and more. Learn from their experiences!

 

Technology & Knowledge Forum: A Look at Dead & Emerging Technologies
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Moderator: 
D. Scott Brandt, Purdue University
Panelists: 
Darlene Fichter, University of Saskatchewan & Northern Lights Internet Solutions
Stephen Abram, Micromedia ProQuest
Michael Schuyler, Deputy Director, Kitsap Regional Library
Debbie Hartzman, Senior Analyst, Information Literacy, Amgen, Inc.
Andrew Pace, Head, Systems, North Carolina State University

Firmly in the knowledge age, organizations and communities are striving to become learning organizations and centers, and librarians are even more critical to the transfer of knowledge in these learning environments. Our popular “dead technology” session focuses this year on those technologies that will, and will not, allow us to transfer knowledge to our clients in easy, cost-effective, and relevant ways. This session features some new views as well as some of our long-term Computers in Libraries experts, pioneers, and practitioners. It is free and open to all registrants, exhibitors, and exhibit visitors. Come and hear our panel’s predictions of future-challenged technologies as they praise and condemn available and emerging technologies.