The idea of hosting an online book club came in late 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
“Because I am caring for a vulnerable family member I am shielding. Having the opportunity to attend virtual events is a real treat.”
The idea of hosting an online book club came in late 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Cambridge University Library (CUL) wanted to both stay in touch with its community and offer people marooned indoors something to do. It was also an opportunity to counter a misconception – CUL is sometimes considered an intimidating institution, whereas it’s essentially a building full of books and people who love them.
The Library decided to create a space where members of the community who share CUL staff’s love of literature could meet and explore the books people read for fun, rather than the lofty tomes people can feel pressured to claim they’ve waded through!
The CUL team knew that, to enable honest discussion, the club shouldn’t be an evening with the author of the book. This decision provided an opportunity to support a key community aim – connecting people with research that the UL’s collections support.
The Library has since partnered with many University of Cambridge academics, who are a key ingredient in the club’s success. Members have engaged with a spectrum of research knowledge, from an Aramaic expert highlighting issues with Dan Brown’s translations, to a discussion of working-class life inspired by a modern British history professor’s take on The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole.
A recent 65-74 year-old attendee from the US was among many who feel this is a highlight, saying she most enjoyed, “The guest speaker leading a nuanced, far-ranging discussion making accessible use of scholarly perspectives while also appreciating popular appeal.”
Creating an inclusive conversation about books
The operative word is ‘discussion’, another key ingredient, enabled by the club’s interaction-friendly format, and one which we initially considered a failing! Before launch, we only imagined participants contributing by talking. So, when many instead chose to interact through the chat window we worried. But, as we gathered audience feedback, it became clear it was actually a strength, as illustrated by a recent 55-64-year-old, non-University attendee who said the thing they most enjoyed was, “The inclusive nature of the event and ease of making a contribution via the chat.”
The format allows participants to engage however they feel comfortable. If they’re happy to provide their thoughts on camera, they can. If they want to contribute, but not take the mic, they can post in the chat. And, if they want to just listen while doing the washing up, they’re entirely welcome to do so.
As we refined the offering, and an increasingly engaged membership began to take more say in the books we chose and the shape of conversations, we wanted the discussions to form a point on a journey rather than a single event. So, we began giving further reading lists created with guest academics. This change contributed to helping us achieve another of our strategic objectives - encouraging information literacy.
The goal of signposting pathways into an ecosystem of further information has since been incorporated to other areas – for example, it’s now a feature of all exhibitions. The club has influenced our public participation work in several ways, even leading to our 2024 Murder by the Book programme, a project curated by Cambridge alumnus and novelist Nicola Upson, who was initially a book club guest speaker.
Valuing reach and engagement
We’ve learned not to panic when we get lower turnout to one book. It’s just a fact that a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy might attract over 150 participants, while a less widely beloved book might get around 50. The club represents long-term community engagement with merits that manifest gradually, and numbers at an event don’t lessen the enthusiasm of and – more importantly – value to those that do attend.
We’re delighted to see this value borne out in many ways – for example, the number of participants who then start attending in-person events. We are often moved by the touching feedback illustrating the unexpected ways the forum provides support. A recent participant noted that, “Because I am caring for a vulnerable family member I am shielding. Having the opportunity to attend virtual events is a real treat.”
If you’d like to learn about the books we have coming up, and information on how to join a session, please visit the Cambridge University Library website.
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