Hello, I was hoping to find out what other libraries do with the books after a book club is finished with them? Do you keep them in circulation, repurpose them, or use them in another way? I'd also love to know if your library offers book club kits, and how frequently they circulate? Thank you for any insight you have. I really appreciate it! Ashley Gillies Adult Services Librarian Southfield Public Library 26300 Evergreen Road Southfield, MI 48076 (248) 796-4377 www.southfieldlibrary.org<http://www.southfieldlibrary.org/> (she/her/hers)
We don't purchase the books that our book clubs read so I can't answer your question directly, but we do have a book club collection. We get our book club books in one of two ways: when a very popular title is no longer popular and we have many copies of it and I think it would make a good discussion book, we add those extra copies to our book club collection. We only have room for one, at most two, copies of any title on our regular fiction shelves. Second, I grab any free titles that sound interesting whenever another library is weeding their book club sets and so far, I've never had anyone complain that our book club collection is just "old" stuff. If they haven't read it, it's new to them. We have anywhere from 4-10 copies of each book club title and, although we shelve them together in our Book Club Collection section, we allow the books to be checked out individually. I'd like to make a small plea to consider doing the same because, just today and many, many other times, our patrons request what they think is one book but turns out to be a book club kit with ten books in a large bag. They're not happy, and yes I know, they should place their holds more carefully, but still. Back in the day when the only format choice was hard cover or paperback, this book club kit model made a lot of sense. Now we have ebooks and audiobooks along with the physical book - meaning the likelihood that anyone needs ten copies is much smaller today. Just anecdotally - from casual conversations I've had with people I notice checking out book club books - I think we have as many people checking these books out just to read by themselves as we do people checking them out for a book discussion. My point being that they seem to be popular for more than just book clubs, but I don't think they would be if people had to take ten copies at a time. Food for thought! Deb Hemmye Library Director Huntington Woods Public Library 26415 Scotia Road Huntington Woods, MI 48070 248-543-9720, ext. 686 Currently listening to Eddie Winston is Looking for Love, by Marianne Cronin. From: "Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org> To: "Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org> Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2026 1:44:33 PM Subject: [Michlib-l] Book Club Books Hello, I was hoping to find out what other libraries do with the books after a book club is finished with them? Do you keep them in circulation, repurpose them, or use them in another way? I'd also love to know if your library offers book club kits, and how frequently they circulate? Thank you for any insight you have. I really appreciate it! Ashley Gillies Adult Services Librarian Southfield Public Library 26300 Evergreen Road Southfield, MI 48076 (248) 796-4377 [ https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.southfieldlibrary.org_&d=DwMFAw&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=sW0QtgsUF_VTgHYbMLAYDX2ikQwQhwFgtcNmyu5STJQ&m=l206AuerT-iA__w8DnD4MvW54JzgXJey_GBOzFp_C-_clcGdWLJ1cuZlxTzvBoQa&s=PUujFPk3Kd4KQhDi5W-XjaMpb0XfXh_miQfGABbYE88&e= | www.southfieldlibrary.org ] (she/her/hers) _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list -- michlib-l@liblists.org To unsubscribe send an email to michlib-l-leave@liblists.org
We usually don't purchase multiple books, rather we use ILL. Jacqueline LaFreniere, Director Beaver Island District Library 26400 Donegal Bay Road PO Box 246 Beaver Island, MI 49782 (231) 448-2701 On Thu, May 28, 2026 at 4:18 PM Deb Hemmye via Michlib-l < michlib-l@liblists.org> wrote:
We don't purchase the books that our book clubs read so I can't answer your question directly, but we do have a book club collection. We get our book club books in one of two ways: when a very popular title is no longer popular and we have many copies of it and I think it would make a good discussion book, we add those extra copies to our book club collection. We only have room for one, at most two, copies of any title on our regular fiction shelves. Second, I grab any free titles that sound interesting whenever another library is weeding their book club sets and so far, I've never had anyone complain that our book club collection is just "old" stuff. If they haven't read it, it's new to them.
