Resource Sharing

Spotlight on Sharing: A Movable Book Club

By Amy Hitchner: Published on
Resource Sharing

Are you looking for ways to shake up your traditional book club? Take it on the road—or on the trail! Walking while talking is good for physical and mental well-being, and it also breaks down the social barriers that can hold back creative ideas. In her TED Talk on the benefits of walking meetings, business innovator Nilofer Merchant tells us: “You’ll be surprised at how fresh air drives fresh thinking.”

Check out FeetFirst.org to learn more about walking meetings, including tips for facilitating walking meetings for groups of all sizes.

This Spotlight on Sharing post features several libraries in Colorado that offer walking book clubs, and one that even offers walking while reading (in a safe environment, of course). Maybe you’ll be inspired to make your next book club meeting a movable event.

Rambling Readers!

  • Pine River Library
  • “The Library wants to get you walking and reading… but not at the same time of course! The “Rambling Readers” walk at Saul’s Creek will now be a monthly occurrence due to popular demand after the first walk in July. The walks take place the second Friday of every month from 9:30 to 10:30, with the next walk on August 12th. Participants have the choice of meeting at the gate of Saul’s Creek just off Highway 160 in Bayfield at 9:30 or meeting at the Library at 9:15 to carpool to the meet up location. Join us for an informal social hour of walking and talking about your favorite books, whatever they may be!”
  • Event site

Walking Book Club – Vail

  • Vail Library
  • “As part of our Healthy Lifestyle Series Vail Public Library is happy to introduce a Walking Book Club. Vail Public Library’s Walking Book Club is Similar to a regular book club, except we will take our meetings outside and walk while we discuss the book. Our Walking Book Club is a fun, social outing, but at the same time you are getting the mental and physical activity essential to a healthy brain. Join us if you have read the book or not; share what you are reading with us as we walk or share reading ideas with the rest of the group. The point is to get you moving and socializing with other readers! The Walking Book Club will take place the 4th Friday at 11:00 am of every month from June – September.”
  • Event site

Walking Book Club – Steamboat Springs

  • Bud Werner Memorial Library
  • Ages 9 and up
  • “Read the book, meet at the library, and we will walk together to a surprise location for a riveting discussion and fun filled activities!”
  • Event site

Walk Wednesdays

  • Pikes Peak Library District, East Library
  • “Every other Wednesday in June and July, we challenge you to walk a mile in the library – and you’ll be able to stop at checkpoints to read a story. Everyone is invited to participate, but the walk will start in the East Teen Center. There, you will read the first part of the story and learn where to walk to next to read the next part. By the time you finish reading the story, you will have walked a mile!”
  • Event site

This post is part of the Spotlight on Sharing initiative, which aims to increase the visibility of resource sharing in Colorado libraries. Does your library offer a walking book club? Let us know by filling out this super short form or emailing ahitchner@coloradovirtuallibrary.org. If you’re on Twitter, tweet @hitchlib or use the hashtag #spotlightonsharing.

Amy Hitchner
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