 |
The
Technology Conference for Information Age Librarians
PreConference • Tuesday,
March 14th |
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Corporate & Enterprise Information
Portals
Howard McQueen &
Jean DeMatteo, McQueen Consulting
This full day workshop
sets the framework for understanding information portals. Most organizations
have out-of-control intranets devoted to publishing. Portals are destined
to provide the content management features necessary to tame out-of-control
intranets and rescue users from info glut. This workshop looks at the components
of portals: Integration of heterogeneous information sources, categorization
scheme and engine, search engine support for structured and unstructured
data, end-user publishing and metadata management, content personalization,
collaboration and knowledge-sharing functions, user-defined display and
alerting functions, and developments in surrogate technologies that “suggest”
through learning. Key portal vendors and their products will be identified.
Cost estimates to implement a portal will be provided, along with realistic
costs for on-going maintenance. We’ll also look at several organizations
that have built their own portals and talk about both the technical and
cultural obstacles to portal adoption. We’ll conclude with a look at where
portals are headed, i.e. to support customer service, e-commerce and other
vertical applications.
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
How to Make a Technology Training
Program Work
D. Scott Brandt,
Technology Training Librarian & Assistant Professor, Purdue University
Libraries
Dennis Tucker,
Director of Project Hi-Net, Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority
Stuck with teaching technology?
Whether developing individual, one-time training modules or a comprehensive
training and instruction program, this workshop is designed to give you
the necessary tools to put together a successful plan for technology training.
The session will cover approaches for creating a planning structure, ways
to assess users and technologies, strategies for developing content, and
tips for promoting and implementing a successful plan. The presenters combine
their vast areas of expertise, Tucker with technology planning and Brandt
with training, to give participants a well-rounded and in-depth discussion
on what works. Aimed at librarians who are overwhelmed with technology
training and want to get new ideas for planning and managing their work
more easily.
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
The ABC’s of Intranet Development
Kim Guenther,
Internet/Clinical Services Coordinator, University of Virginia Health Sciences
Library
The hottest trend in Web
development is the organizational intranet, but is it a trend worth following,
or better yet implementing? How do you know if your organizational environment
is right for supporting and benefiting from an intranet? Increase your
understanding of basic and advanced intranet development issues, from differences
between intranet, Internet, and Extranets, to determining the benefit of
an intranet for your organization. Discuss strategies for implementing
an intranet and understanding the potential costs, including hidden costs.
Participants will explore and discuss the different stages of intranet
development including the creation of an intranet “knowledge inventory,”
working with content providers, and designing a site that supports both
consistency and ease of use. Includes a case study of the UVa Health Sciences
Library’s initiative to launch its own Intranet KnowledgeWeb.
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Knowledge Management: Cases, Complexities
& Competencies
Rebecca Jones,
Dysart & Jones Associates
Stephen Abram,
Vice President, Product Management, IHS Micromedia Limited
This workshop focuses on
the foundations of knowledge management (KM) and describes what involvement
in KM can mean for an information professional’s career. It looks at how
information professionals can add value by partnering with the “knowledge-hungry”
in their organization, and what can happen when those opportunities are
missed. After sharing the results of case studies, workshop leaders facilitate
an interactive session examining KM projects and ideas. Areas discussed
will include: KM technology infrastructure, organizational positioning,
complexities and competencies.
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Advanced Web Searching
Greg Notess,
Reference Librarian, Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Webmaster
of Search Engine Showdown (notess.com/search/),
& author of Government Information on the Internet
Explore the latest and
greatest search capabilities of the largest Web search engines in this
workshop presented by an experienced searcher and writer. As the Web grows,
search engines mature, their databases change, and effective Internet searching
becomes increasingly complex. To enable efficient information retrieval
on the Web, this half day workshop covers Web search strategies and compares
the major Web search engines in terms of their databases and specifics
on advanced search techniques.
It includes what you need
to know about Boolean, adjacency, and field searching, limits, sorts, and
other special features. The primary focus is on the larger Web search engines
— AltaVista, Northern Light, Google, Fast, and Inktomi-based search engines
— with lesser coverage of Excite, Lycos, Infoseek, and any new and upcoming
search engines. In addition, it looks at the constraints of the search
engines: inconsistent results, lack of overlap, and the significant hidden
Web that they fail to uncover.
