The Popularity of Virtual Book Clubs

    Book Clubs are one of the main events in library programming. Historically speaking, even outside of the library sphere, book clubs have had a substantial community presence. Book clubs have a long history dating back to the 18th century France where women gathered to discuss literature and other topics in what became known as ‘salons’ (Sedo, 2003, p.66-67). However, with the emergence of the digital age, face to face book clubs have seen a major decline in attendance. For whatever reason, be it busy schedules or too many distractions, traditional book clubs suffer from a lack of participation in many libraries. As Apryl Flynn Gilliss observes, “In our more modern, connected, and ever-busy age, however, traditional library book clubs have been undergoing a quiet revolution. Lack of time, scheduling conflicts, mobility issues, desire for anonymity, and other factors have moved the conversation online—namely onto social media" (Gilliss, 2014, p.1-2). 

Photo courtesy of XOXO

  With that being said, the focus of this blog is not to expound on the many reasons for this development. My focus is on the emergence of a fascinating new trend within the realm of the book club world. This new trend being ‘the virtual book club.’  Virtual book clubs appeal to individuals in today’s society. With the popularity of social media and all things digital, virtual book clubs take the traditional book club format and modernize it. Moreover, virtual book clubs have the advantage of convenience. Members can easily incorporate the book club into their busy schedules by choosing to be as involved as they want. And since everything is online, members can participate from their own homes. They can make use of online content such as author interviews, book previews, and book talks; as well as, guide notes and selected passages. 

    Furthermore, virtual book clubs have the advantage of a wider reach, and as a result of this extended reach, a more diverse audience. This can be a huge bonus to discussion board conversations by allowing for multiple points of view and more well-rounded opinions from a global audience. Perhaps the major draw to virtual book clubs, however, is their celebrity presence. In our pop culture-obsessed world, anything celebrity affiliated is almost guaranteed an audience. And with virtual book clubs such as Oprah's Book Club 2.0 and Emma Watson’s, Our Shared Shelf it’s no surprise that virtual book clubs are a huge hit!

Photo courtesy of Bustle Book Club

Bibliography:

Gilliss, A. F. (2014). Librarians reimagine book clubs with the help of technology. ilovelibraries.   Retrieved from http://www.ilovelibraries.org/article/librarians-reimagine-book-clubs-help-technology

Sedo, D. R. (2003). Readers in reading groups an online survey of face-to-face and virtual book  clubs. Convergence, 9(1), 66-90.

Photo links:

https://xoxolib.com/page/4/
https://www.bustle.com/bustle-book-club