by Faye D. Fischer and Hannah Jones
Many of you have heard of Book Buzz, the Utah State Library program for loaning out sets of books to book clubs, libraries, schools, community centers, and other groups. But do you know how much the program is growing? We want to share some exciting updates with you!
- Our collection is growing.
Since Hannah Jones began coordinating the program in 2020 the collection has increased from 500 to 650 titles. We recently purchased more graphic novels for adults based on increased requests and are working to purchase more books for children and teen groups to include graphic novels, YA titles, and middle grade books.
- Our circulation is increasing.
The month of August was the biggest month ever for the program. Hannah shipped out 1,179 copies to groups across the state. We consistently send between 800 and 1000 copies monthly. 2022 has been the busiest year for Book Buzz so far. We are on schedule to send 11,100 copies and as people continue to make requests we anticipate sending a few hundred more this year.
- Book Buzz is becoming popular in Utah schools.
Many school librarians and teachers have signed up for the program and are incorporating Book Buzz titles into their lessons. Teachers are also organizing book clubs on campus for themselves and school employees.
- We do community outreach.
In the recent months Hannah has been out in the community introducing the program to new audiences. Would you like us to come to your next community event or outreach activity to talk about Book Buzz? Just send an email! [email protected].
- We developed an interactive database for titles.
In an effort to make our collection even more accessible and user friendly, Darci Card and Brian Tober of the Utah State Library Resources team worked together to create a searchable database that went live in 2021. It helps groups choose books by genre, author, audience etc. When you click on a title you can check availability, check out goodreads reviews, and reserve books for your group.
Learn more about the Book Buzz program. Learn how to register your group, request a book, and read our policy. Explore the database of titles, check out our partner collections, and what celebrity book clubs are reading. Get your questions answered by our FAQ, and explore resources to help you start and sustain your book club and choose the best titles. Don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter for the most up to date information.