Books clubs can be a wonderful element of a library’s programming. What’s more quintessential to a library’s image than a group of people getting together to discuss their latest read? At the same time, as more and more people want to participate, the logistics can be somewhat daunting. Buying enough copies for everyone to borrow and read at the same time can be a budgetary strain, and while those copies will circulate while the club is in session, demand will cool down when a new selection comes along.
With that in mind, we are pleased to announce the hoopla Book Club! Each quarter, our eBook and audiobook experts will be selecting a great new title to share with literature-loving library patrons. Our simultaneous use model makes hoopla the perfect tool to drive engagement, as book clubs of any size can share the latest title without patrons needing to wait for copies to come available. Each selection will be supplemented with a wealth of related materials such as a discussion guide, an author Q&A, and a list of associated titles that patrons who liked the book will want to explore. These resources can be found at our handy Book Club Hub, available at theclub.hoopladigital.com.
We’re getting started with a bang: the first Spotlight Selection for the hoopla Book Club is The Leavers by Lisa Ko. Available on hoopla in both audiobook and eBook formats, this wonderful novel won the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award, among other accolades. The story of a young Chinese boy struggling to adapt to the white culture he’s adopted into when his mother seemingly abandons him, the book is “achingly beautiful” (Christian Science Monitor) and “required reading” (award-winning author Ann Patchett). This all adds up to what our own Tara Carberry calls “the perfect Spotlight Selection.” For more on why we chose this book, check out “Why We Love The Leavers,” a resource available on our Book Club Hub. And as part of our Book Club collection, patrons will also find eight other titles from a variety of genres, for those looking for more selections or whose reading tastes lie in a different direction.
If your library hasn’t yet received our summer reading materials, they should be arriving soon. As part of this mailing, you’ll find a poster you can display in your library to let patrons know about the hoopla Book Club and our first Spotlight Selection, The Leavers, along with bookmarks you can distribute. We hope your patrons love this new Book Club, and we encourage them (and you!) to interact with us as they read, both on Facebook and on Twitter with the hashtags #discoverreadshare and #hooplabookclub.