September 2006

Trudy Myers is the Public Relations and Special Events Coordinator for the Cambria County Library of Jonestown, PA. She facilitates the library's sponsored book discussion group, The Page Turners --- which got its start through a state grant four years ago, and has been thriving on its own since.  In this interview, she describes how she tries to run the club in a democratic manner, shares some of the books they most enjoyed, and recounts a humorous story about an unsuccessful attempt to choose books unbiased to any particular gender.

Q: Does your group have a name and/or a theme? How long has your group been in existence?

A: WEcall our group Page Turners, and we've been in existence for approximately 4 years. We began the group when I received a grant through the PA Humanities Council for libraries that didn't have book discussion groups, or who hadn't applied for any PHC grants for many years. After the first six books were read and discussed, we all decided that we'd like to continue on our own; which is exactly what the PHC had hoped for.
 
Q: How many members do you have? How many men, how many women? What age are most of your members?
 
A: We have approximately 12 members; they change from time to time. There are three men, and the rest are women. They range in age from about 40 to 80s.

Q: How often do you meet? Where do you meet?
 
A:  We meet approximately every 4-5 weeks, depending on how the month works out, or what may be happening on the library schedule of events. We meet in the Community Room of the library.

Q: Do you eat at your meetings? What do you eat? Who brings the food?

A: No to all three questions.

Q: Who leads the discussion? Do you use reading group guides?

A: When we received the PHC grant, we were required to "hire" a facilitator; but now I lead the group.

Q: What kind of books do you read?
 
A: Mostly fiction --- historical fiction, some detective, and for a while, (to ad nauseam) classics.

Q: How do you choose your books? Do you choose one new book at each meeting, or do you choose the books for a number of meetings ahead of time?
 
A: I am very democratic about the choices. I give the group lists, and/or they simply recommend books. Mostly I leave it up to them, and I go with the flow. Several of the women also belong to other book discussion groups in town, and at least three are members of the American Association of University Women. One older gentleman is a retired Reference Librarian who now volunteers in our Reference Dept. They are so bright and vivacious about reading that it really lends a lot to our discussions.

Q: What were some of the best discussions or favorite books the group read?
 
A:  Our group meets tonight, as a matter of fact; we read Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende.
 
I can't specifically recall a best discussion, or a favorite book. I have to tell you that every time we have a meeting, I leave there, and am all pumped up until I get home. We've read: The Power and the Glory, French Lieutenant's Woman, The Vicar of Wakefield, Arrowsmith, Little Women, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Winesburg, Ohio, Sophie's Choice, Baker Towers (by a local author), and One Thousand White Women (one of my favorites) to name a few.

Q: How do you keep things fun?
 
A: I don't have to keep it fun; they do it all by themselves.

Q: What advice would you give to other reading groups?
 
A: Boy, that's a tough one. I'd say, as I said above, be democratic. Don't dictate. If you hear one member complaining, focus on that member and let him/her choose the next book(s).

Q: Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other special tales to tell?
 
A: No horror stories, but we have one male member who we feel likes reading material that's older than some of the members (which explains all the classics)! We try to choose material that is nondescript to male/female; but this last time we chose three months worth and they were: The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, One Thousand White Women, and Daughter of Fortune. I had to call Paul, who'd missed the previous meeting, and explain to him that we weren't trying to sexist. When he heard the titles, I had a hard time defending my sexist remark.

Q: Is there anything else unique or noteworthy about your group that you would like to share?
 
A: No.