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
JavaScript Applications
Ernest Ackermann,
Computer Science Professor, Mary Washington College
This half day workshop
is designed to give a systematic approach to the use of client-side Java
Script to provide services and enhance Web pages. Ackermann explains the
purposes and characteristics of the language, the object model and predefined
objects and functions, the predefined event handlers, and other features
of the language. Numerous examples and some activities are woven throughout
the discussion. He presents several applications of JavaScript that are
appropriate in an instructional setting. This includes generating quizzes,
using cookies, and other applications. He also highlights a survey of JavaScript
resources that are available in print and electronic form.
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Library Systems & the Web
Pamela Cibbarelli,
editor of The Directory of Library Automation Software Systems and Services
How do you select the library
automation system that is most appropriate for your library in today’s
web age? This workshop provides a look at existing applications and
a discussion of today’s best selling library automation systems. It helps
to differentiate among products and vendors and to select the system that
is best suited for your library.
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Intranet Taxonomies: Thesaurus Design
& Control
Marjorie M. K. Hlava,
President &
Jay Van Eman,
CEO, Access Innovations
Recent developments in
the field of search engines and thesaurus management have had a significant
impact on the ability to effectively find information on the Internet or
on an intranet. Thesaurus management deals with the core concern of content
developers and disseminators — how quickly to convey meaning of a record
or document so that it can be found precisely and accurately. Ambiguity
is the ever-present enemy of clarity. Thesaurus management provides tools
and techniques for disambiguation. In addition, techniques for building
and managing vocabularies are discussed in this seminar, and the various
types of word control will be defined, including rules for distinguishing
among different word control formats.
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Doing the Digital Dance: Essential
Technologies
Richard P. Hulser,
Worldwide Market Segment Manager for Digital Library Technologies, IBM
Corporation
Barbara Spiegelman,
Manager, Technical Information Services, Westinghouse Electric Company
This half day workshop
focuses on implementing and managing digital libraries and document management
projects without losing your mind! Our experienced and entertaining presenters
cover the essential technologies and processes for creating digital libraries
and dealing with large amounts of content in many different formats. They
include the planning and management involved, as well as specific technologies
available now and in the not too distant future for storing, organizing,
scanning, production imaging, rights management, advanced searching, and
archiving of a variety of media. Workshop leaders provide checklists of
do’s and don’ts, case studies, and share “real world” experience from the
trenches.
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Getting Down To Business: How Super
Searchers Find Business Information Online
Mary Ellen Bates,
Bates Information Services
This workshop tackles the
problems of finding reliable, high-quality information on business and
financial topics on the Net. Bates, the author of the recently-published
Super
Searchers Do Business: the Online Secrets of Top Business Researchers,
looks at issues related to conducting research online efficiently and cost-effectively,
validating sources, using Web-only information resources, and staying updated
on new business and finance information. The workshop provides practical,
innovative ways of mining the Net for information; advice on how and when
to encourage library clients to conduct their own business research; and
tips on when to use the free or nearly free Web sources and when to open
up your wallet and use the big-ticket information sources. While the focus
of this workshop will be resources found exclusively on the Net, it will
also cover unusual or unique resources from the traditional online services.
Attendees will leave the workshop with improved business research skills,
ideas on new ways to drill for information, and a collection of links to
the best business resources on the Web.
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Adding Community Elements to Web Sites
Greg Notess,
Reference Librarian, Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Webmaster
of Search Engine Showdown (notess.com/search/),
& author of Government Information on the Internet
The trend on Web sites
is towards interactivity, discussion, and community. This half day workshop
covers a range of options for adding these elements to your Web site. Ranging
from ad-supported free solutions to fee-based programs, all sorts of interactive
discussion and community forming elements are available for a Web site.
Learn how to use and rename guest book scripts and pages to add a live
library feedback section. Bulletin board and discussion forum options can
create a discussion space for library users, staff, friends, or any other
group. Email lists are available for free or fee and can be run locally
or from a remote host. Explore the different options available and some
of the issues involved with operating and maintaining community and discussion
elements on Web sites.
