Follow the trail..

"Visit Authors of the Web and at least one other site in the discovery resources (AuthorYellowPages, AuthorsOnTheWeb.com, ReadingGroupGuides.com and Bookreporter.com) and take a look around."


The BookReportNetwork.com is a fantastic site -- it provides and index and manages a wide range of editorial websites dedicated to connecting literature readers with books and their authors (and publicists). It not only achieves this, but as Carol Fitzgerald the editor-in-chief says, "it shapes the ways books are reviewed and discussed on the Internet, but also works with publishers to utilise the web to reach readers and promote their books."

I found the index of related editorial websites to be comprehensive in the scope which is a valuable tool as a reader, as it acknowledges the many different types of publication media and varied reader demographics and allows each of these particular audiences to find, access and connect with resources tailored to their specific interests and needs. This is something I personally believe needs to be nurtured, as the focus on the way the written word and information is imparted shifts more toward digital and less of the traditional printed format -- I think this serves as a nice bridging gap, integrating the two. In my current role this e-Resource is not so pertinent, however I am sure it is a resource I'd refer people to if I was working in the Readers' Services team.

Turning over the leaves of a book..

"Think of a book that would be a good one to discuss in a book club and check out some resources"

After deciding on George Orwell's cult classic, '1984', I uncovered through Lit Lovers' reader's guide on the book, a brief synopsis of the book, a short biography of the author's life and some notable trivia about his writing career, a quote by a literary critic on the book, some readers' reviews of the book and an extensive series of questions offering 'food for thought' to contemplate if one wanted to conduct a bookgroup on the book.

Lit Lovers' site offers a catalogue of 'LitCourses' which members can complete -- I completed the first, overview course 'Literature Matters: Why We Read'. Personally I found this a bit of a pointless exercise, but I can see these resources might be both enjoyable and beneficial for readers of fiction, be they casual or avid, who want to educate themself on how to get more satisfaction and a greater understanding beyond pure "escapism" and what to think about when venturing into "imaginative" fiction.

The thorny trail of The Wild Rose's genealogy

I enjoyed discovering the free e-Resources available for those interested in retracing and recording their family tree. I look forward to delving into this a bit more and perhaps utilising their search databases to find out more of my own unknown (to me) and unrecorded family history. In it's current state, the family tree is just a reflection of my immediate family.

I think it is will be useful to learn a little more about these tools as it will enable me to broaden the scope of reference work and allow me to work in other departments within the Central library, such as the Auckland Research Centre. At the moment, I wouldn't know where to begin to help a patron with a family history query!

Won't you meet me at the gates to the garden?

Past the ivy-covered windows of The Angel

Down Athenaeum Lane to the cathedral

Through the churchyard I wandered

Sat for a spell there and I pondered

My back to the gates of the garden

My back to the gates of the garden

My back to the gates of the garden

Fugitive fathers, sickly infants, decent mothers

Runaways and suicidal lovers

Assorted boxes of ordinary bones

Of aborted plans and sudden shattered hopes

In unlucky rows, up to the gates of the garden

In unhappy rows, up to the gates of the garden

In unlucky rows, up to the gates of the garden

Won't you meet me at the gates?

Won't you meet me at the gates?

Won't you meet me at the gates to the garden?

Beneath the creeping shadow of the tower

The bell from St.Edmunds informs me of the hour

I turn to find you waiting there for me

In sunlight and I see the way that you breathe

Alive and leaning on the gates of the garden

Alive and leaning on the gates of the garden

Alive and leaning on the gates of the garden

Leave these ancient places to the angels

Let the saints attend to their keeping of the cathedrals

And leave the dead beneath the ground so cold

For God is in this hand that I hold

As we open up the gates of the garden

Won't you meet me at the gates?

Won't you meet me at the gates?

Won't you meet me at the gates to the garden?

(Lyrics off 'No More Shall We Part', Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 2001)

The official business..

Having previous experience with reading friends' blogs, but never being a "blogger" myself, I found it quite straightforward creating this blog account; the hardest part, as 'Quantum of useless' mentioned, was deciding on the name or a visual theme for my blog.

Once I settled on this, I've had fun playing with embedding gadgets, hyperlinking and trying out different graphic layouts. I look forward to finding out more about some of the other web tools that I'm less savvy with!