Is there anything new under the web search sun? Isn’t everyone an expert searcher by now? After 20 years of Googling and even more years of mastering other search engines, WebSearch Academy instructors know that search constantly evolves and that becoming an expert searcher is a continuous learning experience.

The WebSearch Academy workshop explores the intricacies of research on the web. Our leading-edge speakers look at advanced search, evaluation of search engines, apps relevant to serious research, social media search, and analysis of search results. They introduce sites they’ve found to be valuable when researching health, business, science, and news. They investigate techniques for non-textual searching of images, videos, streaming media, audio, and data files. They scrutinise the vagaries of searching in multiple languages and across international borders. They consider how search results can differ depending upon what device and what browser is used.

Privacy, ethical, and assessment issues are particularly critical as information professionals confront a “post-truth” world. What is an authoritative source? Who is the person writing about a topic? Are fake people infiltrating search results and social media? What role does the dark web play? As both search practitioners and observers, WebSearch Academy speakers understand all aspects of the search game.

Learn how changes in search affect your working life. Acquire skills that enable you to get more from searching the web and plumbing the depths of the deep web. Go beyond Google to obtain needed information and answer user questions. Dig into sources with rich content and gain new perspectives on search engine features and search techniques. Refresh your search skills, take valuable information back to your office, and be ahead of the curve by attending WebSearch Academy.

In libraries we spend so much time curating our content and services that sometimes we don’t put enough focus on telling people about what we do. We do so much, but how do we ensure people hear about what we offer, and understand what we do? In this hands-on workshop we’ll look at:

• communication types within libraries
• segmenting your audience and tailoring messages for each group
• talking in terms of benefits rather than features
• strategies for word of mouth marketing
• marketing with video
• measuring the impact of social media
• examples of successful library marketing
• before tying everything together in a strategic marketing plan.

Delegates will get a marketing campaign document template to work on in the session and then take back to their own institutions to develop. Everything in this workshop is designed to be applicable right away, whether you want to better communicate the value of a particular service or market your entire library. You don’t need to bring a device to the session but a smartphone may be useful for looking things up around your own library.

This workshop is aimed at people wishing to market their library or those wishing to market a specific service or section within it.