Matthew Reidsma

Librarian & Web Developer

316 Orchard Hill SE Apt. #2, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49401

Home: 616.970.1741 Work: 616.331.3577 reidsmam@gvsu.edu http://matthewreidsma.com

Summary

As a web developer, I aim to create easy-to-update websites that ordinary people can use. I code everything with web standards so that my sites work as well with phones and screen readers as they do on your computer.

As a librarian, I help people find the information they need without overwhelming them with complexity. My background in web and database development makes me better able to translate complex information to patrons without bogging them down in library-speak.

Education

SOIS, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Masters of Library and Information Science, 2009 2010
Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA
Masters of Theological Studies, 2003 2005
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Bachelors of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, Philosophy, 1997 2002

Library and Web Development Experience

Web Services Librarian, Grand Valley State University Libraries – Allendale, MI
December 2010 Present
- Manage the GVSU Libraries’ Web presence, working closely with the University’s Institutional Marketing department.
- Ensure consistent branding and identity management across all aspects of the Libraries’ Web presence, including the Millenium ILS, LibGuides, databases, Summon, Encore, the institutional respository, GVSU CMS pages, and outside social networking sites.
- Plan and conduct usability testing and overall assessment of the Libraries’ Web services.
Online Systems Assistant, Cataloger, Davenport University LInC – Grand Rapids, MI
July 2009 November 2010
- Managed and maintained all Web-based library applications for Davenport’s 14 campuses, including LibGuides, Horizon ILS, WebFeat Federated Search, and the CMS pages.
- Developed a proprietary application in PHP and MySQL for improving communication about transitional students between tutors and professors.
- Created new information architecture and design using XHTML, JavaScript, and CSS for Davenport’s LInC website within the constraints of the University’s CMS.
- Designed, researched, and wrote jargon-free help website for LInC patrons.
- Instituted and maintained a bibliographic authority record control system with an outside vendor.
Freelance Web Designer & Developer, Matthew Reidsma Builds Websites
January 2007 December 2010
- Created and implemented information architecture and website design using XHTML and CSS for GVSU’s Seidman College of Business and Business Ethics Center.
- Wrote custom CMS using PHP and MySQL for fast deployment and customization of client projects.
- Developed information architecture and/or website design for over 25 clients. (Selected clients at http://matthewreidsma.com)
Curatorial Assistant for Bibliography, Harvard Law School Library, Special Collections – Cambridge, MA
October 2007 November 2008
- Created and edited bibliographic and holding records for materials in the Rare Book collection following AACR2 and DCRM(B) in ExLibris’ Aleph ILS.
- Provided patron and reference assistance in the Special Collections Reading Room and to off-site researchers through phone and email.
- Edited bibliographic metadata; performed search, browse, and user testing for Crime Broadside Digital Library website. (http://broadsides.law.harvard.edu.)
- Prepared and installed exhibitions and displays highlighting portions of the collection.
- Served on website redesign transition team to revise and convert existing content for new CMS.
Interlibrary Loan Assistant, Harvard College Library – Cambridge, MA
September 2005 October 2007
- Provided customer service to Harvard patrons and borrowing libraries, handing borrowing and lending workflow in Illiad and Ariel software applications, and handled Special Messages in OCLC.
- Processed invoices for domestic and international lenders in PeopleSoft, working closely with Financial Services.
- Supervised eight student workers, managing workflows and scheduling.
Webmaster/Programmer, Harvard Square Library – Cambridge, MA
May 2004 October 2004
- Coded new articles from Microsoft Word format to standards-compliant XHTML and CSS.
- Developed and implemented strategy for converting old, table-based HTML pages to meet new Web standards.
Interlibrary Loan Clerk; Security Guard, Monroe C. Gutman Library, Harvard Graduate School of Education – Cambridge, MA
September 2003 May 2005
- Submitted patron requests to OCLC using Clio software, received loans and articles via mail and Ariel software and prepared them for patrons, and processed article and loan requests for distance patrons and faculty.
- Staffed security desk in the evenings when library was open only to Harvard affiliates.

