SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Vol. 20 No. 7 — July 2003

Conference programs are not exactly prime beach reading. But the ocean scene on the cover of the Internet Librarian 2003 program will help you get in the mood for the event, which will be held Nov. 3­5 in Monterey, Calif. As I write this, conference chair Jane Dysart is wrapping up the program and finalizing the keynote speakers. The full agenda and registration form will be on the Web by the time you read this, and the program should land on your desk in time for your August beach trip. Watch this space in September for a conference preview.

WebSearch University Returns to D.C.

Back by popular demand, WebSearch University's (WSU) September session will again be held in Washington, D.C. Scheduled for Sept. 8 and 9, WSU is at the Washington Hilton, scene of ITI's Computers in Libraries conference. This site offers easy Metro access for D.C. commuters.

The most frequently asked question about WSU is whether it's all new or a replay of the previous year's event. The good news (and the short answer) is that due to the rapidly changing Web search scene, it's both. For instance, the popular Web search experts you love to hear will be there. Chris Sherman will speak about the invisible Web, Gary Price will share his resource tools, and Greg Notess will talk about advanced searching. Their presentations will be brand-new and filled with news, notes, tips, and commentary about the latest developments in Web search.

Marydee Ojala will do the same in her hour-long session on Google. She'll share inside developments and advanced tips gleaned from a recent on-site visit to the Google kingdom. It's worth listening to search guru Mary Ellen Bates speak on any topic, and her keynote, "360 Degrees of Information," is new for WSU 2003.

WSU's second day offers courses such as how to evaluate what you find on the Web, delivering search results, search engine overlap and comparisons, competitive intelligence, and browser tips and tricks. There's even a session on Stupid Searching Mistakes (and how to avoid them, of course), taught by Sherman and Ojala.

WebSearch University totally immerses participants in 2 days of searching. Past events have earned rave reviews from both novices and experienced searchers. WSU's razor-edge focus on searching makes it unique. Conferences like SLA or even ITI's own Internet Librarian and Computers in Libraries feature a few sessions on Web search, but WSU is the only one that's "all search and nothing but search." As a bonus, attendees receive a thick conference binder with slides from all the presentations so they can take notes and refer to them back at the office.

Check with your library network (especially CAPCON and FEDLINK in the D.C. area) about special group prices. The early-bird (and group) registration deadline is Aug. 15.

KM + Intranets = Productivity

Add knowledge management to intranets and you get increased productivity, according to Peter Rinearson, a corporate vice president at Microsoft. That's good news for those attending the co-located KMWorld & Intranets 2003 conferences Oct. 14­16 at the Santa Clara (Calif.) Convention Center. Rinearson is the opening plenary session keynote speaker for both conferences. Other keynoters include Martin White, a well-known intranet and content management expert, and Hubert St. Onge, a popular speaker on knowledge and learning. Jack Borbely from Towers Perrin will speak at a plenary closing session about how an integrated enterprise approach to content can make for a win-win knowledge strategy.

The inclusion of a special 3-day Content Management track says volumes about the current state of the different yet interdependent knowledge management and intranet/enterprise portal industries. For both, it comes down to managing and organizing content. Capturing expert knowledge or creating portals is worthless if the content can't be effectively managed and found when it's needed. The Content Management track is open to attendees of both conferences. It's a short, intensive course that includes information on content integration, taxonomies, unstructured data, how to develop a CM strategy, and the all-important "findability."

KMWorld & Intranets 2003 allows you to register for just one of the two conferences. Purchasing the Gold Pass lets you mix and match sessions in both. An even better value is the Platinum Pass that includes one full-day or two half-day pre-conference workshops, plus both conferences.

You should receive the preliminary program for KMWorld & Intranets 2003 by the time you read this column. It's a dense, in-depth review of nearly 100 sessions, keynotes, and workshops—not exactly light reading. But tuck it into your pile of vacation reading and then make plans to join us in Santa Clara this fall.

Seeking Speakers

ITI conference planning begins with calls for working librarians, subject experts, and library technologists to submit proposals for speaking at the events. Hundreds of unique, innovative projects—designed and executed by our profession's best and brightest—are happening in libraries and information centers around the country. But we can't learn about your hot project or unique expertise and invite you to share your work at a conference unless we know who you are. The call for speakers for Computers in Libraries 2004 is at https://www.infotoday.com/cil2004. The deadline for proposals is Aug. 1. Volunteer today!