Libby E-Books and Audiobooks at Mayo Clinic: Creating a Book Club

Although book clubs can be very rewarding, they do require planning and consistency in order to be successful. The list of questions and ideas below will help you decide what kind of book club you'd like to organize and what will work best for your group. 

Why?

What goal are you trying to accomplish by starting a book club? A few possibilities include:

• Building creativity and innovation into your team's culture
• Fostering connections between co-workers
• Practicing having meaningful discussions
• Improving listening and speaking skills

Thinking about what goals you'd like to prioritize will help you answer the remaining questions. 

Who?

• Who will be in this book club? Is it for members of your immediate work team, your larger department, or a cross-departmental group?
• What is your ideal group size? Try to aim for somewhere between 6-12 participants. 
• Who would make a great facilitator? Will you rotate facilitators, or will it always be the same person?

What?

• Which book will your group read? Establish a way for your team to contribute suggestions and vote if a title isn't already chosen.
• Is the chosen title accessible in a variety of formats? To increase the likelihood of participation and equal access, choose a book that is available in print, electronic, and audio formats.
• Is this title easily accessible? Choose a title that that can be easily accessed through a library, is inexpensive to buy, or have your department purchase copies for book club members. The Library Bookstore can order books and charge them to your PAU.
• What is the main purpose of this book club? Is it for professional development and education, for fun, or for breaking down barriers? Just make sure it isn't mandatory.
• Is this a safe space for all participants? Establish behavioral agreements at the initial meeting that will allow everyone to feel safe and participate in the group fully. 

Where?

Location depends on your team's geographic location and needs:

• Onsite: Your book club could meet in departmental space and have volunteers bring snacks.
• Online: Meeting virtually allows more flexibility and requires less logistical planning. Participants from across the enterprise can join the meeting, and live transcripts of the meeting can be turned on to help some participants understand conversations more clearly.
• Avoid meeting in places that may make some participants uncomfortable, or that require extra work from some members to arrange.

When?

• How often will your group meet? Establish a regular meeting time but allow enough time between sessions so participants can complete the reading. If you meet too frequently, participants can become easily overwhelmed. 
• Make sure to schedule sessions during routine work hours.
• Schedule each session far enough in advance so participants can work around it.
• How much reading will you assign for each session? Will you break the book down by chapters, sections, or pages? Or will your group complete the entire book and then meet to discuss it?