Readers' Groups Made Simple
The First Meeting
The first meeting should be a general meeting to decide how the group will run and find out what people's expectations are. Probably best not to have a book discussion at this meeting but use the time to set some ground rules and decide
- How are you going to decide what to read?
- What sort of discussion do you want to have? Is it going to be free-ranging or do you want a framework? You could have a loose structure to follow at every meeting e.g. What is the story about? Who are the main characters? What do you think of them? How does the book relate to your experience or to other books you have read?
- Is someone going to introduce the book or author at each meeting? Be careful that this doesn't become competitive. If you do this, set a guideline on how much time this should take
- People should respect others' points of view, avoid offensive language and try not to interrupt
- Everyone should have the opportunity to speak, but this may not need to be formal. Ask if they want to "go round the group" formally, or if they are happy for the discussion to range freely
- What arrangements can be made for obtaining books? Can the library service offer sets or not?
- Is the group truly accessible? Are you making provision for people who might want to access their reading in alternative formats?