We have anywhere from 4-10 copies of each book club title and, although we shelve them together in our Book Club Collection section, we allow the books to be checked out individually. I'd like to make a small plea to consider doing the same because, just today and many, many other times, our patrons request what they think is one book but turns out to be a book club kit with ten books in a large bag. They're not happy, and yes I know, they should place their holds more carefully, but still. Back in the day when the only format choice was hard cover or paperback, this book club kit model made a lot of sense. Now we have ebooks and audiobooks along with the physical book - meaning the likelihood that anyone needs ten copies is much smaller today. Just anecdotally - from casual conversations I've had with people I notice checking out book club books - I think we have as many people checking these books out just to read by themselves as we do people checking them out for a book discussion. My point being that they seem to be popular for more than just book clubs, but I don't think they would be if people had to take ten copies at a time.
Food for thought!
*Deb Hemmye* Library Director Huntington Woods Public Library 26415 Scotia Road Huntington Woods, MI 48070 248-543-9720, ext. 686
Currently listening to *Eddie Winston is Looking for Love,* by Marianne Cronin.
------------------------------ *From: *"Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org> *To: *"Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org> *Sent: *Thursday, May 28, 2026 1:44:33 PM *Subject: *[Michlib-l] Book Club Books
Hello,
I was hoping to find out what other libraries do with the books after a book club is finished with them? Do you keep them in circulation, repurpose them, or use them in another way?
I'd also love to know if your library offers book club kits, and how frequently they circulate?
Thank you for any insight you have. I really appreciate it!
*Ashley Gillies*
Adult Services Librarian
Southfield Public Library
26300 Evergreen Road
Southfield, MI 48076
(248) 796-4377
(she/her/hers)
_______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list -- michlib-l@liblists.org To unsubscribe send an email to michlib-l-leave@liblists.org _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list -- michlib-l@liblists.org To unsubscribe send an email to michlib-l-leave@liblists.org
We usually get book club kits from libraries that no longer use them. We currently have several youth kits that we no longer need and will offer them to our school district first, and then we place books from our withdrawn kits on our free shelves in the lobby for anyone to take. Our kits circulate, but not as often as we would like. I usually place one copy in the collection for those who would like to read it without having to join the book club. We are also survey the schools to see what book club kits they would like to use in the classroom. This works out best as we know those kits will circulate. Laurie Zachwieja, MLIS Technical Services Librarian & MelCat Center Line Public Library 7345 Weingartz Center Line, MI 48015 zv 558 Phone: (586)-758-8274 Email: lauriezachwieja29@gmail.com On Fri, May 29, 2026, 10:13 AM Jacqueline LaFreniere via Michlib-l < michlib-l@liblists.org> wrote:
We usually don't purchase multiple books, rather we use ILL.
Jacqueline LaFreniere, Director Beaver Island District Library 26400 Donegal Bay Road <https://www.google.com/maps/search/26400+Donegal+Bay+Road?entry=gmail&source=g> PO Box 246 Beaver Island, MI 49782 (231) 448-2701
On Thu, May 28, 2026 at 4:18 PM Deb Hemmye via Michlib-l < michlib-l@liblists.org> wrote:
We don't purchase the books that our book clubs read so I can't answer your question directly, but we do have a book club collection. We get our book club books in one of two ways: when a very popular title is no longer popular and we have many copies of it and I think it would make a good discussion book, we add those extra copies to our book club collection. We only have room for one, at most two, copies of any title on our regular fiction shelves. Second, I grab any free titles that sound interesting whenever another library is weeding their book club sets and so far, I've never had anyone complain that our book club collection is just "old" stuff. If they haven't read it, it's new to them.
