[Asis-l] Register Now for Improving the User Search Experience

[Jill O'Neill]

NFAIS Workshop on Improving the User Search Experience:  Leveraging
Technology.  Registration Discounts for Onsite or Virtual Attendance
Available Through April 16th.  

The National Federation of Advanced Information Services (NFAIST) is
organizing a one-day meeting - Improving the User Search Experience Part I:
Leveraging Technology, to be held on May 14, 2010 at the Lyrasis Office in
Philadelphia, PA, from 9:00am to 5:00pm.  Virtual attendance is optional for
those unable to travel to Philadelphia.

While content itself continues to form the foundation of modern information
solutions, the real differentiator is becoming the broader "user
experience[1]."  Today's information seekers expect a seamless,
multi-sensory, interactive - and enjoyable - search experience that is their
benchmark for an acceptable information retrieval service.  Their product
loyalty and satisfaction are "driven by a different set of values that goes
beyond content and extends to the experience of using that content.[2]"
Content providers and librarians need to be acutely aware of the overall
"experience" that their products and services provide.

The program will open with the results of a study performed at the
University of Minnesota to determine how information resources can be made
more visible, particularly within the user workflow. It will discuss key
trends related to information discovery and how those trends are reflected
in user information seeking behavior.  This will be followed by a look at
the importance of the user interface in making a first "good impression."
It will provide an overview of the challenges involved in "getting it right"
so that it clearly communicates with the people that use it.  The session
will also take a look at the requirements of interfaces for mobile devices
and the interface challenges that are unique to the academic library
environment. In closing it will highlight a state-of-the-art, highly
interactive interface for researchers who need to manipulate datasets. The
afternoon will focus on the pros, cons, and future developments of three
major search technologies - semantic search, federated search and discovery
services, and will close with a glimpse at new and emerging technologies
that are beginning to shape user expectations with regards to the overall
search experience: social search, on-the-fly translations of search results,
and the ability to offer personalized search results.

The preliminary program, registration form, directions to the meeting
location, list of nearby hotels, and general information on Philadelphia is
available at:
http://www.nfais.org/page/260-improving-the-user-experience-part-i

On-site Attendance: on or before April 16, 2010, NFAIS members pay $345 and
non-members pay $395 (registration fee includes continental breakfast, a box
lunch two refreshment breaks).  After April 16, 2010, NFAIS members pay $395
and non-members pay $445.  

Virtual Attendance: on or before April 16, 2010, NFAIS members pay $315 and
non-members pay $365. After April 16, 2010, NFAIS members pay $365 and
non-members pay $415.  

Unlimited Virtual attendance (3 or more registrations) is $995 for NFAIS
member organizations and $1,195 for non-member organizations.
 

For more information contact:  Jill O'Neill, NFAIS Director, Communication
and Planning, 215-893-1561 (phone); 215-893-1564 (fax);
mailto:jilloneill at nfais.org or go to http://www.nfais.org/.

NFAIS:  Supporting the Global Information Community

Jill O'Neill
Director, Planning & Communication
NFAIS
(v) 215-893-1561
(email) jilloneill at nfais.org