Web workshop focuses on information gathering
May 9, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- Helping librarians, students and others ferret out information on the Internet is the goal of a professional development workshop from 12:30 to 4:45 p.m. Thursday, May 22, in the Fetzer Center on Western Michigan University's main Kalamazoo campus.
Called "The Power Searcher: Using Search Engines and Browsers to Their Fullest," the workshop will cover such topics as Web search strategies; search engine capabilities, strengths and advanced techniques; and the differences between such primary search engines as Google, AlltheWeb, Alta Vista, Teoma and Inktomi. It also will cover hidden tricks and shortcuts available in Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla and other Web browsers.
The workshop will be presented by Greg R. Notess, an associate professor and reference librarian at Montana State University in Bozeman and an internationally-known conference speaker.
Notess has been writing, speaking and consulting on Internet information resources since 1991 and has earned numerous awards for his work. He has been a consultant for several major and minor search engines, and he wrote the first three editions (1997, 1998, 2000) of the "Government Information on the Internet" directory. He also compiled the 1994 publication, "Internet Access Providers: An International Resource Directory."
In addition, Notess is the "On the Net" and "Internet Search Engine Update" columnist for ONLINE magazine, a publication for information professionals, and maintains the <www.searchengineshowdown.com> Web site, which reviews, compares, analyzes and tries to keep current with today's rapidly changing Web search tools.
The power searcher workshop is being offered through the Alberta L. Brown Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Western Michigan Chapter of the Special Libraries Association, WMU's University Libraries and the WMU Foundation's Alberta L. Brown and LeFevre endowment funds.
The lecture series was established in 1975 by the Kalamazoo-based Upjohn Co.--now Pfizer Corp.--in honor of the company's first head librarian. Brown established the company's technical library and played a leadership role in numerous professional organizations throughout her career with the pharmaceutical firm.
After retiring in 1959, she served as an associate professor of librarianship at WMU from 1962 to 1964 and continued to be actively involved in furthering library education, developing special libraries, and promoting the advancement of library and information services for all people.
The power searcher workshop costs $55, including materials, refreshments and parking. A reduced rate of $35 is available for those who are pursuing an undergraduate or a graduate degree in librarianship or information sciences. The deadline to register is Thursday, May 15.
To register, follow the instructions in the event brochure, which is available online at <www.wmich.edu/eup/conf/confcal>, or call WMU's Conferences and Seminars office at (269) 387-4174.
Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 269 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu