See also Post-Conference Workshops.

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2006

7:00am–2:00pm
Workshop Registration

7:00am–8:00am
Continental Breakfast
(For workshop attendees only)

All-Day Workshop

8:00am–5:00pm
Workshop 1: Indexing for Beginners
Presenter: Kay Schlembach

This basic presentation, newly revised for 2006, offers a comprehensive, energetic, face-to-face experience for those wanting to learn fundamental indexing techniques and thinking skills. Beginning indexers, people experiencing career changes, information workers, editors, and writers will benefit from this fast-paced workshop. Material is presented in a straightforward and practical manner, accompanied by numerous examples and opportunities for self-evaluation, plus instructor feedback and group participation. Live teaching, diverse interaction, and instant feedback serve to complement independent learning. Key concepts covered include term selection, entries, cross-references, formatting, and simple editing. Learners will be able to create an index by the end of this full-day workshop.

Morning Half-Day Workshops

8:00am–12:00noon
Workshop 2: Dancing on Cobwebs: Decision-Making in Our Indexes
Presenter: Kari Kells

Participants are asked to index a text and send the index to the presenter in advance. During the workshop, we will examine, compare, and discuss the varied approaches that participants used to implement indexing principles. Anonymity will be maintained, and submitted indexes will not be judged, graded, or marked. This workshop is for indexers who are completely familiar with the terminology of the profession. It is expected that participants have already completed indexing projects, such as (at a minimum) practice indexes and class assignments.

8:00am–12:00noon
Workshop 3: Introduction to Information Architecture and Usability
Presenter: Fred Leise

As the World Wide Web continues its unprecedented growth, it offers many opportunities for indexers to expand their skills and marketability. This workshop provides a general introduction to information architecture, which focuses on the organization of content, navigation systems, and labeling systems for websites and intranets. Information architecture is closely allied to the fields of findability, usability, user experience, content management, and interface design. In addition to IA itself, we will also explore the basis of usability: what are the issues that make for a good user experience and how can you as an indexer become familiar with those issues.

10:15am–10:30am
Morning Refreshment Break
(For workshop attendees only)

12:00noon–1:30pm
Lunch Break
(On your own)

Afternoon Half-Day Workshops

1:30pm–5:30pm
Workshop 4: Indexing the Hard Stuff: Theology, Literary Criticism, and Public Policy
Presenters: Kate Mertes, Margie Towery, Enid Zafran

Three long-time indexers share their insights, shortcuts, and knowledge to help you index difficult jobs in the fields of public policy, theology/religion, and literary criticism. Their advice will range from how to negotiate with the client on the job to how to craft entries. Hands-on practice will be included to illustrate talking points. Have you been passing on these types of jobs, afraid to tackle the hard stuff? This workshop will give you the confidence you need to move up to the challenge.

1:30pm–5:30pm
Workshop 5: Developing Enterprise Taxonomies
Presenter: Seth Earley

With their existing skills and experience, indexers can development taxonomies that address a variety of challenges that organizations face when trying to make intranet and web content more accessible to users. In this session, you'll learn how to position yourself and your capabilities to take on more consulting projects in the areas of content and knowledge management. What are the ways that taxonomies can be applied to search and navigation problems? What is the structure of a taxonomy project? Using hands-on exercises and case examples, this session will deliver high-value, actionable, and tangible tips on taxonomy development and application of metadata to problems of content and concerns about document and knowledge management. Specific topics include how to derive project requirements, auditing sources for taxonomy terms, dealing with ambiguous terms, faceted classification, best practices and rules of thumb for construction and validation of the taxonomy, and how different taxonomies can be mapped through associative term relationships.

3:00pm–3:15pm
Afternoon Refreshment Break
(For workshop attendees only)