Continental Breakfast

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

Search Engine Update

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

The old adage about change being the only constant is definitely applicable to web search engines. Everything you thought you knew about efficient and effective searching can change radically overnight. A tried-andtrue technique ceases to work as it did before. A feature you loved disappears. Your ability to access a particular type of resource is compromised by a technical glitch. Spam interferes with good search results. Search companies, striving to remain competitive, alter how their search algorithms operate. Other companies simply go out of business, while new companies take their place. How to keep updated with all the changes? The easy way is to listen to Chris Sherman’s explanations. His insider knowledge of search engine companies will alert you to developments in the search engine landscape and give you an edge in your professional life.

Coffee Break

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Pivoting for Better Search Results

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

Can you pivot? Think basketball here. Your path toward the basket is suddenly blocked, so you quickly switch and go in a different direction. As more information is digitized and appears on the internet, web researchers 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 feebased sources, to print, or even the telephone? What guides your decision about the direction to pivot? Is it intuition or something more structured? Search expert Mary Ellen Bates will look at some of the typical decision points and offer some tips on choosing the best path.

Mobile Platforms and Resources for Information Delivery

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

Mobile devices are the new exciting platform for just about every form of research. Whether you (or your library’s users) own a cell phone, a tablet computer, a smartphone, or other form of mobile device, you need to know how to provide excellent mobile search experiences. You also need to learn the intricacies of using mobile devices for information delivery. Libraries are optimizing their catalogs for mobile, proprietary databases are creating apps for mobile search, and text messaging is being used to find answers. Perhaps you want to read the latest news, find real-time information, research professional literature, or follow online social media conversations. Gary Price, a longtime mobile device evangelist, reviews new and exciting mobile initiatives. He will share his knowledge of mobile resources for specific disciplines and his insights into the present and future of mobile search as it applies to serious research.

Networking Lunch

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Take this opportunity to meet your peers during an Information Today, Inc. sponsored lunch.

Book ’Em, Ranno

2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

The transformation of printed books into electronic versions is accelerating. It’s not just that ebooks are readable on Kindles, nooks, Sony, Kobo, Androids, iPhones, and others. If you consider Project Gutenberg, electronic books are not even that recent a phenomenon. However, Google Books, which contains more than 15 million books, has fundamentally changed the landscape for electronic books, not only as a research tool but also as a bookstore. Renowned author and trainer Ran Hock describes how Google Books released his inner reference librarian and why you should be amazed at the new reading and downloading capabilities that have important implications for research.

WebSearch Clinics

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

Everyone approaches searching from a slightly different angle, depending on the question, the reason it’s being asked, the setting, the time frame allocated to finding the information, and budget. In WebSearch Clinics, we’ll examine, from a real-time perspective, how power searchers execute searches on the same topic. Come prepared to ask your own questions and participate in the discussion.

Break

3:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Market Research for Sci-Tech

4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Even those without a scientific or technical background are, on occasion, called upon to determine market opportunities for sci-tech types of products. Technophile Mark Goldstein’s extensive experience in engineering, biotechnology, telecommunications, information technology, and other complex technology sectors will give even the most technophobic researchers the tools needed for effective market research. Whether you’re looking for market growth, target markets, economic conditions, technology assessment, competitive intelligence, or trends, this session will provide you with knowledge about resources, databases, and approaches so you can acquire the most relevant data.

Networking Reception

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

Continental Breakfast

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

Social Networking, Media, and Research

9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

Use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn has skyrocketed in the past year. As a global phenomenon, millions of people use social media to generate content, share ideas, and keep in touch with family, friends, work colleagues, companies, associations, and causes. These sites can be a source and tool for research. It’s not just trivial, mundane, here’s what I ate for lunch information, although that certainly exists within social media. Marydee Ojala will address the where, when, and how aspects of social networking research, including authenticity, trust, and information overload, along with some real-world caveats.

Coffee Break

9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Alternative Search Engines

10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

A key component that sets professional researchers apart from the general public’s use of search engines is our knowledge of alternatives to the major search engines. While many people rely on Google, with some branching out to Yahoo! or Bing, professional searchers search specialized content using not-so-well-known search engines. The abundance of alternative search engines, often with exotic names, leads to alternative content—images, audio-visual information, niche databases, conversations, blogs, forums, podcasts, people, and user-generated content. There are huge search opportunities just off the beaten track. Come trek with Ran and see where alternative search engines fit best with your research objectives.

When Searching Isn’t Enough: Adding Value to Results

11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.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 their organization’s or clients’ expectations. 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.

Lunch Break

12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Maps: The New Information Visualization Power Tools

1:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Online maps first emerged to help people get directions and navigate in the offline world. No more asking for directions, just read the map. Both Google and Bing incorporate maps into search results, but that’s not the full extent of maps as visualization tools. Increasingly, maps are being enhanced with other types of information, such as historical images, current events and news, academic course materials, merchant product inventory, and more. Chris Sherman will also point out specialized databases and websites devoted to geographic information, what’s happening with street view data, and which apps have value for information professionals.

WebSearch Seminar

2:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Tired of listening to WebSearch University faculty? Have questions not yet answered? Want to contribute your own ideas, experiences, and knowledge? What are the hot topics to discuss out here in the desert? What do you think about the intricacies of internet research? What has worked for you and what hasn’t? How have you proved your value within your organization? This “unsession” is your opportunity to be heard and to share knowledge with your colleagues.

Public Records Research

3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

There’s an amazing wealth of information to be found in public records. Some of these databases restrict access to qualified individuals and some require payment, but many are freely available to anyone. You can use official government websites, specialized internet databases, deep web resources, and even general web search engines to find “the skinny” on people, businesses, rules, and regulations. Some of these resources will uncover obscure, esoteric, and sometimes surprising information. You don’t need a private investigator’s license or a law degree to dive into public records research.

Websites You Can Use to Add Value

4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

By now, you’ve heard about lots of important websites. In this closing session, we’ll concentrate on the best resources for a variety of research endeavors—from the social sciences to news to business to humanities to science to, well, just plain cool. At the ResourceShelf site, you’ll find many resource-rich websites introduced and explained. This closing session for WebSearch University expands on those ideas and invites the audience to contribute their favorite sites. We’ll take a look at the resources with practical value, ones that attendees should bookmark for use at their individual workplaces.