Care & feeding of book clubs

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ILA presentation 10/14/14

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The Care & Feeding of Book Clubs

Tish Calhamer--Gail Borden Public Library Lynnanne Pearson--Skokie Public Library Carol Shoenthal--Bartlett Public Library

lynnannep2001
Tish- you can erase my picture and put yours instead for Book Club meet and greets

Why are Book Clubs Necessary?

Strengthen community ties

Through engagement with reading and discussion, book clubs:

● introduce people of varied backgrounds whose paths might not have crossed● build trust and understanding between fellow readers, who are all part of the

whole community● support their public libraries--Book Clubs participants are some of the

greatest library advocates you can cultivate!● add to everyone’s enrichment and understanding of literature● encourage community building through the sharing of personal stories● may lead to participants becoming involved with other local groups and being

more active in the community

Promote literacy

Book Clubs

● challenge readers to read a book that may be outside of their regular reading tastes

● motivate readers to finish a common book by a select date

● encourage active use of the public library

● encourage members to read and suggest titles they read independently

● reinforce the habit of reading for pleasure

Helping your book clubs to succeed

Develop library resources and services for book clubs

● Advise clubs on good, discussable books● Buy or ILL multiple copies of books● Write discussion questions or link to sites with good

questions● Establish Book Club Collections

What is a good, discussible title candidate?

● At least 2 years old if planning to ILL● Consider length of book

○ 500+ page titles may not be completed - gauge your group or make it a 2-month read

● An enjoyable reading experience does not always lead to a good discussion title○ It doesn’t have to be painful or depressing, but it

needs to have “tooth”

Use Social Media

● Use Pinterest to create book discussion boards

● Use #bookdiscussion for tweets about your picks.

● Use Skype to have a virtual author visit

Book Club meet-and-greets

Author Visits

Writing Good Discussion Questions● Turn your opinions into questions

● Edit publishers questions so they’re short

● Ask open-ended questions

● Focus questions on themes and characters not plot

● Select your first question beforehand.

● Never ask “What did you think of the book?”

● Prep enough questions (10-20) so you feel comfortable

o Don’t force the discussion to get to every question

● Group questions by subject, theme or characters

The Leader/Reader dynamic

Leading with style

● Analyze your book discussion leadership style: Are you a leader, a member, a facilitator, or a professor?

● Strike the balance between leading/guiding and letting your readers come up with their own insights and observations.

● Avoid the temptation to “teach” the book.● Use phrases of encouragement to lead a thread without

dominating it.

Discussion Stoppers

Member who can’t stop “contributing”

Wait until they take a breath and say...

● “You’ve made an interesting point about X. What does everyone else think?

● “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance to tak. What do you think of X?”

● “Hang on, so-and-so was saying something. Let’s hear her finish”

Member who uses any opening to carry discussion off topic

Wait until they take a breath and say…

● “Thanks for sharing. Let’s get back to the book.”

And/Or

● Build in time to exchange personal stories and gab at the beginning or end of the discussion

Let Me Tell You About My Grandchildren!

Shy People

● Pay attention to body language. Sometimes quiet people won’t jump in, but want to talk.

● Observe the room and be prepared to draw the shy people in by calling directly on them.o I’ve noticed that you’ve been quiet (insert name

here), what did you think of X?

Introduce the “Talk About”● Begin session by going around the circle ● Each member comments briefly (<minute) on reaction

to book and 1-2 pointso Just don’t open with “What did you think of the book?”

● Open discussion is fueled by points raised● Ice is broken for reticent members making them more

likely to contribute

Shy GroupIf the whole group is quiet…

● Don’t be afraid of silence. Sometimes people need time to formulate their thoughts.

● But don’t answer your own questions or allow the discussion to become a Q & A with you. If the group asks you questions, turn it around: “Wow, that’s a great question. What do you folks think?”

● Try a smaller room. It will be more intimate for your members.

When talk becomes heated

● “There obviously are strong opinions about this topic, but I don’t think we’ll come to an agreement today. Let’s move on to…”

● Stop anyone who makes offensive remarks.

Fixing a Group

One librarian’s story of what went wrong and how she tried to fix it

Once Upon a Time…

So What Happened?

