The American Society for Indexing conference, taking place in
Portland, Oregon, from April 23-25, includes the following session on
web indexing:

** Seminar 3: One Index, Two Formats: Print vs. Web Indexes **
Apr 24, 2009, 8:25 AM to 9:00 AM
Does your index information appear in both print and on-line format?
In this quick presentation I will discuss the challenges of how to
maximize the user-friendliness of online indexes, which can be
customized for a wide variety of users, while at the same time
remaining faithful to the print editions. Because parliamentary
indexes of British Columbia Hansard debates appear in both print and
online format, they make for an interesting comparison of how
traditional print indexes and their Web counterparts can be presented,
each for optimal user-friendliness and text searches, regardless of
medium.
(Presented by Julie McClung)

These sessions are more specifically on taxonomies, but might also be
of interest:

** Pre-conference workshop: Building Taxonomies from the Group Up **
Thursday, April 23, 2009, 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
A well-built taxonomy is part of the foundation of the information
architecture underlying websites and corporate intranets, connecting
search queries to relevant content in databases. This session covers the
rules for taxonomy construction, explores terms and source materials,
and explains each part of the term record. We look at the internal
relationships between terms in a taxonomy and learn established
standards for taxonomy and thesaurus construction. We will work on
multiple hands-on exercises demonstrating various aspects of taxonomy
construction and then build a mini-taxonomy. We will also look briefly
at taxonomy management software.
(Instructed by Alice Redmond-Neal)
Separate registration from the main conference:
Member Price: $245 (after March 27 $295)
Non-member Price: $295 (after March 27, $395)

** Seminar 7: Morphing Many Books into One Taxonomy **
Apr 24, 2009, 10:05 AM to 10:40 AM
As more traditional print publishers migrate their content online,
they seek alternative ways for searchers to find information. A
taxonomy can provide the basis for transitioning from "What page for a
reference?" to "What URL for a topic?" This session reviews our
journey combining numerous individual book indexes across diverse
topic areas into one comprehensive taxonomy to support online search.
The transformation required appreciation for how the book indexes
function and solid skills in taxonomy/thesaurus construction. We
consider some of the unusual challenges in the task and see how the
final product draws upon fundamental tenets in taxonomy construction.
(Presented by Alice Redmond-Neal)

** Seminar 24: Taxonomies to Internet 2.0 **
Apr 25, 2009, 10:40 AM to 11:25 AM
Library Science was quick to attempt indexing solutions on the early
Web, but cataloging the increasing amount of information in diverse
formats has become more difficult as time has gone on. User-generated
tagging prevailed on many websites until recently. Learn how some
websites are using traditional and faceted categorization online, and
how indexers can put their skills to work on Web 2.0.
(Presented by Jenny Benevento)

Full conference and registration details are available at:
http://www.resourcenter.net/Scripts/4Disapi7.dll/4DCGI/events/207.html?Action=Co\
nference_Detail&ConfID_W=207

Best wishes,
Rebecca
(Manager, Web Indexing SIG)

--
Rebecca Linford
http://www.rebeccalinford.co.uk