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

Track A • NAVIGATING TODAY’S DIGITAL REALITY: Collaborative Digital Reference — International Ballroom Center

This track takes an in-depth look at new ways of providing reference services using the latest technologies and strategies. 

Organized and moderated by Rebecca Jones, Dysart & Jones Associates 
 

Session A201 
We’ve Come So Far & Have Miles to Go 
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. 
Steve Coffman, LSSI 
Julie Arnold, Librarian, Engineering and Physical Sciences Library, University of Maryland, 
Neal Kaske, Head, Engineering and Physical Sciences Library, University of Maryland 
This session presents an update of the “state of the art” of digital reference — where we are today and where we can expect to be going. Arnold and Kaske then discuss their experience to date with Real Time Interactive Reference Service: Chat with a Librarian, underway since April 2001. They focus specifically on the software considered for and used in this project, the librarians’ experiences, the effect on our their patrons and on the library, and the future they envision. 
 

Session A202 
The Collaborative Digital Reference Service: Library of Congress 
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 
Diane Nester Kresh, Director, Public Services Collections, Library of Congress 
Chip Nilges, Director, New Product Planning, OCLC 
The overwhelming amount of information available has placed new demands and expectations on libraries and librarians. How do librarians build on their age-old status as trusted advisors and create services that will both meet demand and revitalize the profession? The Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS) is one response. CDRS provides professional reference service to users anytime, anywhere, through an international digital network of libraries. This talk explores how CDRS began and what lies ahead for this and other innovative e-reference services. 
 

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

Session A203 
The Research Wizard Experience: An Award-Winning Reference Service 
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 
Karen K. Hein, Reference & Electronic Services Librarian, University of Nebraska at Omaha 
Marc W. Davis, Manager of Support Services, University of Nebraska at Omaha 
Winner of the 2001 Gale Group Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services, the Research Wizard is a real-world example of how new tools can harness the expertise of librarians and translate that expertise into practical user services. Along with translation comes transformation. In addition to discussing the practical techniques and methodologies used to develop high-quality service applications, Hein and Davis explore how Web applications enhance client services and how current practices change in response to new perspectives on patron service. 
 

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

Session A204 
Instant Messaging Reference 
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. 
Jody Fagan & Chris Desai, Social Sciences Librarians, Southern Illinois University Carbondale 
Libraries are expanding digital reference services to include chat and instant messaging, sometimes requiring users to download new software or learn a new skill. These systems share many features in common, including transcript search and storage, sending URLs, and pushing Web pages. This presentation explains the features of instant messaging reference systems, how some vendors implement these features, and development of an in-house system that incorporates these features. The speakers will also discuss the systems’ successes and the types of reference interactions encountered. 
 

Session A205 
Weblogs: Their Impact on Delivering Information 
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 
Steven M. Cohen, Assistant Librarian, Rivkin Radler, LLP 
Blake Carver, Assistant Professor/Web Librarian, The Ohio State University Libraries 
The advent of Weblogs has created another way for information to be delivered to our users. Subject-specific, hand-picked news items as well as relevant Web sites can be updated quickly into a Weblog, bringing all current information to one place for all to see. Presenters discuss how Weblogs have changed the way information is delivered, how Weblogs operate and how they enhance creativity and productivity, then talk about current Weblogs in library and information science, as well as the technologies involved. 
 

TRACK B • WEBWIZARDS’ SYMPOSIUM: Usability Testing and Studies — International Ballroom East

Almost every library has a Web site. How well does it work? How can libraries build better sites and improve existing sites? Discover how different libraries are applying usability testing techniques to serve their users better. Learn about what users want and don’t want in a Web site. Take home information and ideas for tests and techniques to use. Some of these sessions may surprise you and challenge you to think differently. 

Organized and moderated by Darlene Fichter, Data Library Coordinator, University of Saskatchewan Library. Darlene is also Intranet Librarian columnist, Online, & President, Northern Lights Internet Solutions Ltd. 
 

Session B201 
Usable and Accessible Doesn’t Equal “Boring” 
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. 
Frank Cervone, Assistant University Librarian for InformationTechnology, Northwestern University 
“Being accessible” is commonly equated with a “boring Web site” — no graphics, no design, just text and lots of it! But it doesn’t have to be that way and, in fact, should NOT be that way. Good Web sites are only created through a combination of accessibility, ease-of-use, and good design. Learn about the major issues and trends in accessibility and usability at this fact- and image-filled session that will get you thinking about accessibility and usability in an entirely new way. 
 

Session B202 
Navigation Elements on Library Web Sites — What Works Best? 
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 
Lesley Moyo, Gateway Librarian, Penn State University Libraries 
How do navigation elements on library Web sites impact the user’s search experience? In this study subjects were observed while they tried to locate specific information on academic library Web sites. The library sites used a range of navigation aids: pull-down menus, pop-up menus, embedded links, site search, navigation bars, site map, indexes, and frames. Find out when users were able to quickly use the navigational systems to find information and when they were slowed down or failed completely. 
 

