An inherent challenge for information professionals involves the often difficult-to-quantify contributions of their initiatives to an organization’s bottom line. The ROI calculation remains elusive. In this practical workshop, Ulla de Stricker explains why, when and how a formal business case can be used as an effective tool for gaining support for information-based projects; discusses the psychology of decision making and demonstrates a logically sequenced progression for structuring a business case—from identifying the “problem, need, or opportunity” to proposing viable solutions and ensuring the presentation is delivered with impact. 

As web search engines permeate the information landscape and everyone becomes a searcher, it’s the intricacies of search and the knowledge of alternative search engines that set information professionals apart and prove their value to their organisations. This workshop will cover the latest feature changes in web search engines, little-known power search tricks, evaluation techniques, relevant research-oriented websites and niche search engines. Take your search skills to the next level by attending this extensive update.

This hands-on workshop walks you through the details of starting an audio podcast, from content creation and delivery to syndication. Learn how to use podcasting tools and other devices as real podcasts are created throughout the workshop. Learn all about the podcasting process including how to syndicate shows via RSS and blogs, what hardware and software solutions work best, how to get listeners to your content and how others are benefiting from using podcasting today.

What emerging trends are changing library services? What does a connected world of “continuous computing” mean for 21st-century  libraries? This presentation provides a road map toward becoming the Hyperlinked Library—transparent, participatory, playful, user- centered and human, while still grounded in our foundations and values. Library services and organisational models are changing with the onset of emerging philosophies, web 2.0 tools and user perceptions of libraries. Users are responding by creating content and may want to do it with library data and in library space. How should the library respond? Attend this workshop in order to make your library more transparent, nimble and able to adjust to change. 

The potential benefits of blogging in a library context have been widely discussed. This workshop will provide practical advice on ways to overcome potential barriers to the establishment of blogs in an institution, deploy a blogging service that satisfies institutions’  requirements, embed the service in a sustainable fashion and demonstrate its value to the institution. This workshop will offer practical experiences with issues of using blogs in your library. It’s not only how to set up a blog, but how to measure its success. 

One of the major movements in the library automation arena involves the explosive interest in open source ILS. Open ILSs now stand as
viable options for libraries. This workshop will present open source ILS options in the context of the overall library automation industry and pose the questions that librarians need to ask as they make decisions between open source and traditionally licensed automation systems. While open source presents exciting opportunities, it’s important to go forward with realistic expectations. Attend this workshop to explore the options.