Help for Book Discussion Groups

Very often, people come to the library to request the next book for their book discussion group. There are a lot of book discussion groups in Webster Groves. (We have two at the library.) It's nice to work at the library in a town literate enough to support so many book discussion groups--even if some of those groups (as has been frequently reported to me) spend as much time drinking wine and talking about their families as they spend discussing the book.

The problem, in library terms, is that these groups frequently plan to discuss a book that is hot right now. If a book is hot right now, you will probably have to wait a while to get a library copy. Very often, it's not soon enough for you to read the book before your club meeting. I know this is a moot point to some book discussion group attendees, but in my experience, many people who attend book discussions like to read the book before going.

With this in mind, a while back several libraries in the Municipal Library Consortium began investing in Book Club Kits. These kits are kept in nice canvas bags, and usually contain 8 to 10 copies of the book, along with a set of discussion questions. They can be checked out for up to 6 weeks. This makes them ideal for book discussion groups.

The titles include recent popular fiction, major award winners, much talked-about non-fiction, a few classics, and even some children's titles. If you visit the library's catalog and type in Book Club Kit as a title, you will find an alphabetical list of the book club kits. Some are at Webster Groves, but you can also request kits from Kirkwood Public Library, Brentwood Public Library, and University City Public Library.

It's the easiest way to make sure everyone in your group gets a free copy of the book to read. For the wine, you're on your own.