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Ken Varnum
Papers and Presentations

Last updated 21 July 2010

Please note that all these papers are protected by copyright.
No reproduction or redistribution without the express permission of the copyright owner is allowed.

Opening What's Closed: Using Open Source Tools to Tear Down [Vendor] Silos (SlideShare)

Presented at WiLSWorld 2010  on 21 July 2010.

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.

Project Lefty More Bang For The Search Buck (SlideShare)

Presented at Computers in Libraries 2010 on 12 April 2010. This presentation discusses my winning entry in Deep Web Technology's federated search contest. The presentation discusses the idealized future as well as a working prototype at the University of Michigan Library. A version of the winning entry was published in the April 2010 issue of Computers in Libraries: Project Lefty: More Bang for the Search Query.

Information, Not Location: The New MLibrary

Presented with Liene Karels and Karen Reiman-Sendi as part of the Wisconsin Library Services' Library Open Solutions Webinars on 8 April 2010.

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.

Information, Not Location: Putting the What in Front of the Where So Patrons can Find When, Why and How (SlideShare)

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.

Integrating Social Bookmarking into Library Content (SlideShare)

Presented at the Michigan Library Association 2009 Conference on 5 November 2009. Abstract: The University of Michigan library launched MTagger, a social bookmarking tool, during winter 2008. MTagger allows users to add tags to library web pages, catalog records, digital images in the digital library, or to any other web page. The tool is deeply integrated into the alternative library catalog interface (based on VuFind), providing the mechanism for users to select and sort their "favorites." It is also part of the library's new Drupal powered web site. In addition to providing ways for library users to save and organize library resources, MTagger overlays saved items with the concept of "collections." These collections represent the kind of resource (for example, images, catalog items, web pages, journal articles). This allows others to explore the universe of tagged items by kind. MTagger was intended to enhance findability across collections and to expose groups of resources that might otherwise remain "hidden" to particular users.

Designing For Content Rich Sites (SlideShare)

Presented at Internet Librarian 2009 on 27 October 2009. Abstract: Webpages, research guides from Springshare?s LibGuides, licensed content, full-text journals, subject experts, digital collections ... and books online and offline. How is a library patron to figure out what?s what in this complex environment? Using independently developed tools from various systems to build a seamless whole, the UM library rebuilt its website, bringing the information patrons want into the forefront and the byzantine path to get it in the background. Speakers share results of extensive user studies, how they iteratively designed the site, and discuss the opensource technologies (Solr, Lucene, Drupal, XML, VuFind) that make it work.

Video is available from UStream.

User Responses to Social Bookmarking at MLibrary (PowerPoint, 1.6 MB)

Presented at Computers in Libraries 2009 on 30 March 2009. Abstract: MTagger, a social bookmarking tool, launched in the winter of 2008. MTagger allows users to tag a webpage on the library site or anywhere, and catalog records, or digital images. The tool was intended to enhance findability across collections and to expose ?hidden? collections. After launch, the service did not meet our expectations for use, so we embarked on usability testing. This talk covers the questions we asked, why we asked them, and how we're responding.

Tag! You're It: Social Bookmarking at MLibrary: (PowerPoint, 4.5 MB)

Presented at Access 2008 on 2 October 2008. Abstract: The University of Michigan libraries launched MTagger, a home-grown social bookmark tool, in spring 2008. It allows users to tag individual library web pages, catalog records, digital library images, or any other web page. Through the "collections" feature -- metadata assigning each tagged item to one of the library's physical or online collections -- users can broaden or narrow their search for tags. We built the tool to enhance findability across our collections and to expose "hidden" collections to users who might not know they even existed. In this talk, learn about why we built this tool, how it works, how it's being used, and where we're going with it. (Listen to the talk [MP3, 30.2 MB].)

