Book Club Experience

This past Tuesday, I attended a book club meeting at the Fishers Branch of the Hamilton East Public Library (HEPL). This month, the club read The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. This book club is called “Just the Facts” – as it is a non-fiction book club - and is facilitated by librarian/HEPL employee Hayley Trefun.  Full disclosure: this book club occurs at the library in which I work but I do not:

•          Facilitate or contribute to book choices
•          Attend professionally or personally
•          Even like to read nonfiction.

I facilitated a book club at our library called Books on Tap – it reads contemporary fiction and meets outside the library in the community. I believe that Just the Facts is pretty much the polar opposite of the book club I facilitate, so I wanted to see the differences in facilitation and discussion topics. Additionally, I must admit that I wanted to see how conversation flowed and the interactions between members, and how it compared to my group.

Just the Facts has been meeting on a regular basis (the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm at the library) for the past three years. With the exception of maternity leave, Hayley has been the only facilitator. In speaking with Hayley, I found that she was drawn to create and lead this club “because I have a passion for nonfiction and believe that others in our community do as well – and we need to meet more than just the needs for fiction readers” (personal communication, H. Trefun, March 6, 2015). Hayley is responsible for book selection, and makes her list in the last quarter of the calendar year, so that she may publish it by December and have books purchased and in-hand by her January meeting.

This meeting began with a gathering of 12 people in the library’s meeting rooms – though the advertised start time is 7:00 pm, Hayley allowed general chit-chat for a few moments while people drifted in, and this seemed to be the norm. After coming together, the group acknowledged that there were new members or returning members who had been absent for a while, so the group took turns doing introductions and wore name tags so that they could address one another. I introduced myself but refrained from sharing that I was observing their interactions so that their behavior would remain natural.

The book club opened with people sharing general thoughts about the book and its topic. This book discusses the impact that “the myths of pseudoscience” have on decision making in today’s fast-paced and technology-driven society, and explores whether society will be able to make intelligent and rational decisions in the future with false scientific myths clouding our judgment (Sagan, 1997).  It was anticipated that this book would spark a lot of debate and dissention of opinion, as the book discusses false science that ranges from witchcraft to alien abductions to some/most religions – and that anticipation was certainly met. Each person in the book club had a very strong opinion about the book – some agreeing, some vehemently disagreeing. However, when the discussion concluded, the general consensus was that our society knows far less about science now than it did when this book was written – and that knowledge may continue to decline.

In my opinion, Hayley did an excellent job as facilitator and moderator – it was clear that the group looked to Hayley to begin conversation, and transition it when it died or became contentious! In that role, Hayley would take on that responsibility, but did so in a way that encouraged input from all members who wanted to speak before moving on. Some members were distinctly quieter than others, but each had something to contribute, and Hayley seemed to know most of them well enough to encourage that from them. As facilitator, Hayley did share her opinions, but did so in a time that allowed others to share theirs first, and in a way that did not make anyone feel like they must share her perspective. She came prepared with a list of questions and used them occasionally – either when conversation turned in the direction of a question, or when there was a lull. The group seemed to appreciate the opportunity to have a focused question to answer, but also seemed to thrive when their conversation flowed more organically.

As with most group dynamics, there were a few characters present. One gentleman (who is known to the librarians as a headstrong fellow!) made comments that were not only irrelevant to the discussion but also inflammatory – i.e. bringing up the existence of God in a way that seemed to be inciting debate just for the sake of debate. Throughout the evening, it seemed as if members of the book club knew how to push back, and the facilitator did not have to step in, though she later shared that she was prepared to if he got too aggressive (personal communication, H. Trefun, March 11, 2015). Another gentleman, who is new to book clubs, would blurt out his opinion at times when that portion of the discussion had been concluded, or share transitions that didn’t make sense to most. Luckily, he is an affable man and was willing to explain his transitions so that others could follow!

The book club had a lively, engaged conversation that seemed to leave all of the members satisfied. Conversation wrapped up around 8:15, which was the typical length for this club. At the end, Hayley handed out the next month’s book and reminded people of place and time, and members left seemingly pleased and excited for next month’s book.

I was very pleased with this club and the opportunity to observe its discussion. I was a little surprised at the level/amount of conversation, and was told that it is not usually that lively (personal communication, H. Trefun, March 11, 2015). The members were generally respectful of each individuals’ opinions and time to talk, and even the more abrasive moments/members were handled in assertive, but not aggressive, ways. It was noted that many members of this group have been together for a while in this group and others, so they are accustomed to interacting with one another.

The only feedback/changes I would make would be the following:

·         Length of time devoted to each point of conversation: Hayley allowed ample time for each attendee to discuss their perspectives – but sometimes certain points dragged. I did observe fidgeting and time checking which indicated to me that some people were losing interest. It may have been helpful to shorten some individual speaking time and move to others more quickly so that more people could speak in a given time.

·         Incorporate additional library information: The library has a large number of fun and engaging spring programs coming up, and staff has been asked to mention it to all of our programs and groups. It would have been great if Hayley could have brought along some adult programming brochures or flyers so that attendees could review the offerings and ask questions.

Overall, I think that this book club had a great discussion and fun dynamic – and Hayley was an excellent facilitator! I would be interested to attend another meeting to compare the conversation, and see a more typical conversation. Regardless, this shows that there is a need and an interest in reading and discussing nonfiction works in our community, and I’m glad that our library’s offerings include this book club.

References

Sagan, C. (1997). The Demon Haunted World – Science as a Candle in the Dark. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.