Tag Archives: book club

Talking Book and Braille Book Club October meeting

Posted on by

The Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library will be having a meeting of the Talking Book and Braille Book Club on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central. We will be reading “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah, which is available in audio (DB 81189), braille (BR 23299) and large print (LP 19795).

The novel is set in France, 1939. Vianne Mauriac sends her husband off to war, while her younger sister Isabelle runs off to Paris, claiming an affair. Once there, Isabelle becomes involved in the Resistance. Vianne’s home is occupied by the invading Nazis. Please note that that “The Nightingale” includes violence, strong language and some descriptions of sex. “The Nightingale” was the winner of the 2015 Goodreads Choice Award for historical fiction and will be adapted into a film starring sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, scheduled to be released in December 2022.

You can request a copy of “The Nightingale” and let us know you are interested in participating by contacting Abby Chumin at 1-800-622-4970 or via email. If you want to participate via the Zoom app, we will send you a link via email. For those wishing to join by phone, a number will be provided.

This post was written by Laura Williams, supervisor of the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library.

February Talking Book and Braille Library book club selection

Posted on by

The next meeting of the Talking Book and Braille Library’s book club will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central. We will be reading “Ginny Moon” by Benjamin Ludwig, which is available in audio (DB 88585) and braille (BR 22202). Ginny is an autistic 14-year-old who has been adopted after years in foster care. Her fragile new life is threatened, however, when her obsessive need to get her baby doll back brings her dangerous birth mother into her life again.

Participants can join the discussion by calling our dial in number, 1-240-454-0887, and entering the conference code, 736 597 563#. Participants may also request that the library call them at the appointed time.

Please let us know if you are interested in participating so that we can contact you about any unexpected changes to either the schedule or call in information. You can request a copy of “Ginny Moon” and let us know you are interested in participating by contacting Laura Williams at 1-800-622-4970 or via email.

This blog post was written by Maggie Ansty of the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library. 

Reading is healthy: Introducing the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Reading Club

Posted on by

Book clubs and reading groups are staples of library outreach and literacy efforts. In these groups, people gather to discuss Oprah’s picks or the New York Times’ best-sellers in an effort to socially engage with literature and current events.

To help grow health-related literacy, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine’s NNLM All of Us Community Engagement Network has announced the launch of the NNLM Reading Club. The goal is to support libraries’ health literacy efforts and address local communities’ health information needs by celebrating important National Health Observances through the fun and intimacy of a book club.

Screen cap from https://nnlm.gov/all-of-us

Screen cap from https://nnlm.gov/all-of-us

The NNLM Reading Club offers a selection of three different book titles along with corresponding free, ready-to-use materials designed to help promote and facilitate a book club discussion on a health issue or topic. It’s easy to download the discussion materials and direct patrons to the library’s book holdings. However, the NNLM is offering an added benefit.

Beginning Nov. 1, 2018, participating NNLM libraries are making the quarterly reading club picks available in a free, handy and portable book club kit. This program-in-a-box format includes eight copies of each of the following items: the selected book, discussion guide, MedlinePlus.gov flier, NIH MedlinePlus Magazine, NIH All of Us Research Program brochure and additional materials in support of the selected health topic. All of these materials are tucked inside a handy library book bag and shipped to the requesting library.

Any U.S. library that is an organizational member of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine is eligible to apply and to receive one NNLM Reading Club book kit from Nov. 1, 2018 through April 30, 2019. The good news is membership to the NNLM is free.  Due to the limited supply of federally-sponsored NNLM Reading Club book kits, libraries that support outreach to vulnerable populations receive priority status.

Click here to browse the November selections and download the ready-to-use materials or to order an NNLM Book Club kit from a participating region.

This post was submitted by Professional Development Office Supervisor Kara Cleveland.

Talking Book and Braille Library November Book Club

Posted on by

There is one more chance this year to participate in the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library Book Club! The final meeting of the year will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, at 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m.Central. The book we will be reading and discussing is “News of the World” by Paulette Jiles, which is available to Talking Book patrons in audio (DB 86668), braille (BR 21741) and large print (LP 20739).

The novel follows an itinerant news reader as he escorts a ten-year-old white girl back to her family after her rescue from a Native American tribe. Participants can join the discussion by calling our toll-free dial in number, 877-422-1931, and entering the conference code 8762032518. Participants may also request that the library call them at the appointed time.

To request the book and to let us know that you are interested in attending, please contact Laura Williams via email or at 1-800-622-4970.

This blog post was written by Laura Williams of the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library. 

Join the new Talking Book & Braille Library book club

Posted on by

The Indiana Talking Book & Braille Library is excited to announce the launch of a new book club! Since Talking Book patrons are located throughout the state, this will not be your normal type of library book club; rather, our book club will meet by conference call so you can participate from the comfort of your own home.

The first meeting will take place via conference call at 2 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. Participants can join the discussion by calling our toll-free dial in number, (877) 422-1931, and entering the conference code, 8762032518. We will be discussing “A Piece of the World” by Christina Baker Kline, which is available in braille (BR 21873), audio (DB 87630) and large print (LP 20372). This novel is a historical fiction work about the life of Christina Olson, who was the model for Andrew Wyeth’s famous 1948 painting “Christina’s World.”

Our second meeting will take place at 2 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 21, 2018 using the same dial-in number and conference code as above. We will be discussing Fredrik Bachman’s “A Man Called Ove,” in which a grumpy, yet lovable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. It is available in braille (BR 21609), audio (DB 84392) and large print (LP 19517).

To request the books and to let us know you are interested in attending, please contact Laura Williams at 1 (800) 622-4970 or via email. If you are not a Talking Book patron and would like to attend our book club, please feel free to borrow the book from your local public library and join us. All are welcome.

This blog post was written by Laura Williams of the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library. 

Registration for book processing parties and round tables at the Indiana State Library now open

Posted on by

The Professional Development Office (PDO) of the Indiana State Library is thrilled to announce the addition of almost 20 new book club kits to their collection.

PDO is looking for volunteers to help process these kits so they will be ready for fall circulation. Processing mainly consists of applying book covers. PDO welcomes volunteers from both public and school libraries and no experience is required.

Two all-day sessions, on July 7 and July 27,  will be offered. The all-day events include the processing party, a round table discussion eligible for one LEU, provided lunch, snacks and a tour of the state library.

The July 7 round table topic will be: School & Public Library Partnerships/Book Clubs. Session is full.

The July 27 round table topic will be: Summer Reading Wrap-Up/Back-to-School/Book Clubs. Register here.

Parking is free. Contact Beth Yates, children’s consultant, via email or at (317) 234-5649 for more details.

This blog post was written by Beth Yates, children’s consultant for the Indiana State Library.