I strongly believe reading is an important part of our lives, both as a requirement for existing in society and for personal enjoyment; so I’m always excited to see organizations working towards improving literacy. Book Club Works is another such group. Their website’s tag line, “A place for book clubs to move and shake the world” is direct and inspiring.
As you have probably guessed, this advocacy group is trying to get book clubs involved in the fight against illiteracy. It’s a very new group but their main purpose is to promote communication between book clubs and literary activists by providing an avenue for them to hook up. Groups and activists who would otherwise not hear about one another are able to register with Book Club Works to find one another. Once they do they can work on getting “great books into needy hands”.
The registry is open to any size book club or group as well as those that exist only online. It is also for teachers, literary activists, authors and anyone else who wants to help get books get into the right hands. Those who join are looking to provide support for: tribal teachers, group homes, shelters, disadvantaged schools, disaster relief, and prisons.
It’s free and easy to join. Once you fill out an easy contact/information form and create a password you are instantly approved and can search through the listing of those requesting book help. As I mentioned it is a new group but there are listings for teachers and respite managers looking for aid. Each listing has a small write up about the person requesting help as well as some info on the organization/school and the needed material. It is up to you to contact, introduce yourself and offer support. Or you can wait to be contacted by someone else.
There is a discussion forum on the website but they need some help getting the discussion going. Stop by and leave a few thoughts while you’re checking out the rest of the website.
It is through the passion of book club readers that Book Club Works hopes to instill can cultivate reading on a grander scale. The more hands that join together the further the reach.
Update: As of May 2010 the web site closed.
This piece was originally posted on 9/23/2007 at Literary Fiction BellaOnline.
Leave a Reply