LIS 655

Herron and Vreeland

Program Planning in the Time of Corona

Spring 2020

Alexis Vreeland and Madeline Herron

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STUDENT NAME(S): Alexis Vreeland and Madeline Herron

TITLE OF PROGRAM Highschool Digital Book Club

AUDIENCE Highschoolers (ages ~14-18)

Traditionally, many libraries have targeted their programs and

services to children and adults (YALSA, n.d.) Teens are an
important part of the community, and the library has a
responsibility to address their needs. As they are no longer
children, but not quite yet adults, they have their own unique
needs and interests (YALSA, n.d.). On another note, keeping teens
safe and engaged during out of school (and now during the
quarantine) is a major community issue (Krueger, 2020). Now,
NEED FOR THE SERVICE more than ever, libraries can use their power and influence to help
mitigate the effects of stay-at-home orders that only widen the
learning gaps that already exist (Hill, 2020). Through library
programming, teens are able to build relationships with peers and
adults, including those from “different backgrounds and
experiences” (YALSA, 2017). Through books, the teens will be able
to escape their current reality, if only temporary and bond with
other teens in their community. With everyone homebound
currently, this book club will help to build a sense of community
among our teen patrons. As C.S. Lewis stated, “we read to know
we are not alone” (Rumohr-Voskuil, 2015).
Information (title, time, how to register, and book genre topic)
about the book club will be posted and sent out in a few ways. The
event will be posted on the event calendar on the library’s
website. It will be included in the weekly e-newsletter, sent out to
teens specifically via the teen e-newsletter, posted to the library’s
Facebook page, posted to the library’s twitter, posted to the
library’s instagram, posted to the community’s Facebook page,
and teens will be given the library’s phone number and email to
DISSEMINATION contact for more information (including technical difficulties and
questions).

Prior to the event, registered participants will receive an email

(unless a phone call is requested) that includes the following
information:
● The link to the Zoom meeting.
● Information on how to download the Zoom app if
necessary.
● Who to contact if they are experiencing technical
difficulties.
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Orange County Library’s vision is “Commitment to public service,

LIBRARY GOAL inclusiveness, fostering fun and lifelong learning, collaboration,
and respect” (Munger, 2016). This program seeks to meet the
goals of fostering fun and learning for our teen patrons, as well as
collaboration with other peers during this difficult time.
OUTCOME(S) INDICATORS

● Participants will build ● Participants will engage with at least 3 other participants
relationships with peers, during the session. Doing so will earn them a
including those with different predetermined reward (usually a gift card/e-gift card).
backgrounds and experiences ● Participants will engage with other book club members by
(Alexander, 2018). asking their peers at least 2 different questions each
● Participants will display the session.
● Participants will be able to adequately summarize and
ability to communicate with
explain their chosen book to the group to demonstrate
others.
comprehension.
● Participants will demonstrate ● Participants will feel a sense of internal relief and mental
comprehension and will be able stability by participating in the program.
to critically analyze their book
and think flexibly (Alexander).
● Participants will be able to take
their mind off of current events
and relax in this space to
improve their mental health.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE, PROGRAM, OR ACTIVITY

.

To advertise, see above dissemination listings on where to post information about the upcoming program.

Prior to the meeting, the moderator will send an email with a link to the Zoom meeting and further
information about the program. Students are expected to read a novel based on a particular theme for the
month (e.g., read a mystery or read a book that involves space). The book can be one the participants own or
checked out from the library’s digital collection online. The email will include links to the digital collection for
participants to access ebooks or audiobooks.

At the time of the event, the program moderator(s) will give participants a 5 minute buffer time to log on.
They may start the event on time if all registered participants are present. The moderator(s) will begin by
introducing themselves to the group and thanking all the participants for coming to the program. The
instructor will then outline the rules for the discussion
● Rules:
○ Participants do not have to agree with each other but must respect and listen to the thoughts
and opinions of others. The moderator will then model to the participants how to respectfully
agree and disagree with each other using the following dialogue model.
Agreement:
Person 1: I liked (...) because (...)
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Person 2: I agree! I also liked (...) because (...)