We have anywhere from 4-10 copies of each book club title and, although we shelve them together in our Book Club Collection section, we allow the books to be checked out individually. I'd like to make a small plea to consider doing the same because, just today and many, many other times, our patrons request what they think is one book but turns out to be a book club kit with ten books in a large bag. They're not happy, and yes I know, they should place their holds more carefully, but still. Back in the day when the only format choice was hard cover or paperback, this book club kit model made a lot of sense. Now we have ebooks and audiobooks along with the physical book - meaning the likelihood that anyone needs ten copies is much smaller today. Just anecdotally - from casual conversations I've had with people I notice checking out book club books - I think we have as many people checking these books out just to read by themselves as we do people checking them out for a book discussion. My point being that they seem to be popular for more than just book clubs, but I don't think they would be if people had to take ten copies at a time.
Food for thought!
*Deb Hemmye* Library Director Huntington Woods Public Library 26415 Scotia Road <https://www.google.com/maps/search/26415+Scotia+Road++Huntington+Woods,+MI+48070?entry=gmail&source=g> Huntington Woods, MI 48070 <https://www.google.com/maps/search/26415+Scotia+Road++Huntington+Woods,+MI+48070?entry=gmail&source=g> 248-543-9720, ext. 686
Currently listening to *Eddie Winston is Looking for Love,* by Marianne Cronin.
------------------------------ *From: *"Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org> *To: *"Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org> *Sent: *Thursday, May 28, 2026 1:44:33 PM *Subject: *[Michlib-l] Book Club Books
Hello,
I was hoping to find out what other libraries do with the books after a book club is finished with them? Do you keep them in circulation, repurpose them, or use them in another way?
I'd also love to know if your library offers book club kits, and how frequently they circulate?
Thank you for any insight you have. I really appreciate it!
*Ashley Gillies*
Adult Services Librarian
Southfield Public Library
26300 Evergreen Road <https://www.google.com/maps/search/26300+Evergreen+Road+%0D%0A+%0D%0ASouthfield,+MI+48076?entry=gmail&source=g>
Southfield, MI 48076 <https://www.google.com/maps/search/26300+Evergreen+Road+%0D%0A+%0D%0ASouthfield,+MI+48076?entry=gmail&source=g>
(248) 796-4377
(she/her/hers)
_______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list -- michlib-l@liblists.org To unsubscribe send an email to michlib-l-leave@liblists.org _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list -- michlib-l@liblists.org To unsubscribe send an email to michlib-l-leave@liblists.org
_______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list -- michlib-l@liblists.org To unsubscribe send an email to michlib-l-leave@liblists.org
I know there are a lot of libraries that are moving to having their book club books check out individually, instead of in kits. We did that for a couple years here but found that we actually have a lot of book clubs in our area that then were not able to readily access enough books for their clubs when they needed them. We ended up switching our book club books back into bags almost 3 years ago. The kits are very popular, and the book club groups are very appreciative. Just another perspective 🙂 [cid:68e47280-9157-488f-8a70-4f70ac0c7ce9]<https://www.loutitlibrary.org/> Amy Van Oordt Library Assistant II she/her (what’s this?<https://www.mypronouns.org/>) 616.850.6946 | LoutitLibrary.org<http://loutitlibrary.org/> 407 Columbus Ave. Grand Haven, MI 49417 Expanding Horizons. Enriching Minds. Engaging Community. [cid:88122ad4-e3e9-47f1-9190-771fbba12698]<https://www.facebook.com/LoutitDistrictLibrary/>[cid:6ea4b57d-952a-436c-9d79-d93a428f595b]<https://www.instagram.com/LoutitLibrary/>[cid:472bff84-342c-4803-8ed2-0703c2d6903f]<https://www.youtube.com/@loutitdistrictlibrary461>[cid:1188d890-a408-49f0-8545-e316ae1deb78]<https://www.tiktok.com/@loutitdistrictlibrary> ________________________________ From: Deb Hemmye via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org> Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2026 4:17 PM To: Ashley Gillies <agillies@southfieldlibrary.org> Cc: Michlib <michlib-l@liblists.org> Subject: [Michlib-l] Re: Book Club Books We don't purchase the books that our book clubs