E-Book Clubs

Have you ever considered starting a book club but worried you didn’t have the time, money or space to meet up? Well, the good news is there is an alternative way to do it. Starting an online reading group using your library resources with friends or like-minded strangers is really just a few clicks away.

Some advantages of an EBook club are:

• You can connect with your reader friends across the Myli Libraries community
• Save time on coordinating times & places to meet
• Participate from the comfort of your own home
• You can connect when it’s convenient for you
• Save money by using the EBook club resources from your library

Here are a few tips for hosting an EBook club:

• Become a member with Myli Libraries
• Pick a theme or a goal
• Diversify in your reading list
• Set a regular schedule
• Prepare discussion questions

Tips on how to get started:

1. Facebook is a great place to start. Create a Facebook page where you can invite new members to join, share new reading suggestions and post discussion topics. You can also make your group private so only members you invite are allowed to join in or leave it public, it’s up to you.
2. Make the most of your Myli membership and access our free digital resources.
3. Have a moderator. The role of a moderator is to get discussions started with pre-written questions, keep the club’s discussion on track, organised and fair to all participants involved. The moderator can be the group founder or consider having other members of the club take turns.
4. Keep it fresh. Group discussions can be as simple as responding to Facebook posts or group chats. If you’d like a face-to-face chat, consider Skype video chat or Google Chat video calls. Don’t be afraid to explore until you find what works best for your group.
5. Use surveys to select your EBook Club reads. The easiest and fairest way to make sure all members’ opinions are considered is by voting on your next read. Facebook has a poll option that you can customise to include a list of titles to vote on.
6. Make the most of your Facebook page. You can link to author interviews, book reviews and more. It’s a great way to keep you and your members engaged with the club outside of discussion questions on your reads.
7. Take advantage of digital books. This may not initially resonate with traditional book lovers, but there are many benefits of considering EBooks. The digital format is portable so you can access your book anytime from any PC, tablet or smartphone. Your book or books are on hand and available to read anywhere, anytime. It’s simple to add bookmarks, highlight quotes and add notes that you can easily refer back to. EBooks are available to download online, 24/7 so there is no need to arrange a visit a branch to pick up a book.