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Evaluation of a Book Club Kit Program

Amy Weig-Pickering, MLAa, Jonathan D. Eldredge, PhD, FMLAb

aLibrary Information Specialist 3, Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New

Mexico,https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9876-6312 , aweigpickering@salud.unm.edu
bProfessor, Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center, University of New Mexico,

Albuquerque, New Mexico,https://www.orcid.org/0000-0003-3132-9450 ,
jeldredge@salud.unm.edu

Background: Book clubs consist of groups of people reading and discussing the same
books. Some book clubs are organized by public librarians. A far smaller number of
health sciences librarians are involved with coordinating book clubs.

Objectives: This case report employed a survey and phone interviews to determine
why a book club kit program organized by health sciences librarians did not generate
more enthusiasm.

Lessons learned: The investigators found that direct phone interviews rather than a
survey elicited the needed information. Many public libraries, particularly those in
rural areas, are directed by people not even possessing a Master’s degree in library or
information science. Strategies for promoting use of the book club kits to these public
librarians required different approaches.

Conclusions: Through a deeper understanding of rural public librarians’
circumstances and needs, the investigators gained new insights on how health sciences
librarians might possibly reach public librarians more effectively.

Background

Book groups are popular gatherings of people wanting to share their interest in reading
books. McCook de la Peña and Bossaller depict them as “a long-standing phenomenon
of American cultural life that now take[s] place in both real space and cyberspace.”1

They vary greatly in their format and context. Some are organized by their
participants spontaneously; others are more structured and hosted by a facilitator.
Some book groups borrow the books from a library while others rely on members to
purchase their own copies. The ages of participants range from children to the elderly.
Book group discussions can take place in people’s homes, restaurants, community
centers, or libraries. While most librarians associate book groups with public or school
libraries, health sciences libraries also have hosted or organized book groups.2-4

The University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center
(HSLIC) is the only health sciences library in the state. One of our strategic goals was
to “empower our community to engage with health information.” One strategy within
that goal was to: “create a sustainable outreach program to promote health
information literacy and health equity.” In order to support this strategic goal, we

1

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9876-6312 
https://orcid.org/
mailto:aweigpickering@salud.unm.edu
https://www.orcid.org/0000-0003-3132-9450
https://orcid.org/
mailto:jeldredge@salud.unm.edu


Peer Reviewed Article Hypothesis , Vol. 35, No. 2, 2023

developed ten book club kits which included: eight copies of each book, book
discussion questions, and health literacy handouts. Our kits were based on the Network
of the National Library of Medicine’s (NNLM) “Reading is Healthy” book club model.5

The NNLM “Reading is Healthy” book club was created by a team of consumer health
librarians who selected books to align with the priority health topics of its sponsoring
organization, the NNLM All of Us Community Engagement Network. The NNLM
Reading Club originally was promoted to public libraries as a popular and familiar
“ready-to-use” health literacy program, and it was a success. They defined success as
follows: “from a total collection of 21 featured health topics and 78 book titles, more
than 6,300 readers nationwide discussed health and wellness. After a brief hiatus, the
NNLM Reading Club resumed in 2022 with new health topics and titles.”6

Our book club kits were publicized through sending a series of three direct emails to all
101 community and public library directors listed on the New Mexico State Library
website.7 We thought the book club kits would be utilized since New Mexico is a rural
state and many of our libraries might not have sufficient resources to sponsor a book
club. We offered the book club kits free of charge and included all the materials to
conduct a book discussion group. Ironically, we had an initial concern that the program
would be so popular that we may not have enough materials to circulate.

To promote the book club kits, we attended the Native American Special Interest
GroupMeeting8 and the Health Literacy Task Force meeting.9 There was not much
interest generated from those initial contacts, so we sent out emails to the 101 public
and community libraries listed on the aforementioned New Mexico State Library
website.

Unfortunately, the initial email generated only one library’s interest in checking out the
book kits. This unexpected lack of response warranted further investigation. We were
genuinely curious as to why more libraries were not taking advantage of the book club
kits. Was there something we could change so that more libraries would participate or
was it something else that was preventing libraries from ordering a book club kit?

Method

Our method consisted of structured and unstructured interviews. We designed a
five-question survey to guide the telephone interviews with library directors or staff at
libraries who potentially might participate in the book club, after receiving approval
from the Institutional Review Board #22-270. We interviewed a total of 24 New
Mexico community and public librarians by telephone. We decided to reach out to
these 24 libraries because they provided a cross section that represented rural/urban,
large/small, public/community, and wide geographic spread throughout the state. Also,
several libraries did respond that they did not have any interest in the book club kits
already, so we declined to interview them further.

The first four interview questions only involved a yes or no response. The interviewers
asked:

1. Do you currently have a book club at your library?

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Peer Reviewed Article Hypothesis , Vol. 35, No. 2, 2023

2. Do you have enough staff to facilitate a book club?

3. Is your lack of participation due to the fact that materials are only available in
English?

4. Is it the choice of titles that discouraged you from ordering a book club kit?

5. In your opinion, what is the biggest reason as to why you did not take advantage
of the book club kits?

Results

Talking with librarians directly made a huge difference. On more than one occasion,
the library directors were the ones who picked up the phone and were generous with
their time.

