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Conferences > Computers in Libraries 2004 > Conference Program
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The Technology Conference for Information Age Librarians
Computers in Libraries 2004 March 10-12, 2004

Hilton Washington
1919 Connecticut Ave. NWWashington, DC 20009
 




 

General Conference — Friday, March 12
Track A:
Searching & Search Engines
Track B:
Web Tools & Practices
Track C:
Content , Context & Communities
Track D:
Beyond the Web: Roles & Perspectives

Opening Keynote

Top Tech Trends
International Ballroom Center
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.

Roy Tennant, Web and Services Design Manager, eScholarship Initiative, California Digital Library
Mary Lee Kennedy, Director, Knowledge Network Group, Microsoft Corp.
Stephen Abram, President-elect, Canadian Library Association

Moderated by Jane Dysart, Dysart & Jones Associates

This panel of industry leaders shares their top three tech trends in this fast-paced, interactive session. Hear from leaders in our field about technologies that will have an impact on how we operate our libraries and information services and how we interact with our communities in the future.

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

 

Track A — Searching & Search Engines
International Ballroom Center
Hear the latest trends, tools, and techniques in the search engine arena from search experts, industry leaders, watchers, and practitioners.

Moderated by Andrew Pace, Nortch Carolina State University
 

Session A301: Evolution of Search Engines: Update
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Chris Sherman,
Associate Editor, Search Engine Watch, & Co-Author,
The Invisible Web

This session looks at the trends towards consolidation as the search engine market matures. It highlights the changes in specific Web search engine tools, provides tips about what we should be looking for next year, and discusses the impact for information professionals. Our expert believes that although the changes have been dramatic in the last year, things are going to be dramatically different in the coming months. Come hear how!

 
Session A302: The Changing Search Engines Landscape: Implications for Serious Searchers
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Rita Vine, Workingfaster.com & Searchportfolio.com

The business of Web search is changing rapidly. Stock analysts agree that Web search advertising could grow more quickly than any other e-business area in the next 2 years. Stock values of publicly traded search companies have created a mini-tech boom, and consolidation of Web search properties is well underway. This session focuses on the implications of the changing landscape of Web search for Web searchers; understanding how Web advertising, partnerships, and the race for market dominance affect search tools and search results; and discusses how new developments will influence what you see on the page when you conduct a search.
 
Lunch Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
 
Session A303: Start Your Engines!
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Greg Notess, Publisher, Search Engine Showdown
Michael Palka, Director of Search, Ask Jeeves, Inc.


Our popular panel of search engine creators talks about their engines - what's new in the way of features and improvements, what's planned in the near future, and one of the most innovative uses of their product by a client. Get the inside scoop!
 
Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
 
Session A304: Is Google God, and is That Good?
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Ned Fielden, Instructional Librarian, San Francisco State University


Google's success has taken both the Internet community and the world by surprise. The superiority of Google search results over the other major players' and its ability to think ahead several steps and anticipate new features is astounding. What are we all to make of this? Has Arthur C. Clarke's observation that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic come to pass? More importantly, how should we, as educated, inquisitive, discriminating humans, approach the use of this technology for our education, entertainment, and profit? This session helps to understand some of the behind-the-scene workings of internet search engines and reflects on our own search needs and practices.
 
Session A305: Beyond the Google Effect: The Web Has Changed
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Geoffrey Bilder, VP, Global Engineering and Development, Ingenta

Many publishers have focused their worry on the rise of Google as a de facto gateway and arbiter of Web content, and consultants who purport to provide tools and advice on how to influence Google rankings are abundant. But Google is just a manifestation of a larger trend in the industry - one in which the pre-eminence of the "site" is being challenged by "services" - where content providers may ultimately lose control of their user interface and branding. This session discusses the rise of Weblogs (blogs), specialized clients for browsing syndicated content via RSS/RDF, and OAI feeds and how blogs may influence Google's and Amazon's traffic patterns, and what it means to info pros.
 
 

Track B — Web Tools & Practices
International Ballroom East
The tools available and the innovative ways information professionals are using them are very creative and inspiring. Listen to our experts and practitioners and come away with lots of ideas for your environment.

Moderated by Anne Marie Delvecchio, LexisNexis

 

Session B301: One Week to a Healthier, More Secure Network
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Christopher Jowaisas,
Manager, Network Deployment, &
Marr Madden, Network Design Technician, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation


What are the most common issues that cause disruptions on networks in libraries? Come learn the steps you can take to help your network (and your sanity), from exercises that system administrators can do in 5 days to improve the health and security of their networks to detailed action plans that even a one-person library can use to chart a week's activities and improve their network.

