Week Four - Book Groups

This week we talked about book groups, how they work and whether they help to build literacy skills.

Resource 1

'General Guidelines for Book Discussion Groups'  (Class handout, published by Casey Cardinia Library Corporation)

This offers some guidelines for running a book group, much of which is common sense and incorporates a basic structure of a book group session. It is helpful, particularly as I have never participated in a book group before, and the structure ensures everyone gets something out of the book club and that it runs smoothly and effectively. 


Resource 2

'Facilitating Discussion' from ilovelibraries.org 

This  resource included tips on how to facilitate a book group discussion, how to participate in one, and some questions to consider relating to fiction books and non-fiction books. It contained similar information to the class handouts, although it also included some icebreaker type activities and tips for facilitating a discussion.

Resource 3
I watched the video I Need a Book! A Guide to Readers Advisory on Kanopy, which  discusses how to approach recommending books to library patrons.

 

It defined 'appeal characteristics' as the characteristics that define a book which can be used to establish what type of book a library patron likes. The following four appeal characteristics were identified:
  1. Frame/Setting - this can include geographical location, for example Europe, a style, such as glitz and glamour or bleak and dark, or a specific time frame. An example is The DaVinci Code, whose frame is Europe and also action-filled and upbeat.
  2. Characterisation - how the characters are developed. What extent of character development is the reader interested in?
  3. Pacing - this dictates the mood of the book. Generally books that rely on character development have a more leisurely pace than books whose story is driven by action.
  4. Storyline - this uses keywords to define the plot.  
By asking what books a patron has liked and then determining the appeal characteristics it has, books with the same appeal characteristics can be identified.
This video was very helpful in mapping out some specific ways to probe a patron to find out what to recommend to them. It has similar characteristics to a reference interview, but is approached more like a conversation.

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