VICTORIA L. REDFERN
Scholar, Innovator, and Storyteller
Victoria L. Redfern is a former information scientist, narrative cultural historian, and entrepreneur with a career in Information Technology and Information Science/Studies (Research) as well as education, cultural history, performance art, and business leadership.
Victoria’s Philosophy is published as V. L. Verdéaux, the pen name of Victoria L. Redfern.
Victoria holds four postgraduate qualifications:
- Graduate Certificate Professional Development Education
- Graduate Diploma Professional Development Education
- Master of Educational Leadership
- Master of Information Studies (Research)
Her Master of Information Studies (Research) and experience enhance her knowledge of information management, library science, archives and data management. Victoria also studied Historiography at the Australian National University (ANU, non-degree), enhancing her work as a cultural historian.
She undertook doctoral research at the University of Canberra on information literacy and core-concept searching.
The thesis title is: Use of a core concept search tool for the information literacy education of undergraduate students.
Victoria’s professional roles include:
Academic and Librarian:
University tutor/lecturer, academic librarian, and later a role with the Australian Federal Government.
Student Leadership:
Elected Postgraduate Student Representative on the University of Canberra Student Union Board for three consecutive years.
Victoria was publicly commended for contributions to Harmony Days, Open Days, Library Weeks, and university celebrations.
Mature Aged Students Orientation:
Annual invited Guest Speaker for the Mature Aged Students Orientation at the University of Canberra, speaking to first-time and returning learners.
Museum Governance:
Board Director of the Australian National Museum of Education for ten years, shaping educational heritage. Chair of the Visits and Events sub-committee for the 2017 ANZHES/ANME Conference.
Performance Art and Cultural Engagement:
Victoria trained at the Australian Academy of Music Theatre at the Sydney Opera House, performing in its Recording Hall and Concert Hall, and later in Sydney nightclubs.
As a Foundation Member of the Joan Sutherland Society of Sydney, she contributed to celebrating Australia’s iconic opera singer and fundraising for annual scholarships for early-career opera singers.
Entrepreneurship:
Founder, Owner, and CEO of Redfern International Enterprises Pty Ltd in Australia. Since 1996 she has run her company, which leverages her work in innovation and information science. Under that company, Victoria L. Digital Publishing runs Victoria L. Travel Reads.
Victoria’s 2005 applied research innovation — Rootza — was researched, designed and created from 1996 during her doctoral research in Information Studies.
The thesaural/thesaucratic database for core concept searching, and the use of enhanced digital literacies for undergraduate students, the general public, business, corporate users, and education, continues to sit in the history of digital information literacies.
Organising web information and embedding instructional prompts to guide critical evaluation and efficient searching remains valuable. Her applied method — prototyping, testing, and refining in diverse settings — made Rootza a solution for academic, public, professional, and educational information-seeking.
Early recognition:
Victoria entered Rootza in the United States Webby Awards in 2005–2006, during its development.
Patents:
She lodged applications with IP Australia in 2005 and with the United States Patent and Trademark Office from 2006. The United States patent US 8,027,991 B2 was granted in 2011. Related filings include the PCT publication WO 2007/012120 A1 and Australian application AU 2006274496 which was also granted.
International recognition:
In 2007 Victoria was one of seven finalists from about 118 entries at the IASTED Web-Based Education Conference in Chamonix, France, where she presented her paper “World Wide Web: Online Core Concept Thesaucratic Database Development to Improve Information Seeking” and demonstrated the software.
Promotional video:
Victoria produced and directed a 3-minute demonstration video, launched on YouTube on 24 March 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPNZ-lIfduU
The promotional video displays Rootza’s thesaural/thesaucratic interface and its role in education.
Further information: rootza.com
Key publications on Rootza and student research skills:
Redfern, V. (2004). Natural language thesaurus: A survey of student research skills and research tool preferences. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 35(2), 137–150.Redfern, V. L. (2007).
World wide web: Online core concept thesaucratic database development to improve information seeking. IASTED Conference on Web-Based Education, Chamonix. Redfern, V. L. (2014).
21st Century Digital Information Literacy: Undergraduate Students and Information Literacy: The Rootza Solution. Lambert Academic Publishing. ISBN 978-3659217906.
This book sets out the applied research: from digital literacy gaps to designing, testing and patenting Rootza for students, the public, business, corporate users, and education. Available on Amazon.
As a resident of the former Mary’s Mount Passionist Monastery in Goulburn, New South Wales Australia (now apartments), she was inspired to write a social history of the monastery.
This social history reflects her work as a narrative cultural historian.
The Passion: Mary’s Mount Passionist Monastery — A Historical Perspective draws on archival photographs, her residency, and historical materials.
It was requested for evaluation by the Vatican Apostolic Library.
Published by Victoria L. Digital Publishing and offered through Victoria L. Travel Reads.
Other creative work
Completed novels focused on international crime and art fraud, set in Canada, Switzerland and Australia, weaving intrigue and cultural insight.
Music and opera reflecting her performance training at the Sydney Opera House and her work with the Joan Sutherland Society of Sydney — now the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation.
Philosophy under the name V. L. Verdéaux.
Music and opera remain part of her work. Her original opera is in development and is being discussed privately.
Representing Redfern International Enterprises and Victoria L. Digital Publications, Victoria is a member of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Her interest lies in top-level domains (TLDs) which are underused in Australia. She has become involved in an information program to help address this and to assist Australian business.
PUBLICATIONS – PATENTS
Redfern, V. L. Enhanced searching using a thesaurus. US 8,027,991 B2 (2011); WO 2007/012120 A1 (2007); AU 2006274496; priority AU 2005203250 (2005).
PUBLICATIONS – ACADEMIC
Redfern, V. (2004). Natural language thesaurus: A survey of student research skills and research tool preferences. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 35(2), 137–150.
Redfern, V. L. (2007). World wide web: Online core concept thesaucratic database development to improve information seeking. IASTED Conference on Web-Based Education, Chamonix, France.
Redfern, V. Use of a core concept search tool for the information literacy education of undergraduate students [Master’s thesis, University of Canberra].
Redfern, V. L. (2014). 21st Century Digital Information Literacy: Undergraduate Students and Information Literacy: The Rootza Solution. Lambert Academic Publishing. ISBN 978-3659217906.
BOOKS — Victoria L. Redfern
A Moose and a Masterpiece: Artful Deceptions
Sylvia Belcanto: An Enigma, Snow Geese Under Glass
Jimmy Flynn: On the Side of a Mountainous Hill
The Passion: Mary’s Mount Passionist Monastery — A Historical Perspective
BOOKS — V. L. Verdéaux
Young Rajah and His Journey of Wisdom: The Snake — V. L. Verdéaux
Filo Soffy: Coffee With Grandma — V. L. Verdéaux
Filo Soffy: Just Because Your Goose Is Cooked That Does Not Mean It’s Stuffed — V. L. Verdéaux