Making a nation of readers: Strengthening reading culture though library book clubs was inspired by findings of a 23% increase in facilitated library book clubs in Victoria in 2023–24, and further 15% increase the following year. Curious to account for this growth, Public Libraries Victoria’s Reader Development Special Interest Group surveyed libraries about book clubs, book chats and adjacent activity. With funding from the Victorian Government, PLV employed consultant Sharon Mullins to analyse the survey results and produce the Making a nation of readers report.
The report explores both book clubs facilitated by library staff and self-run book clubs supported by public libraries. It also considers book clubs, where everyone reads the same text and comes together to talk about that particular book; and book chats, where people choose their own book and come together to talk about their individual reading.
While the majority of library book clubs are open to everyone, some are targeted to specific demographic groups, such as LGBTIQ+, speakers of languages other than English (LOTE), age-specific groups, fans of specific genres, and so on. Just over a quarter of libraries surveyed (25.7%) offer book clubs for LGBTIQ+ members, making this the most common demographically targeted of the book clubs, followed closely by clubs for teens and young adult readers.
The report features the following case studies:
- Queer Book Club
- Walk and Talk Book Club
- LOTE (Chinese Language) Book Club
- Cookbook Book Club
- Graphic Novel Book Club
- Silent Reading Party
There is a section on PLV’s annual Warm Winter Read campaign – our statewide, online book chat – and the impact it has on supporting regular reading and improving health and wellbeing.
Finally, there’s also a section on top tips for successful book clubs, as identified in the research.
Download a copy of the report. You can also request a hardcopy report via admin@plv.org.au (be sure to include your postal address).