 
Session B302: The Wild, Wild Web: Spam Wars
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Greg Notess, Reference Librarian, Montana State University

This session covers the difference between spam and harassment, “phishing” scams, the Nigerian spam scam, identity theft, and more. It provides strategies for controlling spam and for how librarians can help patrons/students
if they feel they are being harassed, stalked or otherwise targeted online (scams, luring, identity theft).
 
Lunch Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
 
Session B303: Technology: Remote User's Best Friend
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Tom Nielsen, Information Research Supervisor, Hazen and Sawyer, PC


If you serve users who are unable to visit your information center in person, you know how much they rely on technology to get the information they need. From phone and fax to Web sites and computer software, you need a host of technological know-how to adequately serve these users. In this case study, learn how one small, special library uses technology strategically to reach out and touch remote users, converting them into repeat customers. Strategic uses for a variety of technologies that impact communication with remote users are highlighted.
 
Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
 
Session B304: Tablet PCs at the Reference Desk
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

David Bennett, Systems Librarian; Donald M. Luisi, Public Services Librarian & Jackie Corinth, Robert Morris University Library

Listen to a case study highlighting the use of a wireless Tablet PC at a library reference desk, presenting both the challenges and successes in implementing and using Tablet PCs to deliver reference services. Training and support issues from the perspective of a systems librarian (the technical aspects) and a public services librarian (program aspects) are also discussed.
 
Session B305: PDAs in Libraries: The Whole World in Our Palms
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Megan Fox, Web and Electronic Resources Librarian, Simmons College Libraries

As more and more of our clients and staff members arrive at the library with their PDAs in hand, it is increasingly important for librarians to understand both the possibilities and the limits of this new technology. This presentation highlights the main differences between the many available devices, defines basic PDA terms such as sync and beam, and looks at the most common PDA applications, such as calendars and address books. It explores the wide variety of current PDA projects in library settings, as well as the challenges for the future. It looks at examples of PDA compatible Web content, PDA barcode attachments and inventory management, infrared connectivity systems, and even PDA interfaces for traditional database vendors, such as OVID and Westlaw.
 
 

Track C — Content, Context & Communities
International Ballroom West
Putting content into context for our communities through intranets and portals is a key function for information professionals. This track highlights the strategies, experiences, and lessons learned by an interesting group of info pros.

Moderated by Terrence Huwe, University of California, Berkeley

 

Session C301: Designing the Next-Generation Intranet
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Brian Pomeroy,
Assistant Director, Web Technology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

In 2003, CHOP began a radical redesign of its employee intranet, reevaluating every aspect, from technology to information design to graphic layout. This presentation describes the steps taken in this process, as well as the lessons learned.

 
Session C302: Opening Doors: Libraries and Portals
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Melissa Harvey, Computer Science Librarian, Carnegie Mellon University

Universities and other institutions are implementing portals that enable their communities to find information quickly and easily. The most effective portals have strong content management systems underlying the portal interface. Who are the most adept content managers? Librarians! Learn about portals and how librarians have been major players in the selection and rollout of a portal at Carnegie Mellon University.
 
Lunch Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
 
Session C303: Getting Pushy: Delivering Content to PDA Users
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Colleen Cuddy, Systems Librarian, NYU School of Medicine
Cynthia Vaughn, Health Sciences Librarian, NYU School of Medicine

The concept of push technology has been around since the late 1990s and has been refined to deliver content on demand to PDAs using products such as Avantgo. This presentation discusses how to find, collect, and catalog content for PDAs and how to develop your own content solutions. Technical guidelines for delivering the content to your users via infrared and wireless technologies are provided, along with ideas for training PDA users to implement the technologies. A case study of PDA content delivery using the Ehrman Medical Library's Clarinet infrared syncing ports and wireless network is highlighted.
 
Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
 
Session C304: The Future of the Library Web Site in the Corporate Intranet Environment: Hostile Takeover Bid or "Angel" Investor?
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Christopher Connell, Electronic & Technical Services Librarian, &
Felicia Brady, Reference Librarian, Institute for Defense Analyses


Many special libraries take pride in their "Web presence" within the corporate intranet setting. Through the years these libraries have dedicated staff and resources to build, maintain, and enhance their Web sites, yet may now find their unique presence challenged. This case study shares the experience of one special library as it negotiates the "merger and acquisition" process of divesting Web site ownership under a new climate of tighter corporate intranet control and will help special libraries adapt to change as other players within an organization re-invest in a corporate intranet makeover. Topics examined include retooling the intranet at the corporate level, where and how the library fits in, how taxonomy can work to the library's advantage, the displacement of purchased third-party databases and content, and more.
 
