Marketing to Make Websites More Findable and Relevant

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Marketing Library Services and Libraries Are Essential Learn the definition and tenets of true marketing and concentrate on how this will make your website more findable and relevant to users and potential users. Learn to blend marketing techniques with SEO strategies. Through instruction, group discussion, and brainstorming, each participant will consider a targeted segment of clients and work through several steps to outline a customized marketing plan to ensure that these people will reach your website. You’ll learn key communication skills that will help you be more successful in promoting all of your services. The marketing plan outlines that you’ll take home will include promotional strategies and measurable goals.

Delving Into Deep Web Business Resources

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Anyone approaching business research today needs to understand the wealth of information available on the deep, invisible web. To effectively and efficiently find data on companies, industries, markets, and management, you should consult specialized as well as general search engines; exploit social media resources; choose to search directories, groups, portals,
images, blogs, feeds, wikis, and statistical files; consider fee-based tools; and concentrate on effectively conceptualizing. This seminar, taught by an experienced business searcher, will concentrate on resources but will also include practical techniques for using these resources.

Alternative Search Engines: Searching Beyond Google

1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The web is filled with search engines other than the major ones (Google, Yahoo!, Live, and Ask). Some are general web search engines; others search specialized content. The abundance of alternative search engines, often bearing exotic names, leads you to alternative content—images, specialized topics, videos, audio files, niche databases, conversations, blogs, forums, podcasts, people, user-generated content. Your results can be clustered, include thumbnails, or be displayed graphically. There are huge search opportunities on the web—and it's not just Google. Expand your web search repertoire by learning about alternative search engines.

Health Resources and Search for the Nonmedical Specialist

1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The medical literature is a specialty with its own vocabulary, dedicated databases, and search idiosyncrasies. Proficient medical searchers work in hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, academia, and other healthcare centers. Yet those outside the specialty are often confronted with medical and healthcare policy questions, if not on the job, then from friends and family. What are the best sources for the nonmedical specialist? Just how far can you go in research before you're practicing medicine without a license? What are the best approaches for the web searcher to take when researching health issues?

Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Overview of Search Engine Developments

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Where are the search engines going? Is it different from where they’ve been? Where are they putting their emphasis? What’s up with personalized, specialty, vertical, blended, and
federated/universal search? Who better to explore the future by sharing his in-depth knowledge and insights into the search engine world than Chris Sherman? His long-established relationships with those at search engine companies gives him a good sense of what’s coming and how new features will affect our working lives.

Decision Points: When You Come to a Fork in Your Search, Take It

10:30 a.m. - 11:25 a.m.

As more information is digitized and appears on the internet, web researchers often face the problem of having too many places to go to find information. When do you move from search engines to specialized search tools, to government resources, to fee-based sources, to print, or even the telephone? This session will look at some of the typical decision
points and will offer some tips on choosing the best path.

Social Networking, Media, and Research

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, and LinkedIn has skyrocketed in the past year. Social media are used by millions of people worldwide to generate
content and to keep in touch with family, friends, work colleagues, companies, associations, and causes. Their popularity makes them a candidate not only for communication but also as a source and a tool for research. Bob Berkman will address the where, when, and how aspects of social research, including authenticity, trust, and information overload.

Do I Need Legal Research?

1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

When is legal research necessary? Even topics that appear far afield from the law can have legal implications. Those not familiar with the intricacies of searching legal topics—and who lack subscriptions to Lexis and Westlaw—will find Dan’s explanation of when to consider legal sources, where to start, how to search, vocabulary differences, and the philosophy behind them extremely valuable.

Mobile Platforms for Web Searching and Information Delivery

As a platform for information delivery, mobile devices, from PDAs to pocket computers to cell phones, present information professionals with increasingly sophisticated opportunities to find and present relevant information to their clientele. However, there is little consistency among device manufacturers about how this is accomplished and what techniques need to be employed. Mobile search is an exciting—and growing—new area.

The GeoSpatial Web

3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Geographic curiosity may spur some of the usage of online maps and globes, but there’s more to it than getting directions from point A to point B. Aside from its fascinating images,
Google Earth contains extensive associated subject content that isn’t necessarily easy to find. Ran will share his knowledge of Google Earth and Virtual Earth content, examine how to effectively search and browse geospatial sources, and consider evaluation points such as age of the image. Expand your horizons about Google Earth, file type searching for KML and KMZ files, and the geospatial community.