With apologies to Elvis

We're caught in a trap, but we can’t walk out Because I love you too much, book discussions.

Time

Classroom

Boredom

Time to shake things up!

Goals of Shake-Up• Engaged, respectful conversations• Diversity in book selection• Diversity in discussion participants • Reasonable amount of staff time expended• Engaged, enthusiastic discussion leaders

What to change

• Change books discussed• Change when meetings are held• Change where meetings are held• Change frequency of meetings

Changes made

Branded GroupsChapters

Reads literary favorites, award-winners, and thought-provoking nonfiction.

Top ShelfReads popular recent fiction and under-the-radar gems

Retraining Staff

Patrons’ Reactions

Lessons learned

• Change is hard (duh)

• Have a plan and believe in your plan• Be flexible with plan and modify as year

goes on• Don’t be afraid to experiment!

Breaking the Book Discussion Mold

Location,Location,Location

LitLounge• Monthly group• Meets in a bar• Reads hipper books• Skokie Public Library and Morton Grove Public

Library in partnership

Other Barfly Book Discussions• Genre X from Oak Park Public Library

• Book Lovers Club from Berwyn Public Library

• Books on Tap from Northbrook Public Library

• Books & Brews from the Ela Area Public Library

Science Park Book Discussion• Meets at Searle Science Park In Skokie• Quarterly lunch time book discussion• For employees of this Park• Reads a mix of fiction and nonfiction

Senior Centers: opportunities for service Book Talks delivered with a selection of titles

Select a variety of genres ■ Ask! Do not guess what would appeal to seniors – they’ll

surprise you■ Leave genre/title/author suggestion forms

Vary the format ■ Large print■ Audio books

Keep it brief or you’ll lose them!■ Be clear and concise■ Slow down and enunciate

Deliver fewer titles more frequently■ Gives feedback on what circulates■ Reduces loss

Building resident-led discussions

● Encourage○ Explore genre options with group at the start○ Cover the suggestions for selecting discussible titles

● Facilitate○ Provide list of successful titles that meet their genre○ Offer to ILL titles for them ○ Provide discussion questions if desired○ Offer to have a librarian train them or to do a book talk

Change what you read

Pages Through History

Down to Business• Quarterly discussion group• Led by Business Librarian for business community• Reads business books

Trashy Book Club

Culinary Clubs & Cookbook Discussion Groups

• Cookbook Club of LaGrange Public Library

• Culinary Book Discussion Group of the St. Louis Library

• Cookbook Book Club of Massillon Public Library, OH

Other Ideas to Try • “Real Stories”

–Biography/Memoirs, narrative nonfiction, microhistories, etc.

• YA for adults• Doorstop Discussions • Book/Movie Discussion Groups• Intergenerational discussions

One Book, One Community Programs

One Book, One Community Programs

• Apply for the official NEA “Big Read” grant • Develop your own local, grassroots community

reading event• Partnering is the key to success• Choose a title or topic that will involve all ages

and backgrounds

Big Reads: Go Big & Go Out Into Your Community

Hispanic Heritage Month bilingual book discussion

2 languages + 2 cultures + 1 book = 1 wonderful, insightful discussion:

Coming Together in Skokie

What is it

• Exploring a culture through one common book• 6 week program • Events are held at different locations throughout

Skokie• Events allow for further engagement and

education about the culture

Every CTIS has:

• Big Kick-off event in late January• Authors visits in late February/early March• Program booklet• Book discussions• Multi-civic agencies collaboration

Book Selection• Living author• Author able to travel to library and schools• Author from chosen culture• Needs to appeal to broader readership• Needs to be discussable• 300-400 pg in paperback

Let’s kickstart some ideas! Q & A

1. What are some great ideas for book clubs that your library already does?2. What are some fabulous things for book clubs you wish you could do?

Contact us @:

Tish CalhamerGail Borden Public Librarytcalhamer@gailborden.info847-289-5838

Lynnanne PearsonSkokie Public Library lpearson@skokielibrary.info847-324-3177

Carol ShoenthalBartlett Public Library Districtcshoenthal@bartlettlibrary.org630-837-5002

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