Feb
Information Today’s upcoming Computers in Libraries 2008 conference (April 7-9 with pre- and post-conference workshops outside of those dates) looks like it will be of great interest to all parties interested in federated search. Just from browsing the presentation abstracts and exhibitor listings I see that this conference will have a healthy presence of federated search vendors and other companies that incorporate federated search as a part of their business.
The exhibitor list includes several well-known federated search vendors: Deep Web Technologies, ExLibris, Innovative Interfaces, and Serials Solutions. Other vendors who include federated search as part of their products (e.g. publishers) will be present as well.
A number of the presentations will be of interest to the federated search community, including a number that are not directly about federated search. Some examples:
Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet and American Life Project, will be delivering the opening keynote presentation. Here’s the abstract:
Rainie discusses the findings of a major national survey that examined how Americans use the internet and libraries when they face significant issues or milestones in their lives. The survey looks at the pathways people use to get to the information they want and the kinds of information they use when facing issues such as health problems, furthering their education, and exploring government benefits. The Project’s work pays particular attention to those who have limited access to the internet and the ways in which libraries might serve them.
The keynote is a good example of a talk that, while it may not be directly related to federated search, should be of interest to anyone wanting to know how Americans search for information that they don’t find via Google. Can federated search vendors be doing more to help people find information that affects their health and wellbeing?
Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technologies and Research, Vanderbilt University, will speak on “Next-Generation Library Interfaces.” Here is the abstract:
Following a period of widespread dissatisfaction with library OPACs, a number of projects and products have emerged to provide library interfaces more capable of satisfying the needs of web-savvy library users. New models of what constitutes a library catalog are forming, and products are now beginning to embody aspects of this new vision. Breeding provides an overview of the library catalogs and interfaces now available or in development, including both commercial and open source alternatives.
Anne Mintz, Director of Knowledge Management, Forbes, will present a talk titled “Information Discovery & Search.” Mintz will look at tools and tips for information discovery and search.
Popular and knowledgeable Frank Cervone and Jeff Wisniewski will talk about “What’s New With Federated Search.” I reviewed one of their presentations last month.
Patrice Slert from Johns Hopkins University will speak on “Text Mining Open Sources.” She will review some research discovery software packages and provide examples of their use.
There are quite a number of excellent presentations spread out among the three days and in multiple tracks. Click on the following links to see the abstracts for talks on the three days: Monday (April 7), Tuesday (April 8), Wednesday (April 9)
