Reading and Talking about Race: An Intro to ALA’s Great Stories Club (Part 1: Deeper Than Our Skins)
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book club
Cook the Book Club
Once per month, we host a cookbook club-meets-potluck event that always draws a crowd. Each member picks a recipe from the same book (voted on by the group) and they bring in the dish to share.
The result is a potluck with lots of talk about cooking and recipes and how to improve on them. And it's about community, getting to know our neighbors and making new friends, with an opportunity for many of our refugee and new American patrons to practice English with native speakers in a fun, social setting.
Books & Libations: A New Way to RA
In this adult evening program, participants learn about six spectacular books and sample six amazing local beverages at tasting stations.
Each book is paired with a beverage matched in tone and intensity to the book. Program partners have included wineries, coffee roasters and tea shops.
Titles selected for this program are usually “under-performers” in our community — books that were highly reviewed but haven’t circulated well. After the program, most circulate much better and for an extended period of time: circulation stays elevated on each title for up to two years.
Shorts & Stouts
Shorts & Stouts is a monthly short story discussion group held a local brewery. Each month the discussion focuses on a pair of stories by a single author.
No stout purchase is required for participation. :)
Sweet Treat Book Club
I love teen book clubs! They encourage teens to read something new and provide great enrichment by asking them to examine what they've read. They soak up new vocabulary words, figure out the storyline, and learn about the characters.
Virtual Book Clubs for School Libraries
In our 2019 blog post "Reel ‘Em In! Get Secondary Students Hooked on Self-Selected Titles," we shared how classroom book clubs were taking off and how the culture of reading we were developing within our school.
7 Nonfiction Titles about the Climate Crisis
After decades of attracting the attention of scientists and environmentally minded people, sustainability and climate change are moving to the forefront of public consciousness. Over 70 percent of the upcoming college-age generation care about global warming and climate injustices. A resilient and climate justice approach is growing.
A Very 2020 Book Club Reading List
Are you looking for book club reads that can help us make sense of 2020? We asked librarians for their recommendations on books that are relevant to this tumultuous year. Fiction or nonfiction, new or old — these books speak to the unique times we're going through.
Do you have other recommendations? Add them in the comment section below.
Reading and Talking about Race: An Intro to ALA’s Great Stories Club (Part 2: Finding Your Voice)
Join ALA's Public Programs Office for a free one-hour webinar to learn about free ALA book club resources that can help us navigate these difficult conversations and critically examine race and privilege.
Virtual Book Clubs: A Learning Experience
Palos Verdes Library District (PVLD) staff members felt ready to take the leap into the world of virtual book clubs in the time of a pandemic.
Book Club Going Virtual? Consider These 3 Things
Are you considering taking your book club online? Before you take the plunge, pause to ask yourself (and/or your participants) these three questions.
Reel ‘Em In! Get Secondary Students Hooked on Self-Selected Titles
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) share six Common Beliefs in their 2018 National School Library Standards. One that stands out to us is the belief that “reading is the core of academic and personal competency.”
"School librarians," the standards go on to state, "initiate and elevate and motivate reading initiatives by using story and personal narrative to engage learners.”
Book Club Reboot: Creative Twists on the Reading Groups We Know and Love
In this session, the authors of “Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists” (ALA Editions, 2019) will share out-of-the-box ways to spice up your book clubs. From unique meeting locations, to reaching niche populations, to time-saving techniques and savvy partnerships, you will leave with ideas to put to work in your library right away.
APPLY NOW: Great Stories Club Series on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation
Library workers are invited to apply for the American Library Association’s Great Stories Club series on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT), a thematic reading and discussion program that engages underserved teens through literature-based library outreach programs and racial healing work.
Afternoon Book Tasting
This readers' advisory program, held in a local café with drinks and appetizers, functioned on a wine tasting model. Attendees were given RA profiles for books, heard a brief introduction to RA, and spent the evening sampling and discussing a series of titles from four genre/style categories.
Reboot Your Book Club with the Help of ALA’s Public Programs Office
Is your book club feeling stale or uninspired? Has attendance dropped, or are you struggling to keep your patrons engaged? What you need is a reboot. “Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists,” published by ALA Editions in cooperation with ALA’s Public Programs Office profiles dozens of successful book clubs across the country.
Book Club Round-Up: From Our Archives
Book clubs: libraries love them, and with good reason. Reading groups are a great way to bring communities together, highlight collections and share our love of reading.
There are many different twists on the familiar book club, from clubs without required reading to those that incorporate films or food. We have highlighted several creative book club models on Programming Librarian; here are a few of our favorites.
APPLY NOW: Great Stories Club on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation
Library professionals are invited to apply for ALA’s Great Stories Club series on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT). This thematic reading and discussion program series will engage underserved teens through literature-based library outreach programs and racial healing work.
Learn More: Great Stories Club
In this free, 60-minute webinar, presenters will discuss the Great Stories Club program and application process, in advance of the July 9 application deadline. Learn more about the Great Stories Club.
Webinar topics will include:
You Can’t Taste a Book by Its Cover: Book Tastings in the Library
Are your students hungry for good books? Do your patrons eagerly devour the newest titles? Do you ever wish you had a recipe for increasing kids’ appetite for reading?
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