Book Club Experience

Book Club Experience:

I attended a book club at the Frisco Public Library in Frisco, TX. This book club was a YA book club for people ages 16 and up. I was intrigued by this idea of seeing whether the attendees were mostly teens or adults. The book they had read for the month was Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella. I had previously started this book, but did not finish because a new YA series had come out and I just never picked the book back up, so for that reason I decided to just observe the overall discussion and functionality of the book club.

Who is asking the questions, is there a leader or do people take turns?
I previously had an idea of what a book club was and it looked much like this: a library staff member sitting up front with other people in a semi-circle around them with the librarian leading and facilitating all of the questions. Much to my surprise this book club was not like that at all. There were only 4 people in attendance (including me), however the library staff member, Jen, later told me that they normally have a small group of about 5 people outside of her attend. All of those in attendance were equally "in charge" in that they brought their own questions and posed them to the group.

If there is a leader, does the leader answer the questions as well or let the attendees respond first?
Like previously mentioned the "leader" was honestly acting as a member of the group. Questions posed were very casual and it made for more of a discussion rather than question and answer type format. However, when the questions/discussions started to die down, Jen did take over to continue onwards.

What type of questions are asked? Any involving just yes or no answers?
Much of the questions asked were about the plot as well as character development, with just a few about the setting. When I say these questions were asked, they were really just brought up and posed in response to discussions that were brought up. None of the questions that were asked were solely yes or no questions, Jen, and the other members of the group did a good job of phrasing them so there always needed to be some sort of explanation beyond yes/no.

Do all attendees actively participate?
In this group every single person participated and most of them equally. I could definitely tell that they were all very comfortable with each other and had been attending the group for awhile. All of the attendees seemed to realize that everyone had something to say and allowed each person to ask a question and/or comment on what was going on. 

Do any attendees swoop in and steal all the spotlight?
Many of the attendees were pretty well balanced with their responses and how much time they took to talk, however there was one person who did steal the spotlight on certain topics. I don't believe that she really meant to steal the spotlight, the discussion just moved to talking about a specific character that they really identified with and it was more out of excitement than making sure their opinion was heard over everyone else. 

What is the atmosphere of the discussion, where is it taking place at?
The book club meets in a smaller meeting room that seemed to be set up ideal for book clubs. A majority of the book clubs offered at the Frisco Public Library take place in this specific room on the fifth floor. The lighting wasn't full of florescence, but there were lamps set up to make the mood softer. The seats were soft chairs and allowed for everyone to feel comfortable while they discussed the book. There was also a window that looked outside and provided some natural light as well.  

Are snacks or drinks provided?
There were drinks and snack provided, but it wasn't necessarily provided by the library itself. The participants of the book club sign up and each month they bring in something. I think this is a great way to establish that attendees will come back each month because they will have signed up for snacks. 

What types of books does this book club normally discuss?
As stated above, this book club is a Young Adult book club for both teens and adults to attend. Each month is a different teen book that covers various topics. The book choices cross genres and nonfiction/fiction boundaries as well. The attendees helped Jen come up with the list for the year which again shows their investment in the success of the book club.

Analysis:
Overall, coming to a the book club was a such a great experience. After moving from Indiana to Texas, I honestly missed the feeling of talking about books with other people as this was something I did with the teens during our Teen Library Council meetings. Everyone was very welcoming in the club and were genuinely excited to discuss the books and go further in depth with their understanding of the book. I asked Jen how long it took to get a basic crowd, and she explained that this book club has been well attended since the beginning. They don't keep their book clubs for the sake of having them; they cater to their patrons and adjust what type of book clubs they offer based on what patrons would attend. I thought the atmosphere really contributed to the overall experience of the meeting.They also extended the experience outside of the one meeting to GoodReads so that members could keep up with the club and have longer discussions. I believe after this shadowing, learning the needs of the patrons in order to create a better book club experience for the participants.