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

Session B203 
Usability in Action: Three Approaches 
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 
David King, Information Technology Librarian, Kansas City Public Library 
Lyn Condron, Head of Cataloging and Webmaster, Tufts University 
Jane Foo, Web & Instruction Librarian, Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology 
Kelly Donaldson, Information Services Librarian, Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology 
As more and more libraries offer Web services, how do we know they work and work well for our users? Usability testing is one way to gather evidence and improve your library’s site. These three case studies show how libraries have gone about designing, and carrying out usability testing and implementing changes. Gather ideas, methods and learn about their research findings to help improve your own site. Learn about redesigning the information playground at Kansas City Public Library, putting the “Us” back in usability at Tufts Arts and Sciences Library, and designing the user interface for a Learning Commons at Seneca College of Applied Arts &Technology. 
 

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

Session B204 
Usability in Action: Three Approaches (continued) 
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. 
 

Session B205 
What Do Users Want? Defining User Requirements for Web Applications 
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 
Lisa Peterson, Senior Intranet Developer, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Learn how to design and develop a Web database application so that it focuses on users from the start. What are the key questions to ask during the needs assessment that help solicit user requirements? How do you translate this information to project specifications and initial mock-ups? Learn how to use entity-relationship diagrams as well as early first stage mock-ups to improve your design and develop usable Web services. 
 

TRACK C • DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGEMENT: Tools, Taxonomies, & More — International Ballroom West

The sessions in this track discuss the tools being used by information professionals today to deliver content in ways their clients find easy to use. Tools include XML, auto-categorization technologies, taxonomies, interfaces and more. 

Organized and moderated by Stephen Abram, IHS Micromedia 
 

Session C201 
The Open Interface: Changing the Face of Content Delivery 
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. 
Greg Gerdy, VP & Director of Product Management, Factiva 
The emergence of open interfaces is changing the face of content delivery as it allows companies to easily integrate external content into their internal environment. What are the potential benefits, and likewise challenges, that could result? What role does XML play in an open interface? This session discusses these questions and more by examining the architecture behind an open interface and the practical implications. Learn why Factiva built its completely new product platform based on a flexible, XML, open architecture and how client applications are utilizing it for content delivery. 
 

Session C202 
Auto-Categorization Technologies 
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 
Bonnie Burwell, Burwell Information Services 
Taxonomy development, validation and maintenance are key steps to effectively managing content and knowledge. Taxonomy development includes the creation of meaningful categories; we know from experience that much of Web and portal navigation centers around the organization of information through categories. New classification systems and technologies include software for automatic categorization. This session puts these “auto-categorization” tools into the context of current approaches to classification and answers questions such as these: What are some specific auto-categorization products? What are they intended to do? In what context and circumstances? What are their benefits as well as shortcomings? How effective are they compared to manual processes? What are the criteria for evaluating them? 
 

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

Session C203 
Developing a Local Government Taxonomy: Of the People, by the People, for the People 
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 
April Bohannan, Cataloging Services Librarian, Virginia Beach Public Library 
Cynthia Hart, Library Technical Operations Specialist, Virginia Beach Public Library 
Why develop a local government taxonomy? Studies show that Web users dislike Web sites with little organizational structure. This session discusses the process involved in creating a taxonomy for a local Web site. It details the steps taken to create a taxonomy to support the newly redesigned Web site for the City of Virginia Beach. It describes how the Library became involved in this project and how they combined information gathered from various sources to create a product which can be modified for use by other local government information providers. It touches on the common pitfalls and how to avoid them. 
 

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

Session C204 
Publishing on the Web: Experiences with Open Source, XML and JavaScript 
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. 
Brian M. Kupiec, Systems Officer, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University 
During the past year, the Beinecke Library has investigated replacing its Digital Library infrastructure with open source products and deploying its Finding Aids without using an SGML browser. The investigation has taught them a great deal about publishing a database on the Web, using an open source database and making it work, and about XML, XSL and their interaction, as well as developing a strategy to publish suitable documents on the Web. 
 

Session C205 
Images & Maps: Tools, Taxonomies & Processes 
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 
Howard Greisdorf, Director, Texas Center for Digital Knowledge, University of North Texas 
Brian O’Connor, Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Information Science Ph.D. Program, University of North Texas 
Alan Cornish, Systems Librarian, Washington State University Libraries 
What we see depends as much on who we are as it does on what we look at. Traditional methods of image retrieval have mostly focused on indexing techniques that encompass object descriptions, titles of works, and provenance criteria; more recent approaches have concentrated on content-based aspects of digitized imagery to extract attributes of color, shape and texture to produce relevant matches for system users. While both approaches have demonstrated merit, the efficacy of these systems could be increased by enabling aspects of subjective engagement with the system derived from the adumbrative, impressionistic, and many times abstract nature of user cognitive engagements with retrieved images. The first presentation discusses building taxonomies for enhanced image retrieval. The second presentation details the development of a joint database built by three libraries in the state of Washington as part of the Washington State Library’s Digital Imaging Initiative. The collection is a Web-searchable database of highly described maps, including dynamic maps delivered in MrSID format. The software tools (including DiMeMa’s CONTENT software suite and LizardTech’s MrSID imaging software) used to create this online collection will be described in detail. 
 

