I enjoyed this week's readings because most of them covered the basic ideas behind book clubs and book discussions. I found the different approaches to book clubs very interesting. Many of them I have heard of and non of them were particularly revolutionary, but what they all had in common and what comes across through almost all of the readings is that the goal is to engage readers.
The institutional goals behind the readings varied in that some were attempting to engage readers with their local libraries or their communities, while other were clearly trying to engage students with required reading materials in a more powerful and meaningful way. One of the big ways in which there different approaches tried to speak to their audiences was through allowing their audience in some ways self select. Most libraries don't have just one standard book club anymore, they have teen book clubs and adult book clubs and book clubs for science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction and the list goes on and on. What this means is that individuals can pick the club that works best for them, appeals the most to them.
I have some personal experience with this. A few years ago I moved back home after spending two years living in England working towards my first masters degree. Most of the friends that I used to have in my hometown had moved elsewhere or we had simply drifted apart, and I was bored and lonely. I'm not one to just go out to bars or clubs and I don't particularly like approaching or being approached by strangers, so I was having a hard time figuring out how to meet new people without the social structures of school that I was used to. I decided that joining a book club would be perfect because it would ensure a common area of interest and provide initial topics for conversation. The problem was finding the right book club, many of the book clubs I found were the Oprah-esque book clubs that were designed to attract a more middle aged group of people. I also found a number of book clubs clearly aimed at moms needing a break from their kids and so on. But I wanted something that would attract younger, childless, people like myself. I ended up stumbling upon a brand new group being started by my local library, that held what they termed "book parties" at a local bar, your library card got you your first drink for free and all were welcome. I guess the point I'm trying to make here in my currently cold-medicine addled state is that a big part of engaging people with books, or their local library is providing them with the option that is right for them.
What I liked about today's readings was the way in which they acknowledged the flexibility and diversity needed in book clubs and the way in which taking slightly different approaches can create more lively and active discussions.
The institutional goals behind the readings varied in that some were attempting to engage readers with their local libraries or their communities, while other were clearly trying to engage students with required reading materials in a more powerful and meaningful way. One of the big ways in which there different approaches tried to speak to their audiences was through allowing their audience in some ways self select. Most libraries don't have just one standard book club anymore, they have teen book clubs and adult book clubs and book clubs for science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction and the list goes on and on. What this means is that individuals can pick the club that works best for them, appeals the most to them.
I have some personal experience with this. A few years ago I moved back home after spending two years living in England working towards my first masters degree. Most of the friends that I used to have in my hometown had moved elsewhere or we had simply drifted apart, and I was bored and lonely. I'm not one to just go out to bars or clubs and I don't particularly like approaching or being approached by strangers, so I was having a hard time figuring out how to meet new people without the social structures of school that I was used to. I decided that joining a book club would be perfect because it would ensure a common area of interest and provide initial topics for conversation. The problem was finding the right book club, many of the book clubs I found were the Oprah-esque book clubs that were designed to attract a more middle aged group of people. I also found a number of book clubs clearly aimed at moms needing a break from their kids and so on. But I wanted something that would attract younger, childless, people like myself. I ended up stumbling upon a brand new group being started by my local library, that held what they termed "book parties" at a local bar, your library card got you your first drink for free and all were welcome. I guess the point I'm trying to make here in my currently cold-medicine addled state is that a big part of engaging people with books, or their local library is providing them with the option that is right for them.
What I liked about today's readings was the way in which they acknowledged the flexibility and diversity needed in book clubs and the way in which taking slightly different approaches can create more lively and active discussions.
Book parties at bars sounds like so much fun! That's really cool that the bar owners were nice enough to add the incentive of free drinks. I imagine that you got a lot more out of the discussion because you were in an comfortable atmosphere. I agree that flexibility is important when creating a book club. Leaders really need to know their audience.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I do kind of hate that Oprah has co-opted the book club so her tastes are the stereotype for what a book club should be. I'm glad there are other kinds of clubs out there that branch out and focus on different genres of books.
I agree that book parties sound awesome! I think that your post brings up an interesting point that public libraries need to think about how to serve their regular patrons in addition to how they can serve new patrons or undeserved patrons. It sounds like these book parties did a really good job of attracting a specific demographic in your community and was able to create meaningful experiences for those patrons. It reminds me that while it is really important to make sure we are giving our current patrons what they want, it is also important to find ways to create opportunities for non library users to benefit from our services.
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