read so I can't answer your question directly, but we do have a book club collection. We get our book club books in one of two ways: when a very popular title is no longer popular and we have many copies of it and I think it would make a good discussion book, we add those extra copies to our book club collection. We only have room for one, at most two, copies of any title on our regular fiction shelves. Second, I grab any free titles that sound interesting whenever another library is weeding their book club sets and so far, I've never had anyone complain that our book club collection is just "old" stuff. If they haven't read it, it's new to them. We have anywhere from 4-10 copies of each book club title and, although we shelve them together in our Book Club Collection section, we allow the books to be checked out individually. I'd like to make a small plea to consider doing the same because, just today and many, many other times, our patrons request what they think is one book but turns out to be a book club kit with ten books in a large bag. They're not happy, and yes I know, they should place their holds more carefully, but still. Back in the day when the only format choice was hard cover or paperback, this book club kit model made a lot of sense. Now we have ebooks and audiobooks along with the physical book - meaning the likelihood that anyone needs ten copies is much smaller today. Just anecdotally - from casual conversations I've had with people I notice checking out book club books - I think we have as many people checking these books out just to read by themselves as we do people checking them out for a book discussion. My point being that they seem to be popular for more than just book clubs, but I don't think they would be if people had to take ten copies at a time. Food for thought! Deb Hemmye Library Director Huntington Woods Public Library 26415 Scotia Road Huntington Woods, MI 48070 248-543-9720, ext. 686 Currently listening to Eddie Winston is Looking for Love, by Marianne Cronin. [cid:82e374e8c9cb842f509b7b3caf327ec9b1076afe@zimbra] ________________________________ From: "Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org> To: "Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org> Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2026 1:44:33 PM Subject: [Michlib-l] Book Club Books Hello, I was hoping to find out what other libraries do with the books after a book club is finished with them? Do you keep them in circulation, repurpose them, or use them in another way? I'd also love to know if your library offers book club kits, and how frequently they circulate? Thank you for any insight you have. I really appreciate it! Ashley Gillies Adult Services Librarian Southfield Public Library 26300 Evergreen Road Southfield, MI 48076 (248) 796-4377 www.southfieldlibrary.org<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.southfieldlibrary.org_&d=DwMFAw&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=sW0QtgsUF_VTgHYbMLAYDX2ikQwQhwFgtcNmyu5STJQ&m=l206AuerT-iA__w8DnD4MvW54JzgXJey_GBOzFp_C-_clcGdWLJ1cuZlxTzvBoQa&s=PUujFPk3Kd4KQhDi5W-XjaMpb0XfXh_miQfGABbYE88&e=> (she/her/hers) _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list -- michlib-l@liblists.org To unsubscribe send an email to michlib-l-leave@liblists.org
Hi Amy, Can I ask how you promote them? We have a ton of book clubs in our community too, but they don’t utilize the kits. Usually they pick some new book that we don’t have a kit for and can’t MEL for them…. Michelle Duclos, Director Frankenmuth Wickson District Library 359 S. Franklin Street Frankenmuth, MI 48734 989-652-8323 www.wicksonlibrary.org<http://www.wicksonlibrary.org/> Never Underestimate The Big Importance of Small Things ~ Matt Haig, The Midnight Library [cid:image001.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0] From: Amy Van Oordt via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org> Sent: Monday, June 1, 2026 11:55 AM To: Ashley Gillies <agillies@southfieldlibrary.org>; Deb Hemmye <dhemmye@hwoodslib.org> Cc: Michlib <michlib-l@liblists.org> Subject: [Michlib-l] Re: Book Club Books I know there are a lot of libraries that are moving to having their book club books check out individually, instead of in kits. We did that for a couple years here but found that we actually have a lot of book clubs in our area that then were not able to readily access enough books for their clubs when they needed them. We ended up switching our book club books back into bags almost 3 years ago. The kits are very popular, and the book club groups are very appreciative. Just another perspective 🙂 [cid:image002.