RA for Librarians
A place to test and share ideas, projects, notes, etc. Designed for librarians who provide Readers Advisory services.Reading Group Resources
Page modified: July 5, 2008
Handouts from the RUSA CODES Readers Advisory Committee Reading Group Therapy program
more links and information from the Book Group Therapy program coming soon...
Take the Book Group Survey
From Jennifer Baker and Linda Johns, The Seattle Public Library:
Book Group Rx (pdf)
Discussion Tips for Facilitators (pdf)
Writing Discussion Questions Tune-Up (pdf)
From the ALA/RUSA/CODES RA Wiki: Sure Bet Books for Book Group
From the Kent District Library - Michelle Boisvenue-Fox :
Book Discussion Brochure KDL (pdf)
Armchair Travelers Brochure KDL (pdf)
Resources for Book Groups: Megan McArdle
A starting list of books and articles about book groups- Resources for Book Groups (word)
The book group book : a thoughtful guide to forming and enjoying a stimulating book discussion group
edited by Ellen Slezak
2000
The reading group handbook : everything you need to know to start your own book club
Rachel W. Jacobsohn
1998
The book club companion : a comprehensive guide to the reading group experience
Diana Loevy
2006
The complete idiot's guide to starting a reading group
Patrick Sauer
2000
Book clubs : women and the uses of reading in everyday life
Elizabeth Long
2003
Running Book Discussion Groups: A How-to-do-it Manual for Librarians (A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians)
Lauren Zina John
2006
The Reading Groups Book
Jenny Hartley
2003
Talking About Books
Marcia Fineman
1997
Reading Like a Writer
Francine Prose
2006
Read 'em their writes : a handbook for mystery and crime fiction book discussions
Gary Warren Niebuhr
2006
The Go on Girl! Book Club guide for reading groups Monique Greenwood, Lynda Johnson, and Tracy Mitchell-Brown.
1999
The mother-daughter book club : how ten busy mothers and daughters came together to talk, laugh, and learn through their love of reading
Shireen Dodson
2007
A year of reading : a month-by-month guide to classics and crowd-pleasers for you and your book group
Elisabeth Ellington & Jane Freimiller
2002
The readers' choice : 200 book club favorites
Victoria Golden McMains.
2000
Good books lately : the one-stop resource for book groups and other greedy readers
Ellen Moore and Kira Stevens
2004
The Book Club Cookbook
Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp
2004
Read it and eat : from irresistible beach reads to timeless classics, a month-by-month guide to scintillating book club selections and mouthwatering menus
Sarah Gardner
2005
Recipe for a Book Club: A Monthly Guide for Hosting Your Own Reading Group: Menus & Recipes, Featured Authors, Suggested Readings, and Topical Questions
Mary O’Hare and Rose Storey
2004
Reading with Oprah : the book club that changed America
Kathleen Rooney. 2005
Reading Oprah : how Oprah's book club changed the way America reads
Cecilia Konchar Farr
2005
“The Book Group Exploded”
Library Journal article, 2006
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6349024.html
Websites for Book Groups - Megan McArdle
General
Reading Group Guides
http://www.readinggroupguides.com
Reading Group Choices
http://www.readinggroupchoices.com/
Book Muse
http://www.bookmuse.com/
Book Group Buzz from Booklist Online
http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/
Book Club Girl
http://www.bookclubgirl.com/
Great Books Foundation
http://www.greatbooks.org/
Oprah’s Book Club
http://www2.oprah.com/obc_classic/obc_main.jhtml
Reader’s Circle
http://www.readerscircle.org/
Book Browse
http://www.readerscircle.org/
Reading Woman
http://www.readerscircle.org/
Publisher Sites for Book Groups
Penguin
http://readers.penguin.co.uk/
Hachette Books
http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/authors_index.aspx
Random House
http://www.randomhouse.com/rgg/
HarperCollins
http://www.harpercollins.com/readers/readingGroups.aspx
MacMillan (Hotzbrinck)
http://us.macmillan.com/all/editorslist/General/BooksforReadingGroups
Simon and Schuster
http://www.simonsays.com/content/index.cfm?pid=523081&tab=7
Tips for Searching for Book Group Guides on the Web
Fiction_l
http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html
Librarians and book group members will often post to the listserv Fiction_l to find book discussion question for particular titles. Search their archives.
