A
week ago, I attended a morning book club discussion group. The moderator was one of the Reference
Services librarians and the book discussed was Little Bee by Chris Cleave. Each month, the book club is held in
the library’s smallest meeting room. The
room contains a countertop and a conference table with ten chairs around it
with room enough for twelve. The library
provides coffee/tea/hot chocolate and muffins.
Drinks are created with the library’s Keurig machine so the librarian
asks what each member would like, fills each cup herself, and distributes the drinks
before the club begins.
For the session that I attended, the librarian had a list of prepared discussion questions in case the discussion among the members hit a lull. Unfortunately, I had not read the book so I just quietly observed. Fortunately, the discussion from the regular members of the group was continuous. Members also did a good job of bringing up their own discussion points.
There was one gentleman in the group that talked a great deal. The moderate let all attendees respond first whenever she asked a question. The questions asked propelled the attendees to not only answer ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ but to give support for their opinion by quoting passages from the book. Discussions ranged from whether any participant would cut off their finger to save someone else to the destruction of lives that greed can bring. The librarian added her own thoughts, but only after the participants had completed their own analysis. One participant even wrote a nice synopsis and shared it, pausing when other members of the group wanted to elaborate on a point she made by describing a scene important to them.
The members of the group do not necessarily take turns; there are some instances where people talk over each other. For the most part, all attendees participate, but it is sometimes reminiscent of the game “King of the Hill.” The librarian admitted that new members have to work a little to establish their place in the group as many of the attendees have been coming for years.
The book club discusses a range of books from fiction to nonfiction. January’s title was The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. The members did note that the books lately have been heavy, serious, and at times depressing. The librarian is currently working on a list of books for the next series and members have asked her to look for books that are a little more light-hearted. Little Bee had quite a bit of violence, including rape, and shed light on some important, but serious (and depressing) issues.
Overall, the members seem to really like the librarian and there is general, friendly banter before the program begins. Even though the morning I attended was one filled with blowing snow, near white-out conditions, and neighboring libraries being closed, a few of the dedicated members still came to discuss Little Bee. I believe that part of this dedication has to be due to the librarian. She is nonjudgmental and runs the group casually. She did a good job of pulling the group back if they got too off topic. I think the members appreciate that she lets them talk for a good deal of time, as long as they are talking about the book. She also told me that she also will try to make sure new members get some time because an hour can go very quickly.
For the session that I attended, the librarian had a list of prepared discussion questions in case the discussion among the members hit a lull. Unfortunately, I had not read the book so I just quietly observed. Fortunately, the discussion from the regular members of the group was continuous. Members also did a good job of bringing up their own discussion points.
There was one gentleman in the group that talked a great deal. The moderate let all attendees respond first whenever she asked a question. The questions asked propelled the attendees to not only answer ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ but to give support for their opinion by quoting passages from the book. Discussions ranged from whether any participant would cut off their finger to save someone else to the destruction of lives that greed can bring. The librarian added her own thoughts, but only after the participants had completed their own analysis. One participant even wrote a nice synopsis and shared it, pausing when other members of the group wanted to elaborate on a point she made by describing a scene important to them.
The members of the group do not necessarily take turns; there are some instances where people talk over each other. For the most part, all attendees participate, but it is sometimes reminiscent of the game “King of the Hill.” The librarian admitted that new members have to work a little to establish their place in the group as many of the attendees have been coming for years.
The book club discusses a range of books from fiction to nonfiction. January’s title was The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. The members did note that the books lately have been heavy, serious, and at times depressing. The librarian is currently working on a list of books for the next series and members have asked her to look for books that are a little more light-hearted. Little Bee had quite a bit of violence, including rape, and shed light on some important, but serious (and depressing) issues.
Overall, the members seem to really like the librarian and there is general, friendly banter before the program begins. Even though the morning I attended was one filled with blowing snow, near white-out conditions, and neighboring libraries being closed, a few of the dedicated members still came to discuss Little Bee. I believe that part of this dedication has to be due to the librarian. She is nonjudgmental and runs the group casually. She did a good job of pulling the group back if they got too off topic. I think the members appreciate that she lets them talk for a good deal of time, as long as they are talking about the book. She also told me that she also will try to make sure new members get some time because an hour can go very quickly.
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