Tina Lamb from Philadelphia, PA is not only a Branch Librarian at the Fox Chase Library, she is also a member of one of the three book clubs that meet there. In this dual position, she can offer sound and practical advice on how to start and maintain a reading group, from recruiting new members and the types of people suitable for facilitating discussion, to choosing reading selections in a practical manner and utilizing library resources to their fullest. Read on to learn more about what Tina's experiences have taught her.

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: Yes, we host two clubs. The Fox Chase Library itself has a book club that meets every other month in the evening. The club reads a variety of literature, primarily contemporary fiction and memoirs. The Foxy Ladies Book club, a group of women from the area, also uses our meeting room about every 6-8 weeks for a book discussion. A local senior citizen home has the Lafayette Redeemer Independent Living Book Club, and we supply books for them. They meet once a month at their agency.

Q: How many members are in each group? How many men, how many women? What ages are most of the members? Are the groups open to accepting new members?

A: 20-21 women, ages 30-75, attend the Fox Chase Library book club. The Foxy Ladies Book Club has about 10-15 members, ages 50-75. The Independent Living Book Club has about 20 members, primarily retired women. The Fox Chase Library book club has grown from 10 to over 20 members in the last year. The Foxy Ladies have been friends for years and I don't know how many new members they have accepted.

Q: Who leads the book discussions? Are reading group discussion guides used?

A: The Fox Chase Library Book Club is led by a terrific speaker and reader who is also a retired High School English teacher/Dept. Head. She does book talks at our branch and other libraries and community groups in Philadelphia. I copy reading group guides for her if they are available for the book we are reading. Usually they are. I also copy guides for the two other book clubs.

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: The titles for The Fox Chase Library Book Club are selected by the discussion leader, the librarian, and from suggestions made by the group. Because of budget constraints on the library, we try to select somewhat older titles, those that the librarian may be able to obtain multiple copies of from other library branches. Many times our Friends of the Library provide us with money to purchase 10-20 copies of a special title --- for example, The Kite Runner.

The Foxy Ladies take turns selecting titles. The Independent Reading Club leader and the librarian come up with title selections. The same criterion for the library book club applies. The librarian helps to obtain 15-20 copies of a title for this group.

Q: What were some of the best discussions or favorite books the groups have read?

A: Some of the favorite titles have included: The Preservationist by David Maine;The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts; Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough; Color of Water by James McBride; Digging Out by Katherine Leiner; The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith; Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons by Lorna Landvik; No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin; White Teeth by Zadie Smith; Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult.

Q: How are book club meetings kept interesting and fun?

A: The discussion leader being lively, brilliant, and not a bit dull is the key to our library's successful book club. She promotes interaction and discussion. She also prepares for the discussion! This is also key. We have coffee, tea and treats once in a while, but not that often. (I used to lead a mystery book club at another library. We had fun by going out to a fancy dinner once a year. On occasion, we brought food to the meeting related to the ethnicity of the main characters or setting of the book.)

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: - Have a book discussion leader who has a personality, who has an interest in both fiction and nonfiction, and does NOT read from notes and does NOT lecture. A boring experience can turn off a new book club member. The leader can't hog the discussion, but should be an enthusiastic facilitator.

- Ask the library friends group to provide an honorarium (if this is a library program). If the library or their friends group cannot afford to buy 10-20 copies of a new title, ask the group to select a title older than one year. The library system can usually provide 20 copies of somewhat older titles. If money is no object, than any title selected --- old or new --- is fine. Trade paperbacks seem to be popular. Check the ReadingGroupGuides newsletter for contests to win free books. (Our group won 12 copies of The Preservationist and we bought 10 extra copies from the bookstore.)
- Have the meeting in a clean, well-lit meeting room that has a.c. in the summer and heat in the winter.
- If the group is just starting out, provide refreshments each time.
- If you want men to attend a book discussion, consider a series that concentrates on topics concerning politics, war experiences, or male writers. Men are the hardest group to get into a book discussion. The most successful one I had was a four-part book discussion on WWII.
- Publicize your club over and over again --- in local papers and flyers, to the library mailing list. (Unless you are very lucky the first time and get 10-25 people.)
- Use ReadingGroupGuides for ideas for book selections and for questions to ask during the meeting itself. (I know, I sound like I am on your payroll but I really use your site several times a month!!)

Q: What general advice would you give to book club members? Any specific ideas for making reading selections?

A: Read the book or at least try to read the book. Jot down notes of why you liked or disliked the title, characters, plot, etc. Come to the meeting whether you finished the book or not. You might be surprised. The book may have started out pathetically but it actually turned out to be a fabulous read. (It can happen!) Members should also come with ideas about what books may be good to read for future meetings. Members often read the NYT Book Review, Pages magazine, and/or Bookmark magazine and bring in suggestions.

Q: How can book clubs better utilize resources at their local libraries?

A: The local library can provide help in finding and suggesting suitable titles and review sources (such as those listed above); obtain books in quantity; provide a meeting room for the discussion; provide questions from ReadingGroupGuides for the club; suggest possible book discussion leaders; and post flyers for their club on the community bulletin board.

Q: Does your library offer anything special for book clubs?

A: Book club members check out their new book selections for 4-8 weeks, depending on the title and the club involved.

Q: Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other tales to tell that you have heard from book clubs?

A: Not really, but I would like to hear or read about them for future reference.

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: I am a member of my library's book club. And yes, being a part of this book club helps me suggest titles to the other two clubs.

ReadingGroupGuides.com interviews special reading groups around the world, spotlighting a different group each month. We hope that you enjoy reading about their experiences and might find some new ideas to try with your group. If you belong to a group that you think should be spotlighted, click here to send.