The overall results summarized in Table 1 demonstrate that 10 of these libraries are
understaffed and are unable to conduct any type of book club.

Table 1. Reasons for not responding

Explanations Number of libraries
Lack of staff 10

Programming is preplanned 4
Did not see emails 4
Lack of interest 2

Would not participate in interview 2
Do not have a book club 1
No book club experience 1

Also, four libraries preplan their programs and do not have the ability to stray from
that schedule. Another four library directors reported not even seeing the original
email, which might partially explain some lack of responses. Two contacted librarians
chose not to participate in the interview and one library did not have a book club.
Once there was an actual conversation with the various library directors and/or staff,
three libraries expressed interest in possibly ordering book kits in the future.

Lessons Learned

1. Direct individual contact through the phone generated genuine responses and
created interest in the book club kits.

2. A single mode of communication (Example: email) is not always effective.

3. Many people still prefer to communicate through conversation.

4. Outside of the major cities in New Mexico, many community and public libraries
often do not have a professionally trained MLS librarian with a broad perspective
on the logistics and advantages of sponsoring a book club.

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Peer Reviewed Article Hypothesis , Vol. 35, No. 2, 2023

5. A book club kit program created by a national library that has proven successful
in some states might require a different approach in other states.

6. Public and community libraries are embedded in communities with interests that
might not align with pursuit of a book club; or at least a book club revolving
around health issues.

7. Public and community libraries in rural areas have limited Internet service, so
phone rather than email might be the most reliable way to contact these sites.

Discussion

Overwhelmingly the results show that many public and community libraries around
New Mexico are facing staffing shortages.10 It appears there could have been more
participation in the book clubs if there was either staff or volunteers to facilitate the
program. In addition, the two libraries that stated they were unable to assist with this
research could also be indicative of time constraints. In speaking with librarians on the
phone, results showed that several did not receive or notice any communication
regarding the book kits. By reaching out via phone to make more personal connections,
we gained some traction for our book club kits. Finally, the territorial governor of New
Mexico, Lew Wallace, once wrote, “Every calculation based on experience elsewhere
fails in New Mexico”11 suggesting that a book club kits program created by a national
library that has proven successful in other states might require a different approach in
some states. The interview results reveal that the program itself may not be the
problem, but other aforementioned factors that contributed to the lack of participation.

References

1. McCook Kathleen de la Peña, Bossaller JS. Introduction to Public Librarianship.
Third ed. Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman; 2018.
https://hslic-unm.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1047729276. Accessed January 27, 2023
2. Haley J, McCall RC, Zomorodi M, de Saxe Zerdan L, Moreton B Richardson L.
Interprofessional collaboration between health sciences librarians and health professions
faculty to implement a book club discussion for incoming students [published correction
appears in J Med Libr Assoc. 2019 Oct 107(4):637]. Journal of the Medical Library
Association. 2019;107(3):403-410. Available from:
https://doi.org/10.5195/jama.2019.536
3. Stephenson PL, Clever S, Coady TR, Ender D, Heyd M, Peth S. Book
clubs—outreach opportunities for hospital libraries. Medical Reference Services
Quarterly. 2014;33(4):448-459. Available from:
https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2014.957096
4. Timm, DF, Woodson D, Jones D. Book discussion course: timely topics for medical
students. Medical Reference Services Quarterly.2014;33(2):147-156. Available from:
https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2014.897513
5. National Library of Medicine (US). National Network of Libraries of Medicine.
NNLM Reading Club. Accessed April 20, 2023.
https://www.nnlm.gov/nnlm-reading-club
6. Ibid.

4

https://hslic-unm.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1047729276
https://doi.org/10.5195/jama.2019.536
https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2014.957096
https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2014.897513
https://www.nnlm.gov/nnlm-reading-club


Peer Reviewed Article Hypothesis , Vol. 35, No. 2, 2023

7. New Mexico. State Library. Library Locations and Information. Accessed April 20,
2023.
https://nmstatelibrary.org/services-for-new-mexico-libraries/electronic-discussion-lists/
8. New Mexico Library Association Native American Special Interest Group. Accessed
August 10, 2023. https://nmla.org/NALSIG
9. University of New Mexico. Hospital. Health Literacy Office. Accessed August 10,
2023. https://unmhealth.org/community/health-literacy.html
10. State of New Mexico. State Library. Annual Public Library Statistics FY2021.
Accessed April 25, 2023.
https://nmstatelibrary.org/services-for-new-mexico-libraries/statistical-reports/
11. McKee I. ”Ben-Hur” Wallace: The Life of General Lew Wallace. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press; 1947: 163.

5

https://nmstatelibrary.org/services-for-new-mexico-libraries/electronic-discussion-lists/
https://nmla.org/NALSIG
https://unmhealth.org/community/health-literacy.html
https://nmstatelibrary.org/services-for-new-mexico-libraries/statistical-reports/ 

