In the last year, the board of Gustavus Library Associates did a lot of brainstorming and planning for the future. (As if having a Royal Affair on the schedule wasn’t enough!) One of the things the group put on the agenda for this year was to use Web 2.0 tools to reach more people in service of our mission –
Gustavus Library Associates promotes learning, literature, and the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library at Gustavus Adolphus College.
A funny thing happened at our latest meeting. As we talked about the future, board members would pause to say “oh, have you read . . .?” or “I just finished the best book!” So when it came time to choose a focus for a GLA blog, it made sense to make it a way to share our experiences of what we’ve been reading. After all, you never leave a GLA event without a list of books you have to read. And it’s a service that we feel uniquely qualified to provide. Just because – well, we love books. And we read a lot.
In the next few months, we’ll be posting book reviews and recommendations here from members. If you’re looking for a good read, this blog might be just the place to check.
photo from the Flickr Creative Commons pool courtesy of gaspi.
Thanks, Barb — this will be fun! — Elaine B.
Great work, Barb! And thanks to Jerry Nowell, as well. I suddenly feel a little “hip” and “cool” and sorta “with it,” now that I’m associated with a blog. (Maybe the fact that I put those words in quotation marks is a sure sign that I’m not any of those things.)
I’m pleased that we (Barb and Jerry, anyway) have already followed through on a strategy from our new Strategic Plan toward the goal of making GLA more visible. Check one off!
But mostly, I agree with Elaine: It’s going to be fun!
Mim, if it makes you feel any better I assign blogging as a writing assignment in a couple of classes and most of the students are really unfamiliar with blogging. So you are hip and cool!
I think it will be fun, too – and if it helps someone find a book to read, so much the better.
In 2008, our niece, Molly Brostrom, her husband Todd Schaefer and their three children — Sophie, Nell and Gus, ages 9, 7 and 1 years — left for Rwanda where they had accepted a position with Christian Aid, a British humanitarian organization in Central Africa. They live in Kigali where the children attend a French-speaking school. We have kept in touch by e-mail and their blog, but in many ways it’s hard to imagine their lives these days.
A new novel caught my eye the other day, not only for its colorful book jacket, but for its title, “Baking Cakes in Kigali.” I couldn’t resist. And I’m loving it. It’s funny, it’s colorful like the book jacket and it helps me to imagine life in Rwanda for my loved ones.
Edit above to:
Wonderful new way to share favorite reads, Barb! This will be the first time I’ve ever blogged. My top “seasonal” recommendation is Still Alice by Lisa Genova. For anyone who has lost a friend or loved one from Alzheimers, this is a poignant well researched heart wrenching book that reads like a memoir. As a contributing writer for Ex Libris, we look forward to hearing from GLA members and alum re: how you prioritize your next read, different types of book lists kept, any pertinent book club information. I will be anxious to watch how this blog grows in popularity.