RA for All Roadshow Visits Kokomo-Howard County [IN] Public Library for Regional Book Discussion Leadership Training

This afternoon I am in Indiana at KHCPL meeting with Book Discussion Leaders from libraries in the surrounding area from 1-4 pm eastern.

I am planning to run this training in two parts.  The first will be my standard (updated last week) Re-Charge Your Book Club presentation for book discussion leaders. Description:

Reader’s advisor Becky Spratford has been leading  book clubs for over 15 years and has seen it all. In this program she will share her tips and tricks for success. All book groups go through their ups and downs, but re-energizing your group is not as hard as it may seem. Becky will walk you through how to confidently identify and utilize the best resources for leading a book discussion, pick books that will engender the best conversations, lead a more interactive discussion even with the most jaded of groups. Let her show you how to take control, shake things up, and rediscover why you started the group in the first place. And make sure to bring your specific issues and concerns about your own group as there will be plenty of time for all of us to help each other.

That will run for about 90 minutes before we take a break.

Then, we will have 75 minutes or so for open discussion. I have asked the participants to bring their problems, triumphs, failures, successes, and questions for the group to talk about together. I have some conversation starters to help get it going, but my experience tells me that we will have no problem filling the time.

One of the things that library workers who run book clubs are STARVED for is the chance to get together with each other and talk about their groups.

Readers of the blog know that one of my favorite things is running the Adult Reading Round Table Book Club Study:

ARRT’s Book Club Study gives library book group leaders the chance to sit back and participate in a discussion without the stress of leading it. At the end of each discussion, we offer a “nuts and bolts” training session with practical solutions to the problems and concerns of book group leaders. 

I am trying to bring this book discussion leader support group idea to as many places as I can. I have found that just getting book discussion leaders who are geographically close to each other together in the same room goes a long way toward getting them to continue staying in touch.

But you don’t need to pay me to come to your library to start your own regional book discussion leader support group. Just start calling around and asking your colleagues over to your library and start sharing with each other. You will all benefit.

Back to today. Here are the slides. There is much here for all book discussion leaders to use and learn from, even if you aren’t with us tomorrow.