Montvale Public Library

Montvale Public Library
Book Discussion Groups

The Library currently sponsors two book discussion groups, one held on a Monday afternoon and one held on a Thursday evening.

The Monday afternoon group meets at 12:00 noon on the second Monday of every month. Meetings are held in Conference Room #1, upstairs in the Municipal Complex. [We are sorry, but there are no openings in this Book Group.]

The Thursday evening group meets at 7:30p.m. on the third Thursday of every month. Meetings are held in the Library's staff room.
[There are still openings in this Book Group, should anyone care to join.]

To see a schedule of which books will be read and discussed, click on Monday or Thursday.

To join the Thursday group, please call Lorissa Lightman at 201-391-5090 or e-mail her at lightman@bccls.org and provide the following information: your name, telephone number, and barcode number.

Purpose of Book Discussion Groups:

To promote the use of the library by providing a forum to discuss books.
To promote the use of the library by providing discussion materials such as reviews, biographical material, and critical essays about the authors and their works.
To promote the use of the library's collection through the sharing of books other than those which are the focus of the group.
To provide a social environment for library patrons to meet each other and form community ties.
To enrich patrons' reading experiences.

The library will:

Provide a meeting room.
Obtain free copies of selected books for members who possess a valid resident BCCLS library card. Members may choose to purchase their own copies.
Provide reviews, biographical material, and critical essays about the authors and their works.
Coordinate scheduling and book ordering.
Promote the group through press releases, posters, and a page on the library's website.

Membership:

Membership is open to adults (18 years and older) who possess a valid resident BCCLS library card. Books will be ordered from other libraries in advance of each meeting and will be charged to each member's library card.
Adults that do not possess a valid resident BCCLS library card may join; however, these participants are responsible for obtaining copies of the books to be dicussed.

Group rules:

Members will take turns leading discussions.
To participate fully in any discussion a member must have read the book.
Those who have not read the book may attend meetings but must refrain from comment.
It is expected that each member at some time will dislike a selected title or find some offense at its content. This is an adult group. Members may debate the merits of a specific work if they have read the book.
Titles will be chosen by the members from a list provided by library staff. Determination is by simple majority. Members are encouraged to bring their own title suggestions to the attention of the group.
Titles must be available throughout BCCLS in sufficient quantity for consideration. Current bestsellers cannot be ordered from other libraries.