Harford County Public Library in Bel Air, MD
July 2009
The Harford County Public Library in Bel Air, MD hosts three book clubs for senior citizens at a local senior center. Bob Hoff, one of the librarians, facilitates a group that focuses on contemporary fiction. In this interview, Bob shares the similarities and differences among the three book clubs, and explains the benefits of having a library host discussions. As a member of a book club in his community, he also talks about why he feels discussing a title as a group is rewarding.
Q: Does your library host any book clubs? If so, are they based on a certain theme or genre (ie, mystery)? How often do the groups meet?
A: I’m a librarian in a public library that hosts three book clubs. I facilitate the one that reads contemporary fiction. Another librarian facilitates the one that reads mysteries. Another librarian facilitates the one that reads anything.
That group is special in that it’s just for senior citizens and it meets outside of the public library at a senior center. The first two groups that I mentioned meet in the library.
Q: How many members are in each group? How many men, how many women? What ages are most of the member? Are the groups open to accepting new members?
A:It’s funny that the three clubs are so similar in this regard; but each group meets monthly, and each month about 15 people come to each group and usually two in each group are men. This varies slightly from month to month. All groups are open to accepting new members.
In fact, we don’t think of the people as members. People come and go. New folks are always welcome.
Q: Who leads the book discussions? Are reading group discussion guides used?
A: Librarians lead the discussions. Guides are used for ideas. We don’t follow them word for word.
Q: How are books selected? Is a new one chosen at each meeting, or are they chosen for a number of meetings ahead of time?
A: They are chosen several months in advance for a period of several months. I’m the librarian who facilitates the group that discusses contemporary fiction, and I choose the books myself for the group without any input from them. The librarians who facilitate the mystery group and the group for senior citizens take input from the group.
Q: What were some of the best discussions or favorite books the groups have read?
A: I won’t be able to answer this question for the librarians who facilitate the mystery group and the group for senior citizens.
I’m only able to answer for my contemporary fiction group. Here are the names of five books that have generated particularly good discussions for my group. I’ve simply listed them in alphabetical order by title:
- The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
- Cost by Roxana Robinson
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
- Hannah’s Dream by Diane Coplin Hammond
- Lottery by Patricia Wood
Q: How are book club meetings kept interesting and fun?
A: I definitely can’t answer this question for the other groups, and I don’t even know how to answer this for my own group! I really don’t know what I’ve done to keep the meetings interesting and fun; but I guess that I’ve done something right because I’ve kept it alive for 10 years!
Q: What advice would you give to other libraries that would like to start hosting book clubs, or provide resources for ones in the community? What are the benefits to hosting book clubs at a library?
A: For the ordinary people off the street, a book club hosted in a library means that all of the organization has been done for them. For instance, we’ll gather the books for you and arrange the meeting space. And you don’t need to clean your house!
Q: What general advice would you give to book club members? Any specific ideas for making reading selections?
A: What have the folks enjoyed reading in the past? Lots of suggestions are available from a variety of websites.
Q: How can book clubs better utilize resources at their local libraries?
A: The facilitators of book clubs might simply come to their local libraries and ask for suggestions of titles to read and suggestions of websites to explore for help. There are even informational books about book clubs that are available in the public libraries!
Q: Does your library offer anything special for book clubs?
A: No. We haven’t had the need. Facilitators of book clubs in the community have rarely come to us for help.
Q: Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other tales to tell that you have heard from book clubs?
A: I’m unable to think of any! Doesn’t that sound dull! But things have really moved smoothly during the past 10 years! I hope that, by writing this, I don’t jinx myself!
Q: Are you a member of a book club? If so, what do you enjoy most about the experience from a reader's perspective? Does being in a book club enable you to better suggest both titles and discussion ideas to reading groups?
A: Besides being a facilitator (or leader) for the past 10 years, I’ve also been a member of a book club in the community. I very simply enjoy talking about what I’ve read. Reading is a solitary experience for me, and I enjoy the exchange of ideas that happens afterwards in a discussion group. From the discussion, I’m usually able to learn a little bit more about myself.
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