My personal page.

At mt desk, many years ago. The computer is DeGaulle, UNB's first practical Web server.

Work

I have been employed at UNB Libraries (Fredericton) since July 1, 1988. During that time, my work has focused on making information accessible via the Web. This work included a four year stint as the University's first WebMaster.

Some of the projects I have worked on include:

Web Databases with LiveLink

UNB Libraries used to use the LiveLink Search Engine (from OpenText). It enabled the Library to put some pretty interesting databases on the Web. These included the: Loyalist Collection Inventory, NB Land Grant Database, and a dtabase of Telegraph Journal articles. We stopped using LiveLink quite a while ago, as the product changed. The first two projects are now mySQL/PHP based while the TJ project has been dropped.

Web Databases with MySQL
I have found that the combination of Linux, Apache, MySQL and perl (or PHP) is a pretty powerful one. Here are some projects:
SGML to HTML Scripting
Aside from search engines, my work with the Electronic Text Centre has focused on providing scripts to convert the SGML documents to HTML. This has saved enormous amounts of labour and enabled projects to be completed in a timely manner. Some examples:

Research

Selected Publications.
Seminars and Presentations.

My sabbatical (from January 1, 2010 - July 1, 2010) will focus on the possibility that the recently published (and best selling) round of freethought material is not being purchased by public libraries.

Primarily, I am interested in using the Web as a means to access all kinds of resources and data. I've done lots of smaller research projects over the years. Here are some that might still have faint interest for some:

ASIN Portal Project
For several years I served on the implementation team to build a portal for all the libraries in Atlantic Canada. A huge project involving authentication, content management, federated searching, link resolving, and automated inter-library loans.
Metadata
Years ago, I built a project is to look at how metadata from various sites, in several formats, can be used to build a useful Web-based index. For a while, I became disenchanted with metadata and how it is implemented and basically wished the whole topic would just go away. The ASIN Portal Project changed that perspective. OpenURL and Resolvers are making metadata fun again.
Virtual Pathfinder
We are all familar with the guides to subject areas many libraries prepare as handouts. In July of 1995 I created a Virtual Pathfinder, a series of guides generated by a computer program. The original thought was lacking in sophistication but the basic idea never really died. UNB, somewhat to my amazement, has actually re-done our static HTML Pathfinders and we no longer have a need for the Virtual Pathfinder. I think, however, that my project was somewhat ahead of its time in anticipating Web pages built dynamically from databases. Others may have thought so, too. I was invited to speak at conferences a number of times about the original article. It all seems so long ago, now.
Z39.50 Searching
I did an experiment in adding value to catalogue searches. Unfortunately, the test database I used is no longer available. However, the experiment was described fully in the October 1994 issue of Computers in Libraries. A version of the article is available. It was given the CIL Article of the Year Award.
MyLibrary
At one point, I used Eric Lease Morgan's MyLibrary code to build a UNB version. Interesting project but it wasn't supported widely in our system. Our Subject Guides now serve this function.
CANSIM database access
Using a combination of expect and perl scripts, I came up with a gateway to the massive CANSIM database. Now defunct. I recall doing a demonstration of this at Access in Fredericton and having it fail miserably.

Teaching and Collections Development

I'm the subject specialist for the Faculty of Kinesiology and the Journalisn program at St. Thomas University.

I've been involved in bibliographic instruction for various courses. These have included Nursing Informatics, Mechanical Engineering and English Graduate Studies. In 2002, I started a project to have information literacy instruction throughout the Kinesiology curriculum. The faculty has been very co-operative and I think the students will benefit greatly.

University Activities

In 1993 I started the the UNB's World Wide Web service and ran it until September 1997.

I have served on the University-wide Task Force to Review Computing Services.

I am serving on the University's Program Review Committee.

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