Facilitation Guide UICU iSchool’s Rad Reads Help for the Online Book Club
December 2017
Introduction This guide is designed to assist facilitation of the asynchronous online book club that will launch in January, 2018 for University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana (UICU) iSchool students. What?
The iSchool’s Rad Reads is an online book discussion group. We want to mix it up so book selections will change in genre and choices each time. Sometimes the group’s creators will choose the reading; sometimes members of the club will. Sometimes we’ll choose a genre and each reader will choose the book they want to share. As librarians and engaged readers we want to experiment with new kinds of book selection methods.
Who?
All iSchool students, LEEP or On Campus students, are invited to join us, even if you didn’t get to finish the whole reading. UIUC students of any major can participate.
Why?
Our vision is simple: We want to build community amongst the iSchool students, particularly LEEP students who may feel distant from UICU.
When?
Spring 2018 Semester Schedule: Date
Where?
Activity
Jan. 8 Begin to Market the OBC Feb. 5 Open first book discussion on Wool Feb. 12 Close first discussion and announce next reading Mar. 5 Open second book discussion Mar. 12 Close second discussion and announce next reading Apr. 2 Open third book discussion Apr. 9 Close the third book discussion We will use Facebook and Goodreads as platforms because not everyone is on every platform so we’ve chosen two popular platforms. Facilitators need to belong to both groups. To join the Good Reads Group, go to: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/344848rad-reads
To join the Face Book Group, go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/radreads/
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Before the Discussion The following are general suggestions to promote participation and interest for any book. 1. Get and read the book. It’s best if you can read the selection twice. As you read, note down questions you think would lead good to discuss. You may want to experience the audio book or other formats.
2. Find background information on the book. a. Search for reviews. b. Find biographies on the author. c. Read the publisher’s website which should feature background information and group discussion questions. d. Search the UICU Library databases for pertinent information. e. Explore YouTube for interesting videos on the book or author. f. Find the author’s webpage. g. Formulate discussion questions of your own and find discussion questions online by checking publishers’ websites.
3. Post enticing information about the book on Good Reads and Facebook before the start of the book club discussion.
4. Encourage participants to share background information they have found.
5. Market the book discussion by following the suggestions in the Rad Reads marketing document. For example, the facilitator (or marketing person if there is one) should submit notices to the weekly iSchool’s newsletter, by emailing the Student Affairs Assistant Daniel Mills before noon the Friday before the letter goes out. E-mail: ddmills2@illinois.edu.
6. Post reminders and interesting background information regarding the author and book on Good Reads and Facebook groups.
7. Formulate questions for the discussion. If the discussion flows naturally, that’s fine, but often new questions will stimulate more discussion. When the group feels there’s a leader shepherding them along, the group is considered to be more worthwhile.
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Leading the Discussion The following suggested sequence was created for our platform test that we held a discussion of Roald Dahl's short story for adults, "The Landlady." Facilitators may alter the prompts and sequence as they like for other books. This guide is a suggestion not a script.
Opening Begin the discussion with: "Please introduce yourself and tell us __________ [your impression of the book, how you feel about this genre, etc.]. •
Have you read any of Roald Dahl’s [author’s name] other work? If so what, when and what were your impressions of those stories? •
Questions about the Story •
What did you think of the beginning of the story?
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What are three words you’d use to describe Billy, the protagonist?
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What did you think of ______ [insert character’s name]?
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What are three words you’d use to describe the story? Explain why you chose those words?
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What questions do you have for the group? Did anything perplex or intrigue you?
Add in some questions you found online and those you made, i.e. what struck you or piqued your curiosity?
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Troubleshooting Tips •
If the discussion gets too intense, remind participants that the goal is for people to understand each other not to persuade each other.
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If the discussion gets away from the book, bring them back to it with a specific question or a remark about the book.
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Maximize participation by promoting the club widely.
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If there aren’t that many participants, don’t worry. This happens to online groups that have been around for years. A worthwhile discussion doesn’t necessarily need dozens of participants. Don’t give up, just consider how to increase participation through book selection, timing or marketing. Ask participates for ways to improve the book club.
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Have two people facilitate so that the platforms can easily be checked more than once a day.
Concluding the Discussion •
Ask if participants would recommend this book to someone else? Who? Why?
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Tell club members how the next book will be selected. We hope to have club members active in choosing the books.
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Explain about the next session, i.e. what we’ll read or how we’ll select our next book.
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Announce when the next discussion will open.
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Thank people for their participation. Encourage readers to spread the word about club.
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Post-Discussion Evaluation Note what went well and what could be improved.
Response How many participants were there? How did the discussion go overall?
How was the initial participation?
Did people respond on one day or over a course of a week?
Were there any difficulties for the facilitator, e.g. using the platform, engaging the club members?
What was learned to improve the book club?
