Web Scale Information Discovery: The Opportunity, the Reality, the Future  

Friday, September 30, 2011

The Hub Cira Centre
2929 Arch Street
Suite 200
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Information Today coverage (by Don Hawkins)

  Register Here! (on-site participation only) ( PDF onsite form)

  Register to participate virtually. ( PDF virtual form)

Recent years have witnessed the emergence of new information channels know as "discovery services." Broadly defined as a link between the information user and the platform on or location at which the information resides, these innovative new services provide a single search box" interface to pre-indexed metadata and/or full-text. They are intended to provide users with a simple, fast, and easy "Google-like" search experience; to provide librarians with increased awareness and usage of their holdings; and to provide content providers with an opportunity for increased usage, especially by inexperienced searchers, and with a distribution channel that can broaden their brand awareness. Although it is still very early in the discovery service life cycle, this workshop will take a look at how the opportunities they offer are progressing.

***Preliminary Program***

8:30am - 9:00am: Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00am - 9:15am: Welcome

Bonnie Lawlor, NFAIS Executive Director
Maureen C. Kelly, Information Consultant, Moderator

9:15am - 9:45am: An Overview of the Discovery Landscape: The Opportunity

This session will provide a general overview of today's Web scale discovery services that have emerged over the past few years - their history, their mission, how they work, and the promise that they offer to those who embrace them.

Judy Luther, President, Informed Strategies. [ Slides ]

9:45am - 10:45am: Discovery Services: A Look at the Major Players (Part 1)

This session will continue to take a look at the major discovery services with a focus on Serials Solutions' SUMMON and Primo Central from Ex Libris. Again, the speakers will provide an overview the current features and functionalities of their services, and the future enhancements that can be expected in the near future.

John Law, Vice President, Discovery Services, Serials Solutions [ Slides ]; Carl Grant, Chief Librarian, Ex Libris. [ Slides ]

10:45am - 11:00am: Break and Networking Opportunity

11:00am - 12:00pm: Discovery Services: A Look at the Major Players (Part 2)

This session will look at two of the major discovery search services - OCLC WorldCat and EBSCO Discovery Service - their current features and functionalities, and the future enhancements that can be expected in the near future.

Chip Nilges, Vice President, Business Development, OCLC [ Slides ]; Sam Brooks, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, EBSCO Publishing;

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch (will be provided)

1:00pm - 1:30pm: What Libraries Want from Discovery Services: A Look at the Selection Process

This session will take a look at the process undertaken by a university library to review, analyze and possibly select a discovery service for implementation by their institution. The selection criteria, time line for completion of the process, and challenges met along the way will be discussed.

Diane Bruxvoort, Associate Dean for Scholarly Resources and Research Services, University of Florida  [ Slides ]

1:30pm - 3:00pm: The Reality of Discovery Services: Implementation and Results

In this session we will hear from both a large and small academic institution regarding their experiences in implementing a discovery service and the results they have seen in the usage of their library holdings.

Demian Katz, Library Technology Development Specialist, Villanova University [ Slides ]; Greg Silvis, Assistant Director for Library Computing Systems, University of Delaware Library [ Slides ]; Scott R. Anderson, Associate Professor and Information Systems Librarian, Millersville University [ Slides ]; Erin Rushton, Web Services Librarian, Binghamton University. [ Slides ]

3:00pm - 3:15pm: Break and Networking Opportunity

3:15pm - 3:45pm: Discovery Services: The Current Perspective of Content Providers

Based upon information gathered via a survey and several roundtable discussions, this session will content providers' viewpoint with regard to the pros and cons of discovery services. A Code of Practice for Discovery Services that is currently in development will also be highlighted.

Bonnie Lawlor, Executive Director, NFAIS [ Slides ]

3:45pm - 4:30pm: The Future of Discovery Services: Where are They Going?

In this closing session each of the discovery service providers will present their perspective on the future of information discovery and how these new channels for information access and retrieval may evolve in the years to come.

Chip Nilges, Vice President, Business Development, OCLC; John Law, Vice President, Discovery Services, Serials Solutions; Carl Grant, Chief Librarian, Ex Libris [ Slides ]; Sam Brooks, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, EBSCO Publishing;

4:30pm: Adjourn

For more information contact: Jill O'Neill, NFAIS Director, Communication and Planning, 215-893-1561 (phone); 215-893-1564 (fax) or email jilloneill @ nfais.org.

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