InfoToday 2001: The Global Conference and Exhibition on Electronic Information & Knowledge Management  Pre-Conference Workshops  Monday, May 14th, 2001

Workshop 2
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The eBook: Today and Tomorrow
Hope Tillman, Director of Libraries, Babson College and President-Elect, Special Libraries Association
Walt Howe, Internet Consultant, Delphi.com Forums
Matt Toolan and Patricia O'Hare, MeansBusiness, Inc.
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 this century. This full-day workshop covers the technology of the eBook, both as device and software, and the barriers and keys to its acceptance today. It looks at early library adopters and how they are providing access to eBooks. Companies providing current eBook solutions present their products and strategies. 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 3
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Implementing Knowledge Management: An Overall Architecture and Framework
Robert I. Patt-Corner, Senior Principal Scientist, KM, Mitretek Systems
This half-day workshop lays out a comprehensive layered architecture for tacit and explicit KM systems, orienting each layer to both technical and business functions. Existing commercial and in-house developed offerings are mapped to the various layers so that a clear picture of cross-vendor integration possibilities is available. Issues in technical implementation, cultural barriers and opportunities, as well as case studies are presented to illustrate the overall framework.
 

Workshop 4
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Knowledge Management: Beyond the Basics
Rebecca Jones, Dysart & Jones Associates
Stephen Abram, Vice President, Micromedia, an IHS Group company
Most organizations now realize that knowledge management is more than just theory and definitions. It is a critical process involving a blend of content, information, experience, technology, culture, processes and people. Some organizations find that the transformation process is most effective for them when the technology component is emphasized, while other organizations have better results maximizing the people or content components. This half-day workshop reviews key success strategies for different types of KM models and involves participants in a discussion of how to apply these learnings in their own environments. The workshop is designed to help participants answer these questions:

• How will knowledge management benefit my organization?
• What content, information and knowledge are critical in my organization?
• What processes will be impacted?
• What technologies will be necessary, and what’s in place that can be leveraged?
• How can KM be implemented into our culture?
• What have other organizations learned about this transformation that I can benefit from?
• What should I start with?

Workshop 5
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Searchers and Search Engines
Ev Brenner, Industry Consultant
In attempting to search the Web or other databases, the professional searchers and end users of search engines are faced with traditional classification schedules and subject headings, Keywords, Boolean expressions, Full Text retrieval, Natural Language Processing (NLP), etc. It’s confusing if one doesn’t understand how these terms are used and applied. This half-day seminar on the search engines clarifies the terms, discusses interface problems between the databases and the users, as well as what special considerations are necessary for end-user searching and what are the hopes and promises for full-text searching. Who should attend: professional searchers and indexers, special librarians and university personnel, entrepreneurs and computer system designers who have limited knowledge of search problems related to language ambiguity and other communication problems.
 

Workshop 6
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
The Role of Competitive Intelligence in Strategic Partnerships
Arik Johnson, Managing Director, Aurora WDC
Mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate alliances, technology transfers and licensing, and even consortia participation between otherwise distinct and separate firms, sometimes even competitors, are the single most important strategic use of business strategy in business today. However, the track record of companies’ use of competitive intelligence input in identifying, executing due diligence, selection of partners and ultimate decision-making about such relationships has been poor ... and sometimes even disastrous. Rather than selecting partners carefully based on product/service synergies and long-range market prospects, many such relationships are built on matters of convenience—in other words, marriages done for all the wrong reasons. As a result, a statistical majority of such relationships ultimately fail to produce the value once envisioned by their strategists. But by adding their unique appreciation for long-range competitive advantage to the skills of financial and legal priorities, CI practitioners at the strategic level have a new set of responsibilities for their organizations—helping to leverage the core strengths of the firm in partnership with others to create value for shareholders and long-term competitive advantage in the marketplace. Sometimes, this can result in new industries or hegemonic domination of emerging markets (and their profits). This half-day session focuses on the specific techniques and objectives used by some of the world’s most fearsome competitors; how to use CI more effectively to exploit opportunities and avoid common threats of failure that so often plague the average strategic partnership; how to build specific Strategic Competitive Intelligence products to support M&A, Alliance, JV and other relationships; which processes are highest-impact for creating strategic, corporate support services ... and which ones to avoid; which Organizational Models are best for specific types of activities; analytical tools used to realize value; what actions are most important to realizing the best return on investment and to track/measure results of CI participation; and more.
 

Workshop 7
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Intersection of Information Architecture and Information Technology
Peter Morville, CEO, Argus Associates
Information architectures are becoming highly sophisticated—and so are the technologies to support them. But where and how do the worlds of IA and IT intersect? What types of tools can be used to implement powerful, scalable information architectures? How do the multitude of products compare? What are their strengths and weaknesses? This half-day workshop is for information architects and intranet managers wanting to learn more about the intersection of information architecture and technology. The session will provide an overview of search engines, classification engines, content management systems and related tools, offering practical advice for selecting tools to support your information architecture.
 

Workshop 8
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Strategies and Technologies for Collaboration and Virtual Environments
Rebecca Jones, Dysart & Jones Associates
Stephen Abram, Vice President, Micromedia, an IHS Group company
The wired, virtual world of working via Inter/intranet/Web technologies needs new types of working styles, collaborative tools 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, “working virtually from anywhere with anyone,” and the new collaborative technologies sound terrific, but the road to implementing them can be rocky. This half-day workshop introduces the types of organizational structures, working styles and technologies that need to be considered by those embarking on the virtual working world in which team members are only connected by wires.
 

Workshop 9
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Extreme Searcher’s Web Finding Tools: Choosing and Using the Right One
Randolph Hock, Online Strategies, Author of The Extreme Searcher’s Guide to Web Search Engines
Web search engines, Web directories, metasites, portals, vortals—all are useful tools for finding the right sites efficiently and effectively. For any question though, one tool may be much more appropriate than another. In this half-day workshop we look at which to use when, and the relative strengths, weaknesses and applications of each category of tool. Each of the major directories and search engines will likewise be examined in terms of strengths, weaknesses, and unique applications. As for metasites, we’ll see why this category of tool needs more recognition and how to easily locate the best metasites in any area. The emphasis of the workshop is on practical applications and on the knowledge that will enable attendees to most effectively and efficiently find the answers they need.
 

Workshop 10
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
How to Teach the Internet
Rita Vine, President, Workingfaster.com
Most Internet-savvy librarians cringe when they see how their end users search for information on the Web. But how do you teach end users the skills and Web resources best suited to users’ needs and abilities? If you are faced with the prospect of teaching your users to search smarter, this course is for you. You’ll learn how to plan and deliver an effective Internet competency training program, together with tips and tricks that experienced trainers use to help learning stick after the class is over. Topics discussed include understanding the basics of adult learning styles, the Internet needs assessment, methods for planning effective content to meet training goals, getting the timing right and other areas of instruction.
 

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