This web site is a one-woman show, reflecting a long interest in the region. My interest in Nizhnii Novogorod began with my studies at the University of Washington. I was intrigued by the economic success of the region immediately after the break up of the Soviet Union and wanted to study it more closely. I wrote my master's thesis on the economic development of Nizhnii Novgorod and its ties to the development of democracy in Russia.
My thesis was published in December 1995, and I began to work for an organization promoting the development of non-profit organizations in the former Soviet Union. I spent a great deal of time on the web, and began to gather lists of Nizhnii Novogorod web sites. In October 1997, I went on a business trip for the Center for Civil Society International and managed to go to Nizhnii Novgorod for 5 days. During that trip, I took the photographs and gathered the books, maps and other publications that are used in this web site.
I am currently working as the webmaster for North Seattle Community College where I maintain sites. As an educational institution, there are limitations to the designs we can make as our sites must be universally accessible, extremely fast-loading, and easily maintained which precludes using many of the design elements and options used here. The Nizhnii Novgorod Internet Resource Guide was redesigned in September 2001 to bring the site up to new standards and to give me the chance to stretch some of the web skills I don't often get to exercise.
Comments and questions are welcome. I would love to hear from people that have been to, or plan to go to Nizhnii Novgorod - especially if they have photos, stories and other treasures they can share. You can reach me at nizhegorod@hotmail.com. My name is Deirdre.
