*Usual apologies for cross posting*

The Aslib Computer Group and the Aslib Electronics Group have merged to
become the IT&C Group.  The committee for the new group will be elected
at the AGM during conference.  Everyone welcome - the more the merrier!
- but members please be there to cast your votes!

UPDATE 2002
15-17 May 2002, Danbury Park Conference Centre, Danbury, Chelmsford,
Essex

Update yourself in key areas of science and technology:

Taxonomies ~ Competitive Intelligence ~ Digital Libraries ~ Making
Yourself Essential ~ Semantic Web ~ E-Books ~ Information for Distance
Learners

Wednesday 15th May 2002
Wednesday Evening:

Taxonomies are (probably) here to stay
Alan Gilchrist,
Senior Associate Consultant, TFPL Ltd

It is probably now accepted that taxonomies are new retrieval and
navigation tools; and while they have some aspects in
common with both classifications and thesauri, are fundamentally
different. The plural form is used here to indicate that there are
several different types of taxonomy, and that these will develop further
as new techniques and software tools emerge. The next wave may involve
ontologies, supported by taxonomic components.

Thursday 15th May 2002
Thursday Morning

Competitive Intelligence for Information Professionals
Jonathan Gordon-Till, Information Manager (Research), Aon Consulting
(http://uk.aon.com)
Jonathan Gordon-Till will show how information professionals can build
Competitive Intelligence (CI) into their service, and the strategic
importance of CI for all organisations. As well as showing how CI
differs from traditional information services, Jonathan will be
examining the additional ethical issues raised by this kind of research.

Making Digital Libraries Usable
Suzette Keith, Middlesex University
How can librarians see their web-sites through their users' eyes?
Suzette will describe how she has investigated the usability issues of a
large corporate digital library. Her research is exploring the potential
for known usability evaluation techniques to identify these issues.

Thursday Afternoon

Essential, not just desirable.
Carol Ann Halliday. Emerald
Carol Ann will describe recent customer research at Emerald. Emerald has
been investigating what their readers thought of their publications. The
results of this research are now being used to ensure their own journals
seen as essential sources of information safe from budget cuts. Although
Carol Ann will be talking from a publisher's perspective, her talk will
have direct relevance to librarians since they, too, need to be seen as
essential to their organisations if they are to flourish.


Semantic Web
Dave Beckett, Technical Researcher (Web Search Environments) Institute
for Learning and Research Technology at University of Bristol
The Semantic Web is an extension of the current web of pages written in
words for display in HTML, into a web of concepts and relationships
between them recorded in a way that can be read by software. These
concepts and relationships are identified by standard web URLs so that
they can be used and referred to by anyone, as web pages are. This
enables new tools and applications to manipulate, aggregate, transform,
use and reuse this recorded knowledge thus better enabling people to
locate, organise and share information.

Friday 17th May 2002
Friday Morning

E-Books in the real world
Hazel Woodward, University Librarian and Director of Cranfield
University Press
Hazel will discuss some of the issues involved in implementing E-Books,
based on her experience as Chair of the JISC/DNER Working Group. In a
period when economic realities must balance against technical promise,
what do librarians need to know when considering whether to offer
E-Books to their users?


Information Resources for Distance Learners
Sally Chambers, Electronic Library Project Co-ordinator, University of
London Library (http://www.ull.ac.uk/)

How can Virtual Library Services support remote users? Sally Chambers
will discuss the University of London Library's project to develop a
information and enquiry service via the internet for potentially 28,000
students based in over 180 countries. Key issues include access,
authentication and ease of use.


FEES (No Vat Payable)

Aslib Members £359
Non-Members £419
Day rate £200
(Full fees include entry to the full Conference, accommodation and all
meals)

TRANSPORT
Danbury Park is located about five miles from Chelmsford. Frequent
trains run from London Liverpool Street station. A road map will be
provided for delegates and there is ample car parking space.

FACILITIES
Danbury Park Conference Centre is set in nine acres of gardens, with
adjoining parkland and lakes. Residential accommodation consists of 60
bedrooms, each with a private shower, direct dial phone, alarm radio and
tea and coffee making facilities.

BOOKINGS
To book a place please contact:

Alison Matthews
92 Finchley Rd
Ipswich
IP4 2HT

Tel. 01473 417003
Fax 01473 417070

Email: [log in to unmask]


Sally Patalong
Publicity Officer