BookBrowse News Update

Jun 10, 2019

ALA Book Club Central Article: So Much Love for Library Book Groups!

I have a confession to make. I used to think that participation in public library book groups would be somewhat transient—people would drop in for a few months while they decided if they liked the concept, at which point they'd go off and join a private group, or start their own.

How wrong I was! BookBrowse recently released a report on the dynamics of book groups: The Inner Lives of Book Clubs. One of the significant findings of the report reflects how much people love their library book groups and how loyal they are to them.

• Statistically speaking, there is barely a difference between happiness in public groups compared to private ones: 71% of those in public book clubs (most of which meet in libraries) say they are very happy in their group, 24% say they are somewhat happy.
• 69% of those in public groups say their book club is "very important" to them—the exact same percentage as in private groups.
• 57% of respondents in public book clubs (most of which meet in libraries) have been with their group at least five years!

The research shows that public library book clubs are a great fit for many who are looking to join a book group. For example:

Read in full

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