Use the advanced search features of Google to find discussion questions. Put in the title of the book, try variations of “book group questions” or “book discussion questions” and add the terms “public library”. You will find dozens of thoughtful librarians who have developed their own questions for book or who can point you to a discussion guide on the web.
College Reading Programs - Julie Ellis:
Why Do a Reading Program on Your Campus?:
To instill a stronger sense of community for students
Challenge and provoke dialogue among students, faculty, staff, and community
Things that can help promote your reading program on campus:
1. Give your students and faculty a voice in the selection process. At IU South Bend, we do a campus vote (and take suggestions from the students and faculty) on the year's title. This has worked really well with getting faculty interested in the program. Still working on getting more students to nominate titles.
Things we look for at IU South Bend when choosing a title:
Is it in print?
In paperback?
In alternate formats?
Is the title reasonably priced?
Will the work have broad appeal among various majors?
Does it tie in with the campus theme?
2. Have a book that reflects a current concern. Our most successful book discussions in terms of getting both students and the community out were when we did War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. This book brought out both conservatives strongly in favor of the war and local peace activists, and it made for some lively discussions.
3. Try to find titles that will be of interest to different groups on your campus. We have had titles that have appealed to our nursing program (The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down) and our theatre program (An Enemy of the People).
4. Get student clubs involved. Our most successful book discussions came out of the work of student clubs.
5. Make a student created readers' guide. First of all, working with the students on the guide is just plain fun. Second of all, it gets a group of students interested in the title before the semester begins, and they can help you with promotion throughout the school year. Examples of IU South Bend's guides are in the "Favorites from our Library" handout section on the wiki.
Things that take some work:
1. Money/Fundraising: Especially if you are bringing the author or another big speaker to campus as part of the year-long event. Work with your office of development if your campus has one, they can be a huge help with fundraising.
2. There will always be critics of the program, of the titles chosen, of the events you plan, etc. Developing a rhino hide is strongly suggested. Be open-minded as well, because sometimes your best suggestions come from the people who are criticizing the idea. Their input can make your program stronger.
3. Dealing with agents. Some are wonderful. Some are not. Again, work with your development office and your purchasing office, they can help you navigate the fine print.
4. Publicity, and finding the time to everything you'd like to do. This is probably the toughest of everything listed here. If you can find colleagues willing to help you, take advantage. If not, you may need to be willing to spend your own personal time on the project.
Links and Articles of Interest:
ALA Social Network: '"Recreational Reading Promotion in Academic Libraries." [http://alamembers.ning.com/groups] Group for discussion of reading programs and promotion in college libraries. Please join (whether you are academic or public librarian) and help us get the conversation going!
"Books with POJ." College of Mount St. Joseph. [http://inside.msj.edu/departments/library/libserves/literacy/books/]
"Emma Waters Summar Library Readers’ Advisory Blog." Union University. [http://www.uu.edu/library/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=3]
Fister, Barbara. "One Book, One College: Common Reading Programs." [http://homepages.gac.edu/~fister/onebook.html]
MacAdam, Barbara. "Sustaining the Culture of the Book: The Role of Enrichment Reading and Critical Thinking in the Undergraduate Curriculum." Library Trends''. 44.2(Fall 1995).
"Research Guide for the Kite Runner (CNY Reads title)." Syracuse University. [http://library.syr.edu/instruction/class/sharreadKite/]
Rodney, Mae L. "Building Community Partnerships: the "One Book, One Community” Experience." "C&RL News"' 65.3(March 2004). [http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2004/march04/
communitypartnerships.cfm]
Who: Julie Elliott, Michelle Boisvenue-Fox, Megan McArdle, Jessica Moyer, Jackie Sasaki, Andrew Smith, Sharron Smith, Kaite Stover, Ann Theis, Barry Trott, Rebecca Vnuk, Patrick Wall, David Wright, Neal Wyatt...
What: A place to test and share ideas, projects, notes, etc. Designed for librarians who provide RA services.
Why: We live for RA. When: In progress . . .
Website contact: Ann C. Theis, Collection Management Administrator, Chesterfield County Public Library
email: ann@overbooked.com or ra@readersadvisory.org