Disagreement:
Person 1: I liked (...) because (...)
Person 2: I understand that you liked (...) because (...). Personally, I did not like (...) because (...)
○ Participants should not talk over or interrupt another participant while they are talking.
○ Participants should not engage in inappropriate behavior during the discussion (e.g., nudity,
obscene hand gestures, etc.). Any such behavior will result in immediate withdrawal from the
group.
○ If a participant has thoughts they would like to share after a person is talking, they may click
the “raise your hand” button to get the moderator’s attention.
○ Participants are encouraged to engage in discussion with each other about the books they
read.
■ If participants engage in the discussion with three or more people, they will receive a
reward.
● Icebreaker
○ After going through the rules of the discussion, the moderator will engage the students in an
icebreaker. Starting with the moderator, the participants will share their name and their
favorite book or series. Participants can volunteer to answer the question or the moderator
can select a participant to start the icebreaker.
● What did you read?
○ After everyone introduces themselves in the ice breaker, the moderator will instruct everyone
to share the title and author of the book they read. They will then have the participant share a
brief summary in their own words on what the book is about. They do not have to give away
any plot or ending spoilers so others may get the chance to read the book in the future.
● Discussion
○ For this portion of the program, it is important to have the participants engage with each
other. The moderator will interfere as little as possible during the discussion. However, they
can encourage quieter participants to join the discussion and intervene when necessary.
○ Questions:
■ What three words would you use to describe the main character of your book?
■ Based on the words people selected, what similarities do you notice between the
main characters? What differences do you notice?
■ Who was your favorite character from the book? Why are they your favorite
character?
■ Who is a character in the book that you love to hate? Why do you love to hate this
character?
■ From a rating of 1-5 stars (with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best) what rating
would you give your book? Why would you give your book this rating?
■ If you were to make the movie version of your book, who would you cast to play the
main character? Why would you pick this person? If your book has already been
turned into a movie, would you still cast the same actor for the role? Why or why
not?
■ If you were to make a crossover novel featuring the main character from a book
another person in the group read, who would you pick? Why would you pick this
character?
■ Based on the discussion, whose book would you decide to read next? Why would you
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pick this book?

● Survey
○ Shortly after the program, the participants will receive a brief survey in their email to
complete. The students will be asked about what they learned from the discussion, what they
liked about the program, and what they believe has room for improvement. They will also be
asked questions about what they anticipate to read next based on the discussion.

 
 
INPUTS OUTPUTS

● An electronic device for each participant with
an installed Zoom application.
● A book the moderator/participant own,
borrowed, or checked out.
● Number of participants registered for the
program.
● Number of participants that attend.
● Number of students that engaged in
discussion with each other.
● Number of completed surveys.
● Survey responses

SUCCESS/FAILURE OF OUTCOMES BY INDICATORS

● 70% of the participants engaged with at least 3 other participants during the session.
● 80% of the participants asked at least 2 questions of their peers each session.
● 90% of the participants were able to 95% accurately summarize and explain their chosen book to the
group to demonstrate comprehension.
● 75% of the participants will feel a self-identified sense of internal relief and personal mental stability.
SHARE EVALUATION HOW & WHY
WITH AT A REAL LIBRARY

● Branch Manager/Leader I would share my program and evaluation with the following
● Adult and Teen Services people to show how the library is still benefiting our community in
Supervisor the midst of COVID-19. Additionally, they would like to have this
information to share with other branches in our system and help
us plan further digital programming.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

We will use survey responses (as well as participant feedback) to guide the future installments of this digital
book club, as well as other digital services.
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Work Cited

Alexander, D. “12 Programs to Get Tweens/Teens Engaged”. YALSA Programs. October 21,
2018. http://hq.yalsa.net/programs/5068/12-programs-to-get-tweensteens-engaged

Frencham, J. “How to Run a Teen Book Club” Teen Services Underground”, January 3, 2017.
https://www.teenservicesunderground.com/how-to-run-a-teen-book-club/

Hill, S.. “Serving Teens During COVID-19”, YALSA Blog. April 13,
2020.http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2020/04/13/serving-teens-during-covid-19/

Jensen, K. “Teen Book Club - Creating a Place to Read and Belong!” Teen Librarian Toolbox.
http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2017/03/teen-book-club-creating-a-place-to-read-
and-belong-a-guest-post-by-sheri-schubbe/

Krueger, T.. “COVID-19 : While your library and/or school is physically closed”, YALSA Blog.
March 26, 2020. http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2020/03/26/covid-19-while-your-library-and-
or-school-is-physically-closed/

Munger, L. “Library System’s Strategic Plan” Orange County Public Library. November 15,
2016. https://www.orangecountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2526/Strategic-Plan-
PDF?bidId=

Rumohr-Voskuil, G. “Why Book Clubs Matter”. Teachers, Profs, Parents: Writers Who Care.
March 30, 2015. https://writerswhocare.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/why-book-clubs-
matter/

YALSA. "Teens First", American Library Association, January 10,

2017.http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teens-first
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YALSA. "Teens First: Basic Learning Outcomes", American Library Association, January 10,
2017.http://www.ala.org/yalsa/sites/ala.org.yalsa/files/content/Teens%20First_%20Basic
%20Learning%20Outcomes%20Guide.pdf