OK. Thanks for the advice. I'll start with the pads.

I'm really playing 20 year technology catchup here with this bike. In addition to my first experience with v-brakes, it's also the first time I've dealt with machined rims. I think she's got ~300 miles on the bike, so hopefully any shedding will diminish soon. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but it seems that a properly machined metal surface shouldn't shed anything.