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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.