Library boosts book club programs

“We support a lot of book clubs at the library, and it’s great to see how many meet here and in the Montreal area,” said Outreach Librarian Donna Lach, who counted representatives from 10 organizations aside from the library’s own book club, including the Good Companions, the Off-the-Shelf Club, and the Dog-Eared Book Club.

Library clerk Colette Connors introduced Books in a Bag, the library’s new program to assist book clubs. Members can make a reservation at the reference desk for a library tote bag filled with 10 copies of a given title, as well as a binder of informative articles and reviews of the book.

“We really hope this will make it easier for people to have book clubs, because so often we hear that it’s too difficult to get books (for every member of a club)," said Connors. "We would love to have any suggestions you would like to make of books you think would be interesting.”

Library Director Ann Moffat spoke next, introducing a new form of bibliography available at the library: the reading map. This begins with a single title, and presents paths leading to other books related to the topics or themes of the first book.

Special rates for readers over 55

Moffat said the library is pleased to have such interest from book clubs, and expressed her appreciation for their use of the library resources. “We’re a busy place, and we have a lot of books going out," she said. "We have over 830 people a day coming in here, which may surprise you — it surprised me!”

She also pointed out that the library could also be of use to book clubs outside Westmount, as non-Westmounters could pay an annual $118 fee to become a member of the library, with people over 55 eligible for membership at a special rate of $50. “If you really look at the price of books, that’s three hard covers,” she said.

Lach concluded the evening by announcing that the library book club would soon have a special guest. “Mayor Karin Marks is actually going to lead our book club on June 17, and the book she has chosen is 'Pieces of My Heart' by Peter Robinson.”

Any library member may sign up to become a part of the library’s book club. More information regarding the Books in a Bag program is available at the library’s reference desk.