Paul Reynolds (commentator)

Paul Séamus Reynolds (4 October 1949 – 23 May 2010) was a New Zealand internet advocate in the cultural sector. He was an early advocate of IT systems and the Internet in the cultural sector in New Zealand.

Paul Reynolds
Born
Paul Séamus Reynolds

(1949-10-04)4 October 1949
Scotland
Died23 May 2010(2010-05-23) (aged 60)
Auckland, New Zealand
OccupationInternet commentator
Spouse(s)Helen Smith
Websitehttp://www.mcgovern.co.nz/

Biography

Born in Scotland on 4 October 1949, Reynolds studied at the Middlesex University, graduating with a BA in the history of ideas in 1983.[1] He then completed an MA in social and political thought at the University of Sussex in 1988.[1]

Reynolds moved to Auckland, working part-time in a Parnell bookshop and becoming a book reviewer.[1] He founded McGovern Online, an internet consulting company, with his wife, Helen Smith, in 1995.[1] For many years a commentator for Radio New Zealand on information technology, he was also an active advocate for the use of public-facing information technology by cultural institutions.[2] He worked with libraries, museums and similar institutions to develop websites that informed, educated and engaged with the general public.

Reynolds held a number of roles, including as a member of the Governance Group of Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa,[3] board member of the National Digital Forum, adjunct director (Digital Library) to the National Library of New Zealand, board member of the Auckland War Memorial Museum and member of the New Zealand government’s digital strategy advisory group.[4]

Reynolds died of leukaemia in Auckland on 23 May 2010.[5][6]

Legacy

In 2010, a scholarship administered by LIANZA, was established in memory of Reynolds from funds contributed by the National Library of New Zealand and friends of Reynolds. The scholarship is for people working in the digital space to spend time at an overseas institution to develop or research specialist digital knowledge.[7]

Scholarship recipients

Past winners of the Paul Reynolds Scholarship are:[8]

Year Recipient
2011Paul Hayton
2013Virgina Gow
2015Adam Moriarty
2019Gareth Seymour[9]

Works
  • The Internet: A New Zealand Guide. 1995 ISBN 0-14-024838-2
  • People Points Blog http://www.peoplepoints.co.nz/
  • McGovern Online http://www.mcgovern.co.nz/
  • Digital strategies for libraries in the 21st century podcast
  • Twitter - Reynolds used @littlehigh as his Twitter account. The account was closed after his death and has since been reallocated to another user.

References
  1. Carpinter, Bernard (31 May 2010). "Paul Reynolds: navigator of the netscape". Dominion Post. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  2. Keith, Hamish (12 June 2010). "The imagineer". The Listener. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  3. Sutherland, Sue (June 2010). "Paul Reynolds and the People's Network" (PDF). Newsletter. Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  4. "National Library mourns Paul Reynolds". National Library of New Zealand. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  5. Griffin, Peter (24 May 2010). "Reynolds understood the power of the web". Griffin's Gadgets. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  6. "Burial & cremation details". Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  7. "Paul Reynolds Scholarship". LIANZA. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  8. "Paul Reynolds Scholarship recipients". LIANZA. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  9. "Gareth Seymour, recipient of the 2019 Paul Reynolds 'No Numpties' Grant". Libraries Aotearoa. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
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