I am the Web Systems Manager for the University of Michigan Library. Library Web Systems creates and maintains the web applications that make the library's web site tick. I also maintain a blog, RSS4Lib: Innovative Ways Libraries Use RSS, where I discuss various ways libraries can (or should) take advantage of RSS as an effective data exchange tool.
Drupal in Libraries, my book, is now available for order. It was published in May 2012 by ALA TechSource. See the companion website.
2004-2007: I was a librarian at the
Edwin Ginn Library at
The Fletcher School (
Tufts University's graduate school for international relations). Half of my position was is mix of traditional and "library 2.0" work -- reference, database development, web site design and programming, and so forth. One of my projects is the
Fletcher Faculty Publications database and
RSS Feeds. The remainder of my time was spent managing IT services for The Fletcher School's faculty, staff, and students.
1997-2004: I was an Information Specialist for the
Ford Motor Company research library. I oversaw the library's web site and information architecture projects. We developed information services including customized e-mail alert services, automatic text classification, and intelligent agents. Please see the Publications and Presentations section, below, for details on some of these projects.
1995-1997: Before working for Ford, I worked for the now-defunct Open Media Research Institute (OMRI) in Prague, Czech Republic. OMRI was a non-profit research and publishing organization that studied the then-new democracies and emerging states of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and that was funded by the
Open Society Institute. Although OMRI no longer exists, the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine has preserved
portions of the OMRI web site.
Drupal in Libraries. ALA TechSource, June 2012.
Volume 14 in the Tech Set series, Drupal in Libraries is a how-to manual for the non-technical librarian who wants to build a Drupal web site. Through step-by-step instructions, the book walks the site adminstrator through the Drupal interface and illustrates how to build a functional interactive web site without need for programming skills.
"Don’t Go There! Providing Discovery Services Locally, Not at a Vendor’s Site"
"Social Metadata for Libraries, Archives and Museums"
Serials Solutions’ Summon: Familiarity Breeds Success (
Library Journal Reference Supplement, November 15, 2011, p. 18)
Describing the University of Michigan's implementation of Summon as its article discovery tool. (The last of 4 pieces in this longer article.)
Presented at the
2011 Charleston Conference on 2 November 2011 as part of a panel discussion with Roger Schonfeld (Ithaka S+R), Ross Housewright (Ithaka S+R), Sebastian Hammer (Index Data), Cody Hanson (University of Minnesota), and David Walker (California State University).
Abstract: Libraries are increasingly faced with the challenge of developing an appropriate strategy for supporting their users’ information discovery needs. This preconference, facilitated by Ithaka S+R, will explore the growing range of approaches users may take to information discovery in a digital environment and help attendees consider the strategic implications of potential roles that their library could play in supporting their users’ discovery needs.
Abstract: Making a convincing case to change from non- or lightly-managed web sites to a content management system (CMS) can seem daunting. However, you can build a strong case that will help convince administration of the benefits of CMSs. In this talk, two librarians who manage large public and internal websites at the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado Denver give you all of the ammo you need! Gain insight on why having a CMS is better than not having one and why an open source CMS tool (such as Drupal and MediaWiki) are viable, functional, and efficient solutions. Audience participation in the form of group therapy will be encouraged!
Abstract: How building a Drupal module to bring Summon's article discovery system into our web site increased article searching, decreased direct database use, and maintained context for the library's patrons.
"Keeping Your Feet on the Ground when Putting your (Lib)Guides in the Cloud" with Karen Reiman-Sendi and Albert A. Bertram.
Getting Started with Cloud Computing: A LITA Guide. Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. Edited by Heather Moulaison and Edward Corrado. 2011.
Abstract: Like many libraries, the University of Michigan Library for a long time employed no one for the purpose of website usability. To address the gap, a Usability Group was formed. The structure and methodologies of the group have evolved over the last four years, producing an efficient organization with innovative and highly effective techniques. Twenty-eight staff members have contributed to this group. Six different systems have been evaluated, resulting in over 30 reports and hundreds of recommendations. Although resources are evaluated using a wide range of traditional techniques (formal testing, focus groups, surveys, heuristic evaluations, prototype testing, etc.), the group strongly believes that usability doesn't have to be complicated and time-consuming, favoring more straightforward, "budget" techniques as means to the most interesting and useful results. The group also often employs an iterative approach to testing by repeating and refining tests to evaluate effectiveness of changes and to fine-tune techniques. This presentation will describe the Usability Group's techniques and findings from our most recent projects to evaluate the library's recently launched website. Specifically, we will describe methodologies, present testing materials and results from "guerilla" testing, group card sorting, and participatory design sessions with undergraduates, graduates and faculty, and staff. Participants will be able to apply these methods in their own libraries.
Abstract: The University of Michigan Library's web site is a consistent, integrated front end on what was a collection of 19 distinctly different library sites and multiple library silos. The library's site now combines a variety of tools (including Drupal, VuFind, Springshare's LibGuides, Ex Libris's Metalib, DSpace, and Solr) within a single interface. In this talk, you will learn about the design process that informed the system architecture and the way we are using data from both open source and proprietary software to break down information silos.
Abstract: The University of Michigan Library released a a new library web site at the start of the current academic year, replacing 19 distinctly different library sites with no consistent identity nor functionality. The new unified web site, built on Drupal, VuFind, LibGuides, and Ex Libris's Metalib, integrates library services so they become one overarching resource for our patrons in all subject areas. The new site consolidates the search process by delivering search results from all of our available databases including results from the catalog (with HathiTrust), our ejournals and databases lists, our web site, research guides, and librarian subject specialists.
Presented at the NERCOMP
New Discovery Tools Symposium on 1 February 2010. Abstract: At the University of Michigan Library, we recently launched a new library web site [www.lib.umich.edu] that strives to put the library's resources in the foreground while leaving the particular tools that manage and provide access to them in the background. The site, built on Drupal, VuFind, LibGuides, and Ex Libris's Metalib, integrates a range of library services without forcing the user to look in specialized interfaces for them. For example, a site search dynamically returns results from the catalog (including materials available through the HathiTrust), our ejournals and databases lists, our web site, research guides, and librarian subject specialists. Our more static browse pages highlight the best resources in each of these categories for our patrons.
RSS4Lib
RSS Bumper Sticker
Remote Grinnellian