NNLM Reading Club has a New Look

Posted by Darlene Kaskie on May 5th, 2023 Posted in: Blog, NNLM Reading Club
Tags: NNLM Reading Club

Did you know that the NNLM Reading Club made its debut in November 2018?

Prior to the pandemic, our regional offices packaged and shipped eight books and collateral material to libraries across the country who wanted to get the conversation started around a health topic such as mental health, substance abuse, or healthy aging.

Sometimes these topics have a stigma associated with it, and we thought that one way to address these sensitive topics is discussing the protagonist in a novel or discussing a personal experience in a memoir.

You proved us right. From November 2018 until March 2020, NNLM distributed 788 kits reaching over 6,300 readers nationwide who discussed health and wellness representing 21 health topics and 79 book titles. We also received numerous notes of appreciation and testimonies for how a book discussion made a difference.

“Love the book program – easy to do,” one librarian wrote to NNLM. “You have everything organized, including discussion questions.”

Although NNLM no longer mails books to participating libraries, we continue to select topics and books to choose from.

Each month, a small and dedicated team collaborates to identify three books around a health topic. Our selection criteria:

• Author or book is award-winning or a national bestseller
• Book reviews or reader ratings are consistent and positive
• Titles are published or reprinted within the current five years with the exception for Classics
• Diverse voices are represented
• Publications are available in another format such as audio, e-book, or large print
• Various genres are consider

Our online collection has grown to 31 health topics and 129 books. And it continues to expand monthly. In order to wrangle this much content is a “growing” issue, too. Thankfully, with the help of our National Website Office, we restructured and redesigned the NNLM Reading Club website for improved navigation and discovery of books and health information resources.

nnlm.gov/reading-club

Start by visiting our new home page at nnlm.gov/reading-club. Here you will find our latest featured selection of books. when you click the GO TO: {TOPIC} button, you will find a page of health topic resources such as MedlinePlus, NIH, factsheets, videos, and other relevant and interesting information. And on that page, in the right column, you are presented with the books selected for that health topic. Visit any one of the book pages to learn more about the book, its author, including interviews, and download discussion guides and promotional materials to make hosting a book club effortless.

Book web page for Waste by Catherine Coleman Flowers

Now return to the Reading Club home page by following the breadcrumbs in the top ribbon bar. On the Reading Club home page you will discover six circles in a blue box at the bottom of the page. Here you can explore and find toolkits such as the Diverse Voices Collections with more than 1000 community-picked books. You also can watch the recordings of five virtual author talks hosted under the NNLM Reading Club Presents… initiative.

We also want to hear from you… our members. Recommend a book or take a short survey to let us know what you like about our program or make suggestions for how we can improve.

But most importantly, select a book now and get the conversation started for health and wellness in your community!

ABOUT Darlene Kaskie
Darlene Kaskie, M.L.S. is Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist for Region 6 of the Network of the National Library of Medicine. She connects communities to training, engagement, and funding to improve access to health information and NLM Resources such as MedlinePlus. Advancing health literacy and digital skills training helps people make informed decisions about their health. She earned her Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) from the Medical Library Association.

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