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0]<https://www.loutitlibrary.org/> Amy Van Oordt Library Assistant II she/her (what’s this?<https://www.mypronouns.org/>) 616.850.6946 | LoutitLibrary.org<http://loutitlibrary.org/> 407 Columbus Ave. Grand Haven, MI 49417 Expanding Horizons. Enriching Minds. Engaging Community. [cid:image003.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0]<https://www.facebook.com/LoutitDistrictLibrary/>[cid:image004.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0]<https://www.instagram.com/LoutitLibrary/>[cid:image005.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0]<https://www.youtube.com/@loutitdistrictlibrary461>[cid:image006.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0]<https://www.tiktok.com/@loutitdistrictlibrary> ________________________________ From: Deb Hemmye via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l@liblists.org>> Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2026 4:17 PM To: Ashley Gillies <agillies@southfieldlibrary.org<mailto:agillies@southfieldlibrary.org>> Cc: Michlib <michlib-l@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l@liblists.org>> Subject: [Michlib-l] Re: Book Club Books We don't purchase the books that our book clubs read so I can't answer your question directly, but we do have a book club collection. We get our book club books in one of two ways: when a very popular title is no longer popular and we have many copies of it and I think it would make a good discussion book, we add those extra copies to our book club collection. We only have room for one, at most two, copies of any title on our regular fiction shelves. Second, I grab any free titles that sound interesting whenever another library is weeding their book club sets and so far, I've never had anyone complain that our book club collection is just "old" stuff. If they haven't read it, it's new to them. We have anywhere from 4-10 copies of each book club title and, although we shelve them together in our Book Club Collection section, we allow the books to be checked out individually. I'd like to make a small plea to consider doing the same because, just today and many, many other times, our patrons request what they think is one book but turns out to be a book club kit with ten books in a large bag. They're not happy, and yes I know, they should place their holds more carefully, but still. Back in the day when the only format choice was hard cover or paperback, this book club kit model made a lot of sense. Now we have ebooks and audiobooks along with the physical book - meaning the likelihood that anyone needs ten copies is much smaller today. Just anecdotally - from casual conversations I've had with people I notice checking out book club books - I think we have as many people checking these books out just to read by themselves as we do people checking them out for a book discussion. My point being that they seem to be popular for more than just book clubs, but I don't think they would be if people had to take ten copies at a time. Food for thought! Deb Hemmye Library Director Huntington Woods Public Library 26415 Scotia Road Huntington Woods, MI 48070 248-543-9720, ext. 686 Currently listening to Eddie Winston is Looking for Love, by Marianne Cronin. [cid:image007.jpg@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0] ________________________________ From: "Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l@liblists.org>> To: "Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l@liblists.org>> Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2026 1:44:33 PM Subject: [Michlib-l] Book Club Books Hello, I was hoping to find out what other libraries do with the books after a book club is finished with them? Do you keep them in circulation, repurpose them, or use them in another way? I'd also love to know if your library offers book club kits, and how frequently they circulate? Thank you for any insight you have. I really appreciate it! Ashley Gillies Adult Services Librarian Southfield Public Library 26300 Evergreen Road Southfield, MI 48076 (248) 796-4377 www.southfieldlibrary.org<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.southfieldlibrary.org_&d=DwMFAw&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=sW0QtgsUF_VTgHYbMLAYDX2ikQwQhwFgtcNmyu5STJQ&m=l206AuerT-iA__w8DnD4MvW54JzgXJey_GBOzFp_C-_clcGdWLJ1cuZlxTzvBoQa&s=PUujFPk3Kd4KQhDi5W-XjaMpb0XfXh_miQfGABbYE88&e=> (she/her/hers) _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list -- michlib-l@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l@liblists.org> To unsubscribe send an email to michlib-l-leave@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l-leave@liblists.org>
