Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The book group is a staple of the public library system. For years public libraries have used it to gather readers of different genres (mystery book lovers), to celebrate holidays or different times of year (seasons, summer reading programs), and to appeal to diverse patron groups (children’s reading groups, student recreational reading groups).

At Loyola Marymount University (LMU), a medium-sized private Jesuit university, we decided to use the book group as a way of reaching out to our neighboring communities. This article will describe how we used the traditional book group to promote a new academic program and the unanticipated …