AAW EXPLORE! Makes Searching the World's Most Extensive Online Woodturning Library Quick and Easy

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Dec. 1, 2016 - PRLog -- The  American Association of Woodturners (AAW), a nonprofit organization dedicated to education and advancing the art and craft of woodturning worldwide, has just made exploring the most extensive online woodturning library in the world, quick and easy. Whether it's to solve a problem, research a new technique, or start a new woodturning project, AAW members are only seconds away from getting precisely the information they seek using EXPLORE! More than 2,500 items currently make up the expanding EXPLORE! collection, including articles from thirty years of the American Woodturner journal and AAW's cumulative library of complementary publications. Nearly everything members want to know about woodturning is at their fingertips.

Phil McDonald, executive director for AAW, explains, "EXPLORE! is part of our VISION 2020 strategy to continue being the go-to source for all things woodturning. This innovative member benefit offers easy access to woodturning information in a user-customizable way, and creates a platform for other upcoming VISION 2020 initiatives." He says EXPLORE! is a useful resource for turners of all skill levels, and helps support and accelerate the learning process. It also complements AAW VideoSource (tiny.cc/AAWVideoSource), an online tool introduced in June 2016 that offers open access to useful woodturning videos pre-screened by the AAW for quality and safety, McDonald notes.

EXPLORE! is easy to use. AAW members can access it, after logging into the AAW website at woodturner.org, under the "Publications" tab (or at tiny.cc/AAWExplore). This innovative resource enables members to locate articles and other media on a specific topic with as few as three mouse clicks-one to select a Category, a second to refine the category by Keyword, and a third to click the Search button and produce a list of article hyperlinks that meet their search criteria. The Quick Search may be used to search by any word included in the author's name, article title, or publication section, and sort results by title, author, publication date, or type of media. Additionally, an option to find only articles suitable for beginners may be selected.

EXPLORE! was designed by woodturners for woodturners, and it would not have been developed so soon without the dedication, generosity, and expertise of AAW members Dave Mueller and John Kelsey. Dave's software development skills, combined with John's ability to deconstruct and tag thirty years of member publications, have made EXPLORE! an exciting reality.

About Woodturning
Woodturning is a contemporary craft with roots dating back over 2,500 years. The process involves a lathe, a machine that securely holds and spins wood at high speeds, wherein artists and craftspeople shape objects using specialized gouges and chisels. Traditionally, woodturning has been used to create functional items, such as chair legs, candlesticks, and bowls. Today, lathe-turned work is also understood as an art form and vehicle for individual enrichment, creativity, and expression, and embraces diversity in both genre and makers. The objects produced are just as varied as the people who turn them. From functional objects, like bowls, to abstract sculptural forms, woodturning may include surface carving, embellishment, and finishing techniques, and specialized methods such as segmented, multiaxis, and ornamental turning. The art and craft of woodturning has a modest learning curve and engages people from age 8 to 108.

About AAW
The American Association of Woodturners (AAW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, dedicated to advancing the art and craft of woodturning worldwide by offering opportunities for education, information, inspiration, and community to those interested in turning wood. Established in 1986, AAW currently has more than 15,000 members and a network of over 350 local chapters globally representing professionals, amateurs, artists, hobbyists, gallery owners, collectors, and others. The AAW possesses the single largest collection of woodturning information anywhere and its award-winning journal, American Woodturner, is the foremost publication on the art and craft of woodturning in the world. To learn more, visit http://www.woodturner.org.