Newsgroups are one of the oldest forms of communication on the Internet. Often anarchic, sometimes amusing or annoying, they offer a free, unmoderated forum for discussion of subjects as diverse as archaeology, favorite TV shows, and literary characters, to name just a few. There are many newsgroup resources available for the reader's advisor. Almost any genre (or any major author) you can think of has a dedicated newsgroup. Just use the search mechanism in your USENET service. Here are a few groups to get you started:
- rec.arts.mystery
- alt.books.mysteries
- alt.fan.holmes
Many libraries do not offer Usenet as a part of their Internet access. A handy method for checking newsgroup postings is available on the Web. Google Groups, the successor to Dejanews, has a search engine which allows you to "keyword" search newsgroup postings and to post in response to messages through a web interface.
Electronic mailing lists, or listservs, are a great source of information for the library professional. These groups allow people to discuss matters of mutual interest through e-mail, which is then automatically distributed to all members of the group. Moderated by the listowner, these groups generally are not as subject to flame-wars (or spamming) as the newsgroups are.
Some lists directly related to mysteries, include:
- DOROTHYL
- Administrative address: [email protected]
- Official Website: http://www.kovacs.com/DOROTHYL/dorothyl.html
- DorothyL is a mystery and detective fiction discussion group, named in honor of Dorothy L. Sayers, which currently has more than 1500 members, including librarians, writers, publishers, booksellers, and just plain fans. The list is available in either DIGEST format or as individual messages. Warning: this is an extremely busy list, often with more than 50 messages a day. You may not be able to get a quick answer to a query, but members often post individual replies to specific questions. The combined expertise on the list in the field of the mystery genre is quite formidable. In addition, the DorothyL archives (you must be a member of the list to access them) are a treasure trove of lists of titles on specific subjects and genres. Make sure you read the FAQ, list rules, and forbidden topics before posting. The official website includes a link to the archives of the list, maintained by J. Alec West.
- RARA-AVIS
- Administrative addresss: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.vex.net/~buff/rara-avis
- Dedicated to hardboiled and noir fiction, Rara-avis is a discussion group which broke off from DorothyL sometime ago. Discussion tends to be more in-depth than that found on DorothyL.
- GASLIGHT
- Administrative address: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.mtroyal.ab.ca/gaslight
- Gaslight is a list devoted to discussion of short stories of adventure, mystery and the weird from the 19th and early 20th centuries. E-texted stories are distributed to members for comment and the archives contain a wealth of stories and nonfiction.
- HOUNDS OF THE INTERNET
- Administrative address: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.bcpl.net/~lmoskowi/hounds/hounds.html
- Dedicated to the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the 'Great Game'.
- WOLFEHOUNDS
- Administrative address: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.nexus.hu/mic/beer/
- A discussion list dedicated to the Nero Wolfe novels of Rex Stout. Novels and short stories are discussed in chronological order.
To search for other mailing lists in your area of interest, check out
the following web pages:
