1. What is a Book Club Kit?
   A book club kit consists of 10 copies of a book packaged in an easy to carry cloth tote bag, alongside some book club leader resources.
2. Who can borrow Book Club Kits?
   Book club kits can be borrowed by any local book club. The Book Club Kit will be checked out on the Stratford Public Library card of the person picking up the bag. That person assumes responsibility for the bag and all its contents.
   These kits are not available for Interloan at this time.
3. What titles are available as a Book Club Kit?
   All sorts! See the complete BiblioCommons list of Book Club Kits that we hold in our system.
   Book Clubs may also request any title of their choosing; we will try to find multiple copies for you, but cannot guarantee availability of all titles. Titles must be more than a year old to be requested via Interlibrary Loan. These titles will be packaged as a temporary kit in a Book Club tote bag for pickup by the club.
4. How can I reserve Book Club Kits in advance?
   You can submit requests to the book club coordinator via the book club request form, and we will check on availability and let you know if there are schedule conflicts. Any requests whether for in-house Book Club Kits or other titles must be submitted 3 months in advance.
5. Where can I pick up Book Club Kits?
   Book Club Kits will be made available on the book club holds shelf on the main floor.
6. How long may I keep a Book Club Kit?
   The loan period for a Book Club Kit is a default of 6 weeks. The return date will be set for one week after your book club meeting upon checkout, and it must be returned by that date regardless of when you pick it up. It is important to return all books in a Book Club Kit together and on time as other book clubs may have reserved them.
7. Can I renew a Book Club Kit?
   No. Book Club Kits cannot be renewed in order to ensure that the set is available for use by other book clubs.
8. Where can I return Book Club Kits?
   Book Club Kits must be returned together as one unit, with all books and resources inside, as they were checked out. A Book Club Kit will not be checked in unless all books and resources are inside. Book Club Kits may be returned through the book drop as long as all items are included and the bag is zipped closed to keep all items together.
9. What is the late charge for books in a Book Club Kit?
   The late charge is 25 cents per day per complete set.
10. What is the charge if one of the books is missing?
    A flat rate of $10.00 will be charged for each missing item.

While SPL does not have it's own Book Club at this time, there is one book club that meets at the library and is open to everyone.

Good Book Group

The Good Book Group has been meeting at the Library since 1989. They are an ever-changing group of people who enjoy getting together to talk about books. Books are chosen for discussion several months in advance and the upcoming selections are listed below.

When? 1st Tuesday on each month at 2pm and 7pm
Where? The Stratford Public Library Auditorium.

UPCOMING TITLES

November 2018: The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
December 2018: The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell
January 2019: A Gentleman in Moscow  by Amor Towles
February 2019: Sisters in the Wilderness: the lives of Susanna Moodie & Catharine Parr Trail by Charlotte Gray
March 2019: Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carre
April 2019: Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
May 2019: The Green Road by Ann Enright
 

• Tips on Running a Successful Bookclub from Toronto Public Library
• I Love Libraries is an American organization but has some great ideas and resources for book clubs everywhere
• ReadingGroupGuides.com  and LitLovers.com offers great resources for book-specific discussion questions
• The Literary Gathering is operated by a bookclub in Hamilton that shares book choices, discussion questions, and inspired menus

Stratford Public Library is an official partner of the Amnesty International Book Club.

The AI Book Club is a great place to select your club’s next read, as the organization aims to support readers beyond just the book.   What does that mean? High-quality book titles are regularly featured, along with a great range of accompanying support information including interactive author interviews, podcasts, discussion questions, and of course, how the item examines human rights issues.  The AI Newsletter has well over 6,000 subscribers and is mailed monthly with the latest news in books, actions, reflective essays, and a discussion guide. 

For more information, check out their website.