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, 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.
 

Workshop 2
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Beyond Knowledge Management
Rebecca Jones, Dysart & Jones Associates
Stephen Abram, Micromedia/IHS Group

When does knowledge management really start to pay off for organizations? When it becomes a part of the how the organization works. Although that sounds simple and straight forward, the road that leads there is anything but simple. This workshop looks at: 

• organizations that have integrated knowledge management processes into their work and business processes
• clear examples of simple first steps projects that lead to full-blown KM environments
• the roles undertaken by information professionals in those organizations
• the lessons learned by these organizations and by these information professionals from which we can all benefit.

Workshop 3
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Mega-Training: Applying Instructional Design to Internet-Related Topics 
D. Scott Brandt, Purdue University

Our speaker, a technology trainer since 1993, contends that whether you’re training staff, instructing clients, or teaching students, you should follow an approach to ensure that learning is comprehensive and effective. Instructional design (ID) is the systematic process of applying analysis to all parts of a program, from creation to delivery. This half-day workshop demonstrates and applies principles from several approaches, including the 5 step ADDIE model from ASTD (American Society of Training & Development) and the 10 step Dick & Carey model used heavily in education. Aimed at anyone involved in teaching, training or instruction, specific scenarios and examples are used involving Internet and Web-related topics. At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to identify needs and relate them to instructional or performance goals; structure lesson plans, exercises and evaluation on learning objectives; and enhance delivery of instructional programs using multiple learning strategies. All terminology will be defined and related to information technology settings.
 

Workshop 4
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Content Acquisition Strategies: Licensing and Negotiating for Success
Gail Dykstra, Research Director, Information Services, Microsoft Corp.
Corilee Christou, Director, Online and New Media Licensing and Development, Cahners Business Information 

The challenge of external content budgets, as well as the number of users of that content in many different types of organizations, demands a realignment of traditional library content acquisition strategies. In this half-day workshop, participants will discuss the process and improve skills to be more effective content managers. It focuses on aligning user needs with the right content and right products at the right price, including the content evaluation process (users, applications, sources, delivery media, vendors), setting objectives to guide the content licensing process (i.e. value to users, user support, interoperability, price, licensing tips and guidelines) creating a win-win partnership for vendor and user, especially understanding vendor needs, finding a strategic partner vs. a “vendor”, negotiating skills.
 

Workshop 5
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Keep Your Eye on Your Users — Designing Usable Library Sites 
Darlene Fichter Northern Lights Internet Solutions Ltd. 

Now you’ve built your Web site, but does it work? How do you know? Learn how to design or redesign your library Web site so that it works for users. This workshop is for the novice to intermediate-level Webmaster, and focuses on practical steps that you can take during the planning, implementation and maintenance of your site to enhance usability. It starts with a review of Web site basics — information architecture principles, writing for the Web, content organization and creating effective navigational systems, then looks at specific usability techniques, including user scenarios, screen mockups and live testing methods that you can use to refine your designs. Learn about the “do’s” and “don’ts” of Web site usability. Come prepared to discuss your site and take home new ideas and techniques for making it better. 
 

Workshop 6
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Managing Information 
Portals & Content
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. 
 

Workshop 7
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, Researching Online for Dummies and Mining for Gold on the Internet 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.
 

Workshop 8
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Netfluences: Organization Structures & Working Styles for the Wired World
Rebecca Jones, Dysart & Jones Associates

The wired, virtual world of working via Inter/intranet needs new types of working styles and organization structures. The old hierarchy of “top down” no longer works when we’re under pressure to create or change services at the speed of light or when we’re working closely with people across departmental boundaries, across the country or across continents. Teamwork and “working virtually” sound terrific, but the road to implementing them can be rocky. Change is never easy — especially when it means giving up jobs, titles, offices, and departments that we’re used to. This workshop leads you through the types of organizational structures to consider, how to choose the one most suitable, and ways to keep smiling and sane while you introduce changes to your organization’s — and your own — working styles. 
 

Workshop 9
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The eBook: Today and Tomorrow
Hope Tillman, Director of Libraries, Babson College 
Walt Howe, Internet Consultant, Delphi.com Forums

As a technology the electronic book will evolve and morph, but it is inevitable that the eBook of today and its successors will change how people read, learn, and interact with information in the next century. This workshop covers the technology of the eBook both as device and software, and the barriers and keys to its acceptance today. It looks at companies providing current eBook solutions and at early library adopters and how they are providing access to eBooks. Whether it replaces the book bag, book stacks, or the book at the beach, the eBook is here. Join us for an exploration of the concept and the reality. 
 

Workshop 10
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Electronic Publishing Principles & Practicalities
Stephen Abram, Micromedia/IHS Group

There’s no doubt that the written word now finds itself in a whole host of new formats. This is complicated by an increasingly global market based on open standards. The opportunity is great but the complexities are huge. Publishers, governments, librarians, Webmasters, intranet managers and others find themselves inexorably on the path to managing multiple electronic publishing projects and businesses both large and small. This workshop is led by an instructor who has experience in creating dozens of successful Internet, Web, CD-ROM, online and electronic products and services. Attendees explore the principles, complexities and practicalities of publishing in a digital world, discuss a process to follow to ensure electronic publishing success in any format, and share lessons learned from actual cases. Know the right questions to ask as your project proceeds and have increased confidence to adapt to new challenges. 
 

Workshop 11
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
ABCs of Intranet Development
Kim Guenther, Director, Health Systems Web Center, 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 organization is to support and benefit from an intranet? Increase your understanding of 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. Explore 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.