North America's Largest Technology Conference  and Exhibition for Librarians and Information Managers  PreConference Workshops Sunday, March 7th

How does technology alter traditional instruction in the age of the Internet? We not only need to use the technology, but also understand it in order to use it creatively! Much of the theory behind traditional instruction still applies, but we need to rethink our training techniques to help our users deal with the impact of technology in both educational and corporate settings. This half-day workshop is for anyone involved in developing and delivering Internet and Web-related training. Participants should have some experience in training or instruction as well as a willingness to explore new technology applications! In this intermediate-level workshop, Techman goes beyond the basics to discuss instructional systems design (ISD) in relation to information instruction, with training as a learner-centered endeavor emphasized in the development of teaching modules. Information instruction (ii) covers not only face-to-face classroom methodologies, but also online delivery for distance learners, and the hybrid use of Internet/Intranet-delivered training to complement traditional formats. The use of Web-enabled file formats and other New Media enhancements to accommodate various learning styles will be discussed. While not a software training workshop per se, tips and tricks for your “ii” training toolbox ,including graphics editing, animated PowerPoint, and MS Camcorder, are demonstrated.

Are you AOD’d? Acronym overdosed? AARCII, MARC, EDI, NLP, SGML, Z39.50, PDF, HTML, DSSSL, XML, XSL, XLL, CSS, CDF, CML, MML, OXF, RDF, DHTML, COM, DOM?? The rich new world of knowledge resources on the Internet and Intranets is overflowing with technical specifications, standards, and quasi-standards (proprietary formats posing as standards). New standards are quickly emerging. Existing standards are evolving. What does it all mean? Where does it all fit? What relates to what? What supports what? What is important? Do you need to know any of this? How much? In what depth? Understanding and rationally responding to this new world impacts directly on the ability of organizations (including those in the nonprofit and government sectors) to remain competitive and viable. This workshop focuses on current concepts, approaches and interrelationships relating to the transition from an exclusively proprietary world to a more open standards environment. This executive briefing covers the new knowledge management formats for data creation, data mining, discovery, and delivery and provides a structure for understanding of the current dynamic environment and for informed decision making. It is most appropriate for managers who are responsible for making the best information resources available to their constituency, in-house intelligence assets, their use and disposition, and ways to make this data available to the right people, at the right time, in the right place. If you have heard of these acronyms, but are unfamiliar with their meaning and importance, then this seminar is designed for you. It provides attendees with an overview of these concepts, where they fit, why they are here, where they are going, and what we should be doing about it, in short, an understanding of the fundamentals of evolving knowledge architectures.
 

Within today’s evolving organizations, libraries, information services, all support structures are changing. This half-day session explores which organization structures are appropriate for these new organizations, why teams and matrixed functions are so critical and what leadership issues are involved. Particular attention is paid to the competencies necessary to thrive in these new working environments.
 

In discussing why organizations need a new way of distributing information, both its own and other sources, Friesen and Scott emphasize that paper is out and e-mail is not very efficient. Using a case study approach, they illustrate Intranet design and development using, almost exclusively, free software. They discuss how users are added, how permissions are granted for particular kinds of information, and ways of creating an electronic in/out page which information providers in the organization can use to update their information.
 

Explore the latest and greatest search capabilities of the large 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 basic 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 largest Web word search engines—AltaVista, HotBot, and Northern Light—with lesser coverage of Excite, Lycos, Infoseek, and any newer competitors. 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.
 

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.
 

If you’re familiar with basic multimedia concepts, you’re ready for this intermediate level workshop. “NewMedia” is a buzzword used to describe the latest advances in multimedia which allow us to more easily incorporate sound, animation, and movies into projects. The applications of NewMedia to training, instruction and distance education will be emphasized. This workshop will provide an overview and demos of advanced developer multimedia software used for designing multimedia applications, such as Director or Flash. It will discuss how and when to use the Web and Intranet as delivery options. Bring an idea or assignment as time will be spent on a hands-on project in teams using development software from Macromedia or Adobe.
 

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 will facilitate an interactive session examining KM projects and ideas. Areas discussed will include: KM technology infrastructure, organizational positioning, complexities, and competencies.
 

Marketing your library on the Internet means more than building a Web site. Your site needs to be accessible and promoted to your audience everywhere they go online. In this session we’ll cover everything from registering with search engines to how to advertise your site for free (or almost free). Learn the marketing tips and tricks used by the most popular sites on the Net to maximize your library’s online presence.
 

You understand basic HTML and have created some Web pages, but now you want to move on and create more interesting and appealing Web pages with sophisticated Web authoring techniques. This halfday workshop will introduce, demonstrate, and discuss tables, forms, design issues, basic scripting, graphics, and the use of Web-based authoring services. This session is presented by two experienced Webmasters, who have created many useful Web-based resources, both for libraries and the commercial world.
 

An interactive look at Internet search tools from the creator/provider and user perspectives. Join us to listen to search engine providers address how their search engine is designed, how sites are selected and how many are included, how frequently they are updated, what meta information is included, what search refinement techniques they use, and what kind of improvements and new functions/features are planned. This session will give you an opportunity to tell the search engines representatives why you like or dislike their features, what concerns you have, and what you would like to see in the future.
 

Yahoo! was the genesis, the beginning of a noble attempt to organize the unruly Web. Years later, Yahoo! is still the beginning point for many Web users. This subject-oriented session, by two experienced experts, provides background and guidelines to evaluating resources in specific subject areas, and gives users of subject-specific resources some alternatives to Yahoo! when looking for the most comprehensive and dependable sources of information on the Web.
 
 

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