Readers' Groups Made Simple
Think about before the first meeting
- If you are the person setting up the group, do you want to remain as the organiser, or do you want others to assume this role?
- Does your library service want readers' groups to become self-managing over time? This needs to be made clear from the outset
- If you remain the organiser, what will happen if you are ill or absent?
- Where and when is available for meetings?
- How long will meetings last? Will they be short, or longer including a break?
- Can refreshments to be provided?
- If yes, how will these be funded?
- Is there a minimum and maximum size for the group? Experience tells us 10 -14 is the ideal size. Over 15 is too many, and fewer than 7 is likely to be too few.
- How are members going to obtain books? If they need to source their own, this needs to be made clear
- Could you "read" books in alternative formats e.g. large print, audio, on-line
- Do any records need to be kept? Who will keep these if organiser varies?
Have ideas about all of the above yourself, but consult the group and be prepared to be flexible where possible.
Librarians in the North West have pioneered partnership working to encourage new readers into libraries. Time To Read is a partnership of librarians engaged in reader development activity in public library authorities in the North West Region. All 23 public library authorities in the region currently support Time To Read.