TRACK D • SYSTEMS: Focus on Intranets, Portals & Knowledge Management — Jefferson Room

Intranet and portal technologies are the backbone systems for transferring knowledge, something key to our libraries and information services. This track discusses how to build a portal, provides some case studies of active portals, describes strategies for content, information and knowledge management systems, provides a case study of KM in a research environment, and discusses strategies for providing context for captured knowledge. 

Moderated by Julia Peterson, Information and Knowledge Management 
 

Session D201 
Building a Portal: Practicalities, Processes & Pitfalls 
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. 
Mike Crandall, Technology Manager, Libraries and Public Access to Information Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 
What are the questions that you need to ask if you are constructing a portal or redesigning one already in existence? This session walks through a real-life example, examining the different components necessary for success, including content management, information architecture, portal interface design, metrics, and more. Steps along the way, from RFP to post-construction maintenance and revision, are discussed. 
 

Session D202 
Enterprise Portals: What Are They and Where Is the Library? 
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 
John R. Little, Web Development Librarian, Duke University 
Maliaca Oxnam, Engineering Librarian, University of Arizona 
Enterprise portals bring the promise of more manageable, customer-friendly Web sites and a greater sense of interinstitutional cooperation. But is one enterprise portal enough? Our first speaker discusses mega-portals, horizontal portals, and vertical portals, talks about which style is most suited to the campus or university setting and which style is most suited to a library setting, describes the major components of portal construction and which parts the library is naturally positioned to develop. Oxnam provides a case study of an academic portal to illustrate how successful portals first do a complex analysis of user needs and expectations and then a system design. She emphasizes the issues, challenges, and resulting outcomes. 
 

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

Session D203 
Strategies for KM, Information Management & Content Management 
1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. 
Debora Seys, Information Consultant, Hewlett Packard Labs 
Mary Sellen, Assistant Director, User Services, University at Albany 
This session begins with a comparison of KM to information and content management. It emphasizes that KM relies on a foundation of information and content management, yet requires people in a way IM and CM never have. The task at hand is to provide systems and technologies that adhere to principles of IM and CM, yet apply them to situations of human interaction and need. This talk includes IT approaches to solving the problems of connecting people who know each other so that they can work together — and connecting people who don’t yet know each other so that they can share knowledge — and somehow providing the means to capture what these various groups of people are doing, saying and creating so that the knowledge can be reused. The second speaker describes a working example in which two methods are used for controlling and disseminating staff information in a university environment — a staff intranet and an internal server, which allows for a variety of file sharing within different groups of staff. This combination has enhanced communication between three geographically dispersed locations, eliminated costly printing and internal documentation dissemination, and generally improved the efficiency of intraoffice communication and documentation. 
 

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

Session D204 
Knowledge Management in a Research Environment 
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. 
Donna Scheeder, Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress 
The CRS is the department of the U.S. Library of Congress that provides information, research and analysis exclusively for one client, the Congress of the United States. Hear how their management maximizes their human capital in order to provide legislators with the expert knowledge needed to make sound public policy in a knowledge economy. This case study will explore how the principles of KM are applied to both the “know-how” and the “know what” of the organization. Real-life examples will include applications of KM to dealing with the September 11th crisis. 
 

Session D205 
Strategies for Providing Context for Capturing Knowledge 
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 
Beth Perell, Knowledge Liaison, Plural 
Richard J. Matthews, Director of Knowledge Management, Levenfeld Pearlstein 
As companies slim down, jobs are consolidated or eliminated, often putting the onus on individual workers to input their knowledge in easy-to-use systems. KM holds an important place in organization culture to encourage continued sharing and assisting users in finding and sharing their information. Perell discusses using a journalistic approach to acquire information which frequently yields more valuable insight than simply collecting and indexing documents. While technology is an important element of knowledge management, the key to success lies in providing context to data and information. Matthews discusses how KM, advanced by library professionals’ special skills, plays out in law firms. He focuses on concrete accomplishments of KM informed by librarianship and computer know-how of today’s librarians. He blueprints strategies and technologies of a mid-size law firm and shares details of a professionally prepared three-year KM plan. He discusses the content and information technology (intranet coupled with management systems) facilitating KM, shows how to set up technology to create sharing “social spaces,” and details conventional “library” community building techniques for harvesting content and for leading organizational change. 
 
 
 

Thursday Evening Session — International Ballroom East

Inspiring Tales from the Pentagon’s Librarians & Their Supporters 
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. 
Jerri Knihnicki, Chief, Research & Information Services, Pentagon Library 
Dean McKinney, BMS Catastrophe, Inc. 
Robert E. Schnare, Library Director, Naval War College 
What would you do if the landing gear of a 757 landed in your reference section?  We can’t plan for everything, but we can learn from others! Join us for an awesome evening with courageous, determined, and dedicated librarians whose long-term plans took a definite detour on  September 11, 2001. Hear about their recovery efforts, the lessons they want to pass along to other librarians making plans for the future, and be totally inspired by their commitment. 

Sponsored by the Special Libraries Association, Washington, DC Chapter and Military Libraries Division