WebClinics

WebSearch University sponsors explain their newest offerings and take questions from the audience.

Books, Full Text and E

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

It’s no secret that the U.S. government is a prolific publisher. With a new administration comes a new attitude toward information transparency and disclosure that affects not
only federal government information, but also filters down to the state and local level. The implications for searchers are vast. If you ever thought government data was boring, dull, or lackluster, this session will open your eyes to exciting opportunities of maximizing the value of government information.

Books, Full Text and E

Some speculated that books would disappear in a web world. Instead, they are enjoying a resurgence, albeit frequently in electronic form. Google Books, Amazon’s Kindle, and
individual publishers’ initiatives have not only encouraged book buying and reading, they have significantly added to the professional researchers’ repertoire. Greg takes an in-depth look at searching within book covers for subject specific information.

Networking Reception

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

When Searching Isn't Enough: Adding Value to Results

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Information professionals have long distinguished themselves as providing accurate, relevant, and timely information. The abundance of web-based information, however, has altered this proposition. To fully demonstrate their value, information professionals must strategize and think beyond information retrieval to packaging information results in a fashion that aligns with the expectations of the organization or the client. Maybe it’s text, or charts and graphs, or slideshows. Mary Ellen Bates will guide us through how to add value to our search results.

Beyond Text: Visual and Audio Search

There’s more to search than text. Information comes in many shapes, forms, colors, sounds, and moving images. Even printed newspapers, journals, and newsletters include photographs, charts, graphs, and illustrations. Those accustomed to obtaining information from television, radio, and video—and that’s most people—want to search the spoken word, hear commentary, and watch film clips. What are some good resources for professionals to use for multimedia search and how do they work?

Find What I Mean, Not What I Type

10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Google has trained people to treat search engines like slot machines—punch in a few keywords, pull the handle, and hope for a jackpot. With the emergence of a new generation of semantic search engines, searchers can now engage in more of a true dialogue with search engines. The search engines now go far beyond keywords, using a variety of signals and behavioral analysis to understand intent not just simple semantics.

WebSearch Seminar

An “unconference session” opportunity to discuss topics that interest you.

Borderless Research

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

When you need to find people, you can turn to public records databases, some of which require a subscription and/or payment. Alternatively, you can turn to web sources such as
LinkedIn, pipl.com, or ZoomInfo. Each has its advantages and drawbacks, particularly if you’re searching for someone with a common name. It’s particularly important to verify both that you’ve located the correct person and that the information retrieved is accurate.

Borderless Research

In the global world of search, knowing where to find relevant information and data not domiciled in the U.S. is a survival skill. Whether it’s Europeana or the World Digital Library, government statistical sources, science policy, multinational companies, or information on arts and culture, you need to consider not only where, but how, to search non-U.S. and non-English-language sources.

Nitty-Gritty Details From the Search Trenches

1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

In his popular columns for ONLINE, Search Engine Update and On the Net, Greg details the latest developments about how the web search engines are changing, particularly when it comes to advanced searching capabilities. The devil is in the details, and in this session you will learn the nitty-gritty details on search techniques, search terms, phrase searching, search strategies, and advanced search to optimize your searching behaviors and provide valuable information to your clientele.

Perspectives on Current Awareness and Retrospective News

2:30 p.m. - 3:25 p.m.

With “dead tree” publications disappearing or going completely digital, the ability of searchers to find current and historical news is becoming more challenging. The underlying issues regarding information access aren’t really different, although they are becoming more acute. We worry about accuracy, timeliness, and cost. We’re concerned about news disappearing but are thrilled that older news sources are appearing in electronic form. Ran will present current news dilemmas and provide clarification.

ResourceShelf Unshelved

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

What has caught the attention of ResourceShelf lately? Regular readers of ResourceShelf and DocuTicker know it could be just about anything. With an eclectic set of interests and a comprehensive understanding of what is important to information professionals, these guys are almost certain to have found something of value to everyone at WebSearch University. Yes, we save the best for last and this is it.