Whether your book club is decades old or just a gleam in your eye, the Nederland Community Library can assist your endeavor, from books, to advice, to meeting space.

Thinking about starting a book club? There are myriad reasons to start a book club, not the least of which is to build new friendships, create a positive social opportunity and exchange interesting ideas. The cliche of “book clubs are just an excuse to drink wine and dish the dirt” is just that, a cliche, and not a very helpful one. I suppose that does happen in some places, but I suspect that is mostly a trope of various Netflix series.

First of all, no matter what moved you to consider starting a book club, the first thing you need to decide is whether it will have a theme. Do you want to read contemporary fiction? Science fiction? Non-fiction? Books on science, sociology, education? Parenting? Are you looking for an opportunity to keep up with the latest NY Times bestsellers? If this book club is your idea, you have the latitude to pick the theme from the outset.

Now who are you going to invite to join? Do you have a set of friends that you think would be a good start? Or are you ready to meet utterly new folks? Social media might be a good place to start if you are wanting a wholly new set of book friends. Or tell a small group of friends and encourage them to network out to their friends. Not everyone is ready for the obligations of a book club, so don’t feel bad if someone turns you down.

Be prepared to be a leader! No book club can keep momentum unless there is at least one person ready to take the primary role of lead communicator. If no one is willing to inform everyone of upcoming meetings, remind them of upcoming plans, and take a lead in facilitating the group, it will melt away. This does not mean you have to be a dictator -- your decisions should be informed by the group as a whole and their needs and desires.

Now that you have formed your group -- or are looking to perpetuate an existing group -- how can the Nederland Community Library help?

Meeting location: If your group is meeting during library hours, you can reserve the Community Room in advance for your book club meeting. One caveat: alcohol is not allowed in the Library Community Room without a legal permit, so this would have to be a wine-less club. But it is a comfortable, centrally located spot, with a fireplace, tables and chairs and doors that can be closed for lively discussion.

Books: Now that the Nederland Library is participating in the “Book Bag” service, attaining up to 12 copies of a chosen book is now extremely easy for local book clubs. No more hunting around, racing to be the first person at the library to get the shelf copy, spending money at the last minute to get the club book because you are on a wait list. Just visit Nedlib.org, and click “Services” and then “Book Clubs.” You will see a whole list of books available by the bag for book clubs, and detailed instructions on how to attain the books.

Advice: The Nederland Community Library staff members have areas of expertise that can be of assistance to you and your book club. We can advise you on book selection, attain book club discussion questions, and offer general advice on creating a book club from scratch. We love books, and we love readers.

Whether by Zoom or in person, reading as a group always brings fresh perspective and new ideas. Happy reading!

The Nederland Community Library is located at 200 Highway 72 North in Nederland. They can be reached at 303-258-1101 or at www.nederland. colibraries.org.