Session C305: Libraries in the Wireless World
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Dee Magnoni, Chief Technology Officer, Olin College of Engineering

What would happen to your library space if there were only a handful of computers? If users brought their own and wirelessly tapped into your network? Academic and corporate libraries, and even some public libraries, now have the opportunity to explore post-modern, post-wired library space. As the white noise disappears and the public spaces expand, librarians can go beyond computer considerations and ask how their community defines library space and how that definition can be expanded. This is not your grandmother's reading room, nor the computer age machine environment, but something a bit organic, a bit holistic, totally fulfilling. Using the Olin College Library as a case study, this session explores how library space may evolve over the next decade.
 
 

Track D — Beyond the Web: Roles & Perspectives
International Ballroom West

E-resources, evolving technology, and incredible innovation have necessitated changes in our services and approaches. The profession, its roles, competencies, and opportunities continue to change. This is a day to put the innovation into context and examine the types of thinking and approaches needed by the information profession for continued success.

Moderated by Donna Scheeder, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

 

Session D301: Competition, Technology, and Planning: Preparing for Tomorrow's Library Environment
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Eric Flower,
Librarian, University of Hawaii-West Oahu


Models of business competition and technology can be applied to library planning in today's information economy, as well as to the media-rich networked computing environments coming to us all in the near future. Find out how the works of business competition theorists will combine with the technology of Moore's Law, Metcalfe's Law, and the Bandwidth Scaling Law to create a new information environment. Learn 10 competitive and technological questions librarians must ask - and answer - when planning for the future.

 
Session D302: Accidental Systems Librarianship
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Rachel Singer Gordon, Author & Publisher of Lisjobs.com

Although many systems librarians received little technology training during graduate school, we are nonetheless, by personality and background, uniquely suited to assume a systems role within our organizations. This session discusses the "accidental" nature (by assignment, gradual assumption of duties, or luck) of many systems positions and defines strategies for success. It takes the approach that anyone with a solid foundation in the practices and principles of librarianship and a willingness to confront changing technology can serve effectively in a library technology position-as librarians first and technologists second, with or without formal computer training.
 
Lunch Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
 
Session D303: Barcoding Our Clients
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Rebecca Jones, Dysart & Jones Associates


Thinking "outside of the box" and moving up the value chain are critical activities for today's information professionals. Hear about what we can and should learn from other industries and professions that can help us better understand our clients and develop key strategies for increasing our presence and our value in the daily lives and work of our constituents.
 
Coffee Break — A Chance to Visit the Exhibits
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
 
Session D304: Marian Goes to Washington: A Political Primer for Librarians
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Julie Still, Reference Librarian, Rutgers University

In the 2002 and 2000 election cycles, covering about 4 years, only 24 librarians made political contributions in excess of $200 to any one candidate, political party, or political organization, hardly a tour de force. In contrast, the political action committee for a large online vendor had receipts of $14,000 in 2000 and $52,000 in 2002. While not exactly in the same league with the NRA, this is nothing to sneeze at either. We are in the midst of widespread budget cuts and there is no end in sight. While librarians' salaries are not overly generous, there are ways of influencing policy without going broke. This session helps librarians understand how the political process works and how they can use it to increase the standing of libraries and the profession, covering such topics as how to make your skills useful to candidates, elected officials and their staff so they will have a better appreciation of what librarians and libraries do; how political campaigns work, how policy is made; and how librarians can play a role in the process.
 
Session D305: Communication Between Techies and Non-Techies
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

David King, IT/Web Project Manager, Kansas City Public Library

Ever noticed that your co-workers' eyes start glazing over when you describe that custom XML app? Or, ever notice your network administrator's face start to turn red as you ask yet again for a "simple" explanation of why the Internet stopped working? This session covers the basics of how to jump communication
hurdles between techies and non-technical staff. The problem is defined along with the steps to take, including what to do with jargon, how to handle training sessions, how to simplify describing a solution to non-technical staff, and how to describe technical problems and projects clearly. Gain some understanding of how techies and non-techies think and some strategies to improve communication in your work environment.
 

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