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Three Methods:Creating the ClubAttracting MembersGetting Books and Starting Discussions

If you want to start a book club, consider starting a library book club instead of one that meets at home or in another public place. Library book clubs meet inside library facilities and are a good way to help your local library by drawing traffic there. These clubs may also enjoy a few privileges associated with the library, since large library conference rooms may allow you to invite more members and appreciative library staff may even consider giving your club first access to new books.

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EditMethod 1 of 3: Creating the Club

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    Find a nearby library with a conference room. Many public libraries have conference rooms that are open for public use, but private libraries or public libraries in smaller towns may not have a conference room within the facility. If your city or county does not have an available room, look for a nearby library that will allow you to set up a club even if you are outside of its district.
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    Ask the library if a book club already meets there. Some libraries may not want more than one library book club to meet on the premises. Others may not mind, but remember that many people who want to be part of a library book club may already be members of the other club or clubs.
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    Fill out the necessary paperwork. Most libraries do not require extensive paperwork to start a new club, but almost all libraries will have some. At the very least, the library will probably ask you to read a list of rules about hosting a club and to sign your name to a sheet of paper, documenting that you read those rules.
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    Ask if the library allows refreshments. Most public libraries are fine with light refreshments, such as punch as cookies, as long as they are kept within the conference room. Not all libraries are fine with it, however, so you should check before deciding whether or not to provide any at your meetings.
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    Figure out the type of books you plan on reading. Ask yourself if you want a book group that is limited to literary books or to a certain genre, or if you want a group that is open to any genre.
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    Decide how often to meet. Most book clubs meet about once a month. Meeting on a monthly basis gives most members ample time to read each book. Moreover, a monthly meeting does not overtax library resources.
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    Figure out when to meet. As a general rule, weekdays work better for more people than weekends. If you want to attract a crowd of retirees or stay-at-home moms, meeting in the late morning or early afternoon works best. If you want to attract teens, you should shoot for the early evening. If you want to attract college students or working adults, the late evening may work even better.
    • Stick with one set day out of each month, such as the third Tuesday or the fourth Thursday. Go with a day of the week instead of a date, since dates can fall out on the weekend just as easily as they can fall out during the week.
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EditMethod 2 of 3: Attracting Members

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    Choose a number. You need a minimum of three or five members to have an active conversation at each meeting, but you should not exceed a group of 12 or 15. If you have more members than that, the odds of hearing from everyone who wants to speak are greatly reduced.
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    Write the perfect advertisement. Include the basic information, such as the date and time you plan on meeting as well as the types of books you plan on covering. Also include an e-mail address or phone number that interested parties can use to contact you for further information or to RSVP to the first meeting.
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    Advertise at the library. Ask if you can place flyers at the check-out counter or near the computers. If not, find out if there is a bulletin board or anywhere else inside the library where you could hang a flyer.
    • If your library is part of a large enough branch, it may have a website that lists the various events going on at the library. If so, request that your library adds your book club to the calendar.
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    Ask people you know. Relatives, friends, and acquaintances are all good people to consider, especially if you know someone who loves reading. You can also ask people you know to spread the word to others.
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    Ask people you see. Even if you do not know them personally, you can bring up your book club to workers or customers at the bookstore, members of your church, parents whose children go to school with your son or daughter, or patrons sipping coffee and reading a book in the local cafe. You can even invite the librarian to stop by your group.
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    Attend other library events and search for potential members. If your library hosts other clubs or one-day events, attend a few of these and find out if any of the members would be interested in joining a book club. Since the people there are already familiar with events held at the library, they may feel more comfortable or willing to attend a library book club.
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    Place an advertisement in the local paper. If you cannot garner enough interest using more focused means, you can advertise your library book club in the local paper several weeks before the first scheduled meeting. You can also place a similar advertisement on a free online classifieds website.

EditMethod 3 of 3: Getting Books and Starting Discussions

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    Pick books that are available at the library. One of the best parts about hosting a library book club is that it becomes far easier to borrow the book from the library instead of buying it. If you take this option, however, you need to stick with books that are popular enough to have enough copies for all your members within the district, but not so popular that all those copies will already be checked out by non-members.
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    Strike a deal with your library. Many libraries receive discounted rates on the books they buy. Your library may be willing to buy books for your library book club at those discounted rates as long as you offer to donate the books to the library once you finish. Getting first access to library books will be an incentive for people to join your club, which will draw more traffic into the library.
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    Choose books that are fairly complex. Simple stories do not lend themselves to much discussion. On the other hand, books that are controversial, books that raise many issues, and books with unclear endings or intricate details usually offer a lot to talk about.
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    Ask for opinions. Once you have a solid member base built, you can begin taking requests and suggestions from your members. You can either take turns choosing or put each suggestion up for a vote.
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    Come with questions prepared. Create at least 10 to 15 open-ended questions for each book. Do not allow members to simply state that they liked or did not like the book. Ask questions that encourage them to explain why they have the opinion they have.
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    Ask each member to bring in a discussion question. Since every member will be reading the book from a slightly different perspective, you may find yourself surprised by how varied the questions and ideas will be.
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EditTips

  • Become an active reader when reading a book for discussion. Makes notes and mark pages. Analyze themes, characters, and structure as you go along. Do not wait until the day your book club meets to think about these matters.
  • When coming up with book discussion questions, don't be afraid to draw influence from outside the book. Tie information about the author into your discussions, or look at how the book relates to current events or modern day life. By introducing “real world” topics into the discussion, you may spark more passionate or personal interest.
  • If you want to be part of a book club but are not sure about leading one, find out if there are any book clubs in the area that are accepting new members. If not, try to start a library book club with a partner to relieve some of the strain.

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Categories: Book Clubs and Book Groups

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