Teaching Experience

Adjunct Instructor, Department of Philosophy, Grand Valley State University – Allendale, MI
January 2010 December 2010
- PHI 102 Ethics, Fall 2010
- PHI 103 Logic, Spring 2010–Fall 2010
Community Working Classics, Grand Valley State University – Grand Rapids, MI
September 2001 May 2002
- Taught liberal arts courses at Project Rehab, a drug and alcohol treatment center. CWC was awarded the American Philosophical Association prize for excellence and innovation in 2002.
Teaching Assistant, Department of Philosophy, Grand Valley State University – Allendale, MI
January 2001 May 2001
- Assisted Professor Peimin Ni with his Introduction to Philosophy course.

Professional Affiliations

Michigan Library Association, 2011 present
- Communications & Marketing Web Advisory Subcommittee, 2011 present
American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2011 2012
American Library Association, 2006 2010
Association of College & Research Libraries, Rare Books and Manuscript Division, 2006 2010

Scholarships & Awards

Mover & Shaker, Library Journal, 2013
Chancellor’s Scholarship, SOIS, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2009 2010
Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, 2002 present
Philosophy Student of the Year, Grand Valley State University, 2002
Michigan Competitive Scholarship, 1997 2002

Presentations and Publications

Responsive Web Design for Libraries: A LITA Guide. Chicago: American Library Association. Forthcoming 2013
Good for Whom? Putting Technology in the Service of People, Keynote address, Michigan Library Association Applied Technology & Trends Day, Grand Rapids, MI, May 2013.
Websites are for People, Library Technology Conference 2012, St. Paul, MN, March 2013.
Websites are for People, Bodleian Libraries UX day, Oxford University, Oxford, UK, March 2013.
“Responsive Web Design for Libraries: Beyond the Mobile Web”, Mobile Library Services: Best Practices. Scarecrow Press, 2013.
Nobody Puts the User in a Corner: how Patrick Swayze can help your organization put users first, Michigan Library Association Annual Conference 2012, Dearborn, MI, November 2012.
Your Library Website Stinks and it's Your Fault, Part 3, Internet Librarian International 2012, London, UK, October 2012.
Guerrila Analytics: Uncovering User Behavior with Javascript and Sneakery., Code4Lib Midwest 2012, East Lansing, MI, July 2012.
Dead-Simple Version Control for Your Team with Git, Code4Lib Midwest 2012, East Lansing, MI, July 2012.
Once Upon a Time: GVSU and Summon at Three Years, American Library Association Annual Conference 2012, Anaheim, CA, June 2012
Responsive Web Design: get beyond the myth of the mobile Web, American Library Association Annual Conference 2012, LITA Program, Anaheim, CA, June 2012
Your Library Website Stinks and it's Your Fault, Part 2, MLA Tech Trends Day, May 2012
Your Library Website Stinks and it’s Your Fault, Library Technology Conference 2012, St. Paul, MN, March 2012
Customizing Hosted Library Services with jQuery, Code4Lib Midwest, Chicago, IL, July 2011.
Organizing Web Content: Or, the Web is not Aunt Mildred's Closet, Grand Valley State University Libraries, April 2011.
Create Targeted Searches for Your Students, 10^th Annual Teaching and Learning with Technology Symposium, Grand Valley State University, February 2011.

Conferences

Library Technology Conference, St. Paul, MN 2013.
Internet Librarian International, London, UK 2012.
An Event Apart, Chicago, IL 2012.
Code4Lib Midwest, East Lansing, MI 2012.
American Library Association Annual, Anaheim, CA 2012.
Michigan Library Association's Applied Technology and Trends Day, Ann Arbor, MI 2012.
Library Technology Conference, St. Paul, MN 2012.
Code4Lib Midwest, Chicago, IL 2011.
An Event Apart, Boston, MA 2011.
Handheld Librarian IV, 2011.

Skills

Methodologies Advanced Skills Web Standards, Accessibility, Usability, Progressive Enhancement
Client-side Web Advanced Skills HTML, XHTML, CSS, Microformats, RSS, JavaScript, jQuery
Server-side Web Intermediate Skills PHP, MySQL, Wordpress
Software Intermediate Skills Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, TextMate, Git

Languages

French Reading Knowledge
Latin Reading Proficiency