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Our First Book: Wool by Hugh Howey Background Information Howey’s blog, Wayfinder (http://www.hughhowey.com) features his blog, a gallery of his photos, information about his boat. Howey’s Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/hughhowey Howey’s Good Reads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3064305.Hugh_Howey Klems, B. (January, 2014) Writer’s Digs. The Writer’s Digest. Writer’s Digs - How Hugh Howey Turned His Self-Published Story “Wool” Into a Success (& a Book Deal), http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-hugh-howey-turned-his-self-publishedstory-wool-into-a-success-a-book-deal NPR interview with Howie: http://www.npr.org/2013/08/31/216926197/questions-forhugh-howey-author-of-wool
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Reviews of Wool Barnett, D. (2013) "Wool by Hugh Howie." Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/review-wool-by-hughhowey-8458669.html on November 10, 2017. Donahue, K. (2013). “Even if it were just a run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic novel about a society forced to live underground, “Wool” would still be quite a tale.” Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/book-review-wool-by-hughhowey/2013/03/11/265ced58-89a6-11e2-98d9-3012c1cd8d1e_story.html on November 10, 2017. Flood, A. (2013). "Science Fiction’s answer to 50 Shades of Gray is uneven but shows great promise'" Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jan/09/wool-byhugh-cowey-review on November 10, 2018. Geek Crash Course. (July 2014). YouTube, https://youtu.be/qWwiSP5dkfw Retrieved on November 11, 2018. Ink Leaves. (July 2013) YouTube, https://youtu.be/B4vFFiDNCgc. Retrieved on November 11, 2018.
Wool Discussion Guide Specific to Wool: Simon & Schuster: http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Wool/HughHowey/9781476733951/reading_group_guide
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More Questions on Wool Many of these questions can be used for any book. 1. How did you experience the book? Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you? 2. What did you think of the beginning? Were you immediately drawn into the story—or did it take a while? 3. What was your initial reaction to Holton? 4. What do you think of the world Howey has created? 5. Can you pick out a passage that strikes you as particularly profound, well written or interesting? 6. What other books have you read which are similar to Wool? 7. How does Holton compare to heroes in other dystopian stories you’ve read? 8. What can information professionals take away from Wool?
General Questions for Any Book Trombetta, S. (June 2016). "13 General Book Club Questions for Any Kind of Book Club." Bustle. https://www.bustle.com/articles/167822-13-general-book-club-questions-for-any-kind-ofdiscussion Litlovers.com (n.d.) Tips for Facilitation a Book Discussion. ilovelibraries.com. http://www.ilovelibraries.org/booklovers/bookclub/facilitate-discussion Lombardi, E. (2017). General Book Club Questions for Study and Discussion. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/general-book-club-questions-study-discussion-738884
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Annotated Bibliography General Information on Online Book Clubs & Facilitation Beach, R., & Yussen, S. (2011). Practices of Productive Adult Book Clubs. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(2), 121-131. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/stable/41309667 A study looking at two successful traditional book clubs. The authors concluded careful, interactive, collaboration in book selections, sharing of personal experience that illuminates the book, and encouraging participants to collaborate in delving into a topic result in long-term, engaging book clubs.
Book Browse. (n.d.) Book Browse. Leading a Successful Discussion. https://www.bookbrowse.com/bookclubs/advice/index.cfm/fuseaction/moderating_meetings, Brief post on moderator’s role and tips for leading a traditional book club. Dempsey, B., (2005). The Evolving Book Group Formats Mean More Engagement. http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2011/09/technology/the-evolving-book-group-new-formats-meanmore-engagement/ Describes online and other book club formats. Regarding online book clubs, it suggests tools like Library Thing’s and Good Reads’ groups. Hoffert, B. (July 15, 2006). Library Journal. “The Book Club Exploded.” http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2006/07/library-services/the-book-club-exploded/ Describes innovative practices such as having readers read any book in a genre or by an author and talking about them. This practice has had greater appeal with youth. Another approach is to pair movies and books. Not only can you pair the book and its film adaptation, but you can pair a book and a movie set in the same era or with the same theme. Reading Group Guides (n.d.) https://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides Contains summary, excerpt, critical praise, discussion questions and a reading guide in PDF form for hundreds of books. Starkey, N. (Sept 2005). Online Book-Clubbing Made Easy, American Libraries. 36 (8). 50-51. Although the article’s older, it describes how the Tippecanoe Public Library launched its online book club. Pros of online book clubs include shy people participate more and people’s schedules don’t conflict as much. Cons include: lurking is easier and back and forth communication is slower. While their online book club has 60 members, 5 times the number of attendees as the traditional club, it’s hard to measure how many read the books and just lurk. Trombetta, S. (Feb 2016). Bustle. 5 Digital Book Clubs You Definitely You Can Join and Definitely Should. https://www.bustle.com/articles/143783-5-digital-book-clubs-you-can-join-and-totallyshould. Describes five existing clubs that anyone can try to get a sense of this form of book discussion.
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Williamson, E. (n.d.) Book Club Central. Start an Online Book Club. http://www.bookclubcentral.org/how-to-book-club/start-an-online-book-club/. Suggestions on starting an online book club such as preparing for fluctuation in number of participants, preparing questions and your responses beforehand, and promoting participant-to participant communication by not taking center stage.
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