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Reading groups Reading groupsCan You Help Us Start Our
Own Reading Group?

Reading Group Home | Books Home

If you and a group of friends would like to start enjoying books together, starting a reading group is a fun and social way of doing that.  Visit your local library and talk to a member of staff about setting up a Reading Group. Click here for details of your local library.
The Reading Group Service is extremely popular and we regret that we are currently unable to register any new groups for the service at the following libraries:
Bedford Central
Bromham Library
Kempston Library
Putnoe Library
Shefford Library
Wootton Library

To save time and prepare in advance follow the steps below:

  1. Contact your local library and talk to a member of staff to check that they are accepting new groups.
  2. Decide who will be your main contact for the group.
    This is a very important role as the main contact will sign the Reading Group Agreement and be responsible for the books that are borrowed, returned or lost.
  3. Download the Reading Group Agreement and read carefully before signing, it might be worth keeping a copy for your records.
  4. Visit your local library with your signed form.
  5. The member of staff will register you as a Reading Group, and whoever filled in the form will be the contact between your new group and the library. You will be given a Reading Group Request Form to complete and details of the Reading Group Collection.
  6. Return the Reading Group Request Form to the library when you have decided what books your group wants to read in the future, and the staff there will order those books for you, free of charge. If you need some ideas on what to read, have a look at Choosing and Discussing Books
  7. Pile of BooksSit back and wait to be informed of the arrival of your books
  8. Collect the books and keep them for six weeks. If these are returned late you will be charged concessionary rates fines.
  9. Have a lively and fun discussion with the other members of your reading group!

Those few points should be all you need to get your Reading Group started. If you have any other queries, or if you can't see the information you were looking for, go to Reading Group FAQs.

Page last updated: 25th February 2014