Hi Michelle- -We use Bibliocore, and we have a link on our website, in a couple places, to the complete bibliocore list of them. -We have a "lookbook" that has a summary, author info, general genre categories, and a couple of industry reviews of each book. There is a lookbook at the Adult Services desk that is for in-library browsing, and we have one that is on our "new books" display (with a big sign next to it) that can be checked out for a week . I also have a typed list of all of the available titles we have that we hand out if someone wants just the basics (title and author). -We make sure to let people know we have them if we hear people talking about books clubs, or if some asks for a book club rec, or is requesting that we MeL a bunch of books for a book club. -We also are lucky enough to have an outreach librarian that visits our local senior center and the local independent and assisted living facilities so they have let them know we have the kits as well. I think it might be listed in the brochure that is handed out to new patrons as well, but I don't have one handy so I am not positive on that. -We have a twice monthly email newsletter that goes out and I know it has been mentioned in that before as well. -The kits used to be out on a shelf, so they were very visible. We are getting tighter and tighter on space however, so now they have moved back in the back circulation area. When they were so visible, people saw them and they were known because of that. Word spread! ?? I hope this is helpful! Amy [cid:24b49905-cae8-4f61-9fb6-a8bd4498da2e]<https://www.loutitlibrary.org/> Amy Van Oordt Library Assistant II she/her (what’s this?<https://www.mypronouns.org/>) 616.850.6946 | LoutitLibrary.org<http://loutitlibrary.org/> 407 Columbus Ave. Grand Haven, MI 49417 Expanding Horizons. Enriching Minds. Engaging Community. [cid:5519e1be-7639-46ea-91b9-3a00ab900e91]<https://www.facebook.com/LoutitDistrictLibrary/>[cid:989da72c-287a-4012-8f8b-ccd03475114b]<https://www.instagram.com/LoutitLibrary/>[cid:3eaf63ca-aac0-49c1-9ebb-a17f99e8152c]<https://www.youtube.com/@loutitdistrictlibrary461>[cid:d245a25d-f292-41a8-b512-caccfaa4cb2e]<https://www.tiktok.com/@loutitdistrictlibrary> ________________________________ From: Michelle <Michelle@wicksonlibrary.org> Sent: Monday, June 1, 2026 12:01 PM To: Amy Van Oordt <avanoordt@loutitlibrary.org>; Ashley Gillies <agillies@southfieldlibrary.org>; Deb Hemmye <dhemmye@hwoodslib.org> Cc: Michlib <michlib-l@liblists.org> Subject: RE: Book Club Books Hi Amy, Can I ask how you promote them? We have a ton of book clubs in our community too, but they don’t utilize the kits. Usually they pick some new book that we don’t have a kit for and can’t MEL for them…. Michelle Duclos, Director Frankenmuth Wickson District Library 359 S. Franklin Street Frankenmuth, MI 48734 989-652-8323 www.wicksonlibrary.org<http://www.wicksonlibrary.org/> Never Underestimate The Big Importance of Small Things ~ Matt Haig, The Midnight Library [cid:image001.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0] From: Amy Van Oordt via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org> Sent: Monday, June 1, 2026 11:55 AM To: Ashley Gillies <agillies@southfieldlibrary.org>; Deb Hemmye <dhemmye@hwoodslib.org> Cc: Michlib <michlib-l@liblists.org> Subject: [Michlib-l] Re: Book Club Books I know there are a lot of libraries that are moving to having their book club books check out individually, instead of in kits. We did that for a couple years here but found that we actually have a lot of book clubs in our area that then were not able to readily access enough books for their clubs when they needed them. We ended up switching our book club books back into bags almost 3 years ago. The kits are very popular, and the book club groups are very appreciative. Just another perspective ?? [cid:image002.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0]<https://www.loutitlibrary.org/> Amy Van Oordt Library Assistant II she/her (what’s this?<https://www.mypronouns.org/>) 616.850.6946 | LoutitLibrary.org<http://loutitlibrary.org/> 407 Columbus Ave. Grand Haven, MI 49417 Expanding Horizons. Enriching Minds. Engaging Community. [cid:image003.