Findability: Information, Not Location (PowerPoint, 3.3 MB)

Presented at Computers in Libraries 2008 with my colleague Mike Creech. Abstract: Learn how to foster user-friendly digital information flows by eliminating silos, highlighting context and improving findability to create a unified web presence. Hear how the University of Michigan Libraries' (MLibrary) are reinventing the libraries' web sites to emphasize information over the path users previously took to access it. By elevating information over its location, users are not forced to know which library is the "right" starting place. The talk includes tips for your library web redesign process and user-centric design process.

RSS Basics and Beyond: Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most out of Syndicated Content

A talk at The Ohio State University's Library 2.0 Seminar on June 13, 2007. Talk abstract: An introduction to RSS, feed aggregators, and easy ways libraries can take advantage of RSS to improve communication with their patrons, communities, and staffs. (Download the PowerPoint [4.5 MB] or watch now [streaming video].)

Using RSS to Promote Scholarly Publications (PowerPoint, 1 MB)

I gave this talk at the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries' Cool Tools and New Technologies conference on October 27, 2006. The talk abstract: The Ginn Library has created several databases to track and promote scholarly research by our faculty and students. A faculty publications database provides RSS feeds by author- and user-supplied keywords along with a current awareness feed that includes everything published. A second database highlights student master’s theses. Feeds are used internally to populate web pages and externally to promote the school. Learn how we created these two databases.

Intelligent Agents (PowerPoint, 256KB)

Slides from a talk I gave on Intelligent Agents at the Intranets 2003 conference in Santa Clara, California, on October 14, 2003. Discusses a project to create individualized informaiton agents to fine-tune e-mail alert services. (Updated 10/18/2003)

Information Architecture at Ford Motor Company (PowerPoint, 264 KB)

This presentation to University of Michigan School of Information course, Information Architecture, October 30, 2001, provides an overview of information architecture practices and processes within the Ford research library.

Information at Your Fingertips: Porting Library Services to the PDA (Online, September/October 2000).

All about how to convert your Web-based content into a PDA-accessible, go-anywhere information service. Discusses some of the issues, problems, and successes in porting web sites onto Palm Pilots and other products using AvantGo, MobileLink, and good old-fashioned CGI programming.

Publicizing Electronic Publishing Opportunities in Your Corporation (Marketing Library Services, March 2000, pp. 4-5).

How to get people to write for your electronic journal.

Function over Form (Adobe Acrobat, 464KB)

Presentation at Intranets 2000, San Jose, CA, February 28, 2000.

A Corporate Library Making the Transition from Traditional to Web Publishing

by Tracy Primich and Ken Varnum, in Computers in Libraries, November/December 1999, pp. 58-61.

Metadata in Theory and Practice (Adobe Acrobat, 216kb)

Presentation at Intranets '99, San Francisco, CA, April 28, 1999.

Case Study: Intranet Redesign at Ford Motor Company (Adobe Acrobat, 168kb)

Presentation at Intranets '99, San Francisco, CA, April 27, 1999.

Interview in Information World Review (February 1999)

An interview about designing Intranet Web sites by Information World Review, a British information management publication.

Lessons Learned: Designing a Second-Generation Intranet (January 1999)

An article about the redesign process for the Ford Motor Company's largest library's Intranet site. (Online Magazine, January 1999).

OMRINet

A regular column appearing in Transition magazine highlighting Internet resources related to topics discussed in each issue.

Barriers to Information Access

This article originally appeared as a sidebar to an article by Esther Dyson in the 8 November 1996 edition of Transition (Vol. 2, No. 22).

Digital Archives

This was written for ILS 605: The Making of Digital Libraries,a course at the School of Information and Library Studies at the University of Michigan. It is also available in PDF format.

Multi-lingual Digital Archives

I presented this paper on the issues involved in creating a multi-language collection of digital materials at the International Librarians Conference on the theme of "Libraries in Europe's Post-Communist Countries: Their International Context" in Krakow-Przegorzaly, Poland, in August 1995. It is also available in PDF format.

Masters Thesis

I wrote this thesis as part of my Masters in Russian and East European Studies. The title is "The Development of Political Parties in the U.S.S.R. Supreme Soviet, 1988-1989. Note: This file is approximately 80K. It is also available in PDF format.