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0]<https://www.facebook.com/LoutitDistrictLibrary/>[cid:image004.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0]<https://www.instagram.com/LoutitLibrary/>[cid:image005.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0]<https://www.youtube.com/@loutitdistrictlibrary461>[cid:image006.png@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0]<https://www.tiktok.com/@loutitdistrictlibrary> ________________________________ From: Deb Hemmye via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l@liblists.org>> Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2026 4:17 PM To: Ashley Gillies <agillies@southfieldlibrary.org<mailto:agillies@southfieldlibrary.org>> Cc: Michlib <michlib-l@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l@liblists.org>> Subject: [Michlib-l] Re: Book Club Books We don't purchase the books that our book clubs read so I can't answer your question directly, but we do have a book club collection. We get our book club books in one of two ways: when a very popular title is no longer popular and we have many copies of it and I think it would make a good discussion book, we add those extra copies to our book club collection. We only have room for one, at most two, copies of any title on our regular fiction shelves. Second, I grab any free titles that sound interesting whenever another library is weeding their book club sets and so far, I've never had anyone complain that our book club collection is just "old" stuff. If they haven't read it, it's new to them. We have anywhere from 4-10 copies of each book club title and, although we shelve them together in our Book Club Collection section, we allow the books to be checked out individually. I'd like to make a small plea to consider doing the same because, just today and many, many other times, our patrons request what they think is one book but turns out to be a book club kit with ten books in a large bag. They're not happy, and yes I know, they should place their holds more carefully, but still. Back in the day when the only format choice was hard cover or paperback, this book club kit model made a lot of sense. Now we have ebooks and audiobooks along with the physical book - meaning the likelihood that anyone needs ten copies is much smaller today. Just anecdotally - from casual conversations I've had with people I notice checking out book club books - I think we have as many people checking these books out just to read by themselves as we do people checking them out for a book discussion. My point being that they seem to be popular for more than just book clubs, but I don't think they would be if people had to take ten copies at a time. Food for thought! Deb Hemmye Library Director Huntington Woods Public Library 26415 Scotia Road Huntington Woods, MI 48070 248-543-9720, ext. 686 Currently listening to Eddie Winston is Looking for Love, by Marianne Cronin. [cid:image007.jpg@01DCF1BE.5A7416F0] ________________________________ From: "Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l@liblists.org>> To: "Michlib" <michlib-l@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l@liblists.org>> Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2026 1:44:33 PM Subject: [Michlib-l] Book Club Books Hello, I was hoping to find out what other libraries do with the books after a book club is finished with them? Do you keep them in circulation, repurpose them, or use them in another way? I'd also love to know if your library offers book club kits, and how frequently they circulate? Thank you for any insight you have. I really appreciate it! Ashley Gillies Adult Services Librarian Southfield Public Library 26300 Evergreen Road Southfield, MI 48076 (248) 796-4377 www.southfieldlibrary.org<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.southfieldlibrary.org_&d=DwMFAw&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=sW0QtgsUF_VTgHYbMLAYDX2ikQwQhwFgtcNmyu5STJQ&m=l206AuerT-iA__w8DnD4MvW54JzgXJey_GBOzFp_C-_clcGdWLJ1cuZlxTzvBoQa&s=PUujFPk3Kd4KQhDi5W-XjaMpb0XfXh_miQfGABbYE88&e=> (she/her/hers) _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list -- michlib-l@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l@liblists.org> To unsubscribe send an email to michlib-l-leave@liblists.org<mailto:michlib-l-leave@liblists.org>
participants (6)
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Amy Van Oordt -
Ashley Gillies -
Deb Hemmye -
Jacqueline LaFreniere -
Laurie Zachwieja -
Michelle