Canadian Council of the Blind Book Club Handbook
Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………….Page 1
About the CCB…………………………………………Page 2
Acknowledgements……………………………………Page 3
Book Club Benefits……………………………………Page 4
Similarities & Differences Between
Accessible Book Clubs & Others……………………Page 5
Steps for Setting up an Accessible
Book Club………………………………………………Page 7
Running a Book Club…………………………………Page 12
Formats and Equipment………………………………Page 14
Book Club Alternatives………………………………..Page 15
Sample Reading List/Order Form
for Club Members & CNIB Librarians………………..Page 17
INTRODUCTION
Book clubs are for all who love to read, and love to talk about their
reading. This handbook takes you through the steps for setting up and
running book clubs using books in accessible formats. Each of the
following organizations provides a great starting point for creating an
accessible book club:
 Your local Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) chapter
 Your local CNIB office
 Your local public library
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ABOUT THE CCB
The Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) is a community based,
membership driven, national organization. Operating at the grass-roots
level, CCB provides peer mentoring through a variety of activities ranging
from youth retty goodgroups to seniors’ outings while making new
friends, sharing memories, stories, thoughts, feelings, successes or
hardships. Our members are visually impaired, blind, or family/friends of
those with visual impairments. Members strive to have fun, network,
and find ways to improve their quality of life, through promoting
accessibility and raising awareness.
By joining the CCB, chapters are affiliating themselves with a nationally
recognized organization that has been in existence for over 65 years.
Benefits to joining the CCB include the capacity to raise funds for chapter
activities under a charitable number, liability insurance coverage, and a
national network of support.
For further information on the CCB, please visit our web site at
www.ccbnational.net or call toll-free: 1-877-304-0968.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The CCB would like to thank Wendy Robbins for her hard work in
researching and writing this handbook, The Community Foundation of
Ottawa for their financial support, and especially Jane Beaumont,
Chair, CNIB National Board of Directors, for her unwavering support of
the CCB Ottawa Book Club, and equitable library access for everyone.
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BOOK CLUB BENEFITS
Connections: Book clubs are a great way to socialize, to meet other
book lovers, and to talk about the reading that matters to you.
Discovery: Book clubs expose you to new authors, new ideas, and
genres you might not have read before.
Support: Members of accessible book clubs share experiences with
their peers about ways to deal with the daily challenges of vision
impairment and print disabilities.
Community: Book clubs can draw on the expertise of public libraries as
well as organizations like the CCB and the CNIB, opening doors to other
accessible reading resources and recreational activities.
Lifelong Well-being: Studies show a slower rate of memory loss is
associated with an active social life!
“I like the fact that everybody has a different take on the book.
You read it, you enjoy it, you don't, whatever, but once you
discuss the same book, and you realize, ‘oh, I didn't see it from
that angle, I didn't think about it like that,’ it sometimes causes
me to go back and read the book again, which is wonderful
because you read it with a new perspective.”
- CCB Book Club member
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SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
ACCESSIBLE BOOK CLUBS AND OTHERS
In most ways, book clubs are all the same. Groups of people who have
read the same book gather to discuss their impressions of what they’ve
read. Some food and social conversation are usually involved. But
special issues arise when book club members are blind, or have visual,
physical, or learning disabilities that prevent them from reading regular
print (also known as “print disabilities”).
First, options for books are limited to titles available in accessible
formats, so selecting and acquiring books can be more challenging.
Second, the biggest source for accessible formats, the CNIB library,
provides books in the DAISY format, so book club members need to
have access to either a DAISY reader, or a computer with internet
access to download from CNIB’s Digital Library.
Third, there can be practical issues in holding meetings involving visually
impaired people. These can be solved with protocols such as starting
with introductions around the room so that everyone knows who is there.
The CNIB offers helpful information on making meetings accessible.
(http://www.cnib.ca/en/services/resources/Accessible_Meeting/)
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Some book clubs include both sighted and blind or print disabled
readers. Members read the same book, using whatever format is most
suitable, including print, large print, commercially available audio books
on CD or MP3, or DAISY format books.
“I enjoy the variety of books chosen and the
variety of opinions expressed."
- CCB Book Club member
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STEPS FOR SETTING UP
AN ACCESSIBLE BOOK CLUB
a) Find a place to meet. Some clubs meet at CCB or CNIB offices.
Depending on your own community, you can also look for space in
facilities such as public libraries or community centres. Book club
members may prefer meeting spaces that can be reached by public
transit, have parking, and are accessible to those with mobility issues. If
you choose to meet in members’ homes, note that pets, as well as food
or other allergies may be a concern.
b) Find book club members. Any organization or agency in your
community which provides service to clients who are blind or partially
sighted is a good place to start marketing your book club. In Ottawa,
book club members are associated with their local chapter of the CCB.
Public librarians may know who among their patrons might be interested
in an accessible book club. When you’re putting out the word, don’t
forget seniors’ centres and residences. Community newspapers and
neighbourhood newsletters often have space for free public
announcements. Local disability agencies and support organizations
might promote your club to potential members.
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c) Choose what to read. Many book clubs set aside an annual meeting
to compile a reading list for the entire upcoming year. But how to decide
what goes on the list? Different clubs use different approaches. The
Ottawa club works with a public librarian. She comes to their annual
“booklist” meeting with titles and plot summaries that she’s confirmed are
available from the CNIB library. She includes titles she knows other book
clubs have discussed, titles suggested by club members, and titles by
authors the club has already enjoyed. The club discusses these
suggestions, and decides on a list for the whole year.
In another club, members each select a book and bring their choices to
the September meeting. At that meeting, they confirm whether or not the
selection is available in DAISY format from the CNIB library. They also
use recommendations from the CNIB librarians. After discussing the
options they create a calendar of the books for the upcoming year. (See
sample annual list below).
For other book suggestions, an internet search for “best book club
books” will turn up numerous lists of titles and plot summaries from
libraries, other book clubs, publishers, and book sellers. Search the
CNIB library catalogue, or check with your public library to find out if
accessible formats are available.
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d) Name a club coordinator. Someone will need to coordinate the
activities of the club, ensuring, among other duties, the timely ordering of
books from the CNIB library. This is handled differently by different
groups. In Ottawa, a CCB employee is both a club member and
coordinator. In a small B.C. town, a public librarian organizes the club. In
Winnipeg, a long-time volunteer proposed and now coordinates one of
two branches of an accessible book club.
e) Acquire the books. The CNIB library has Canada’s largest collection
of alternative format books, and supports book clubs as well as individual
readers. You will probably find that most of your club reading will come
from the CNIB library, although public libraries are also good sources for
commercially produced audio books and DAISY books. Both the CNIB
library and public libraries can assist your club with book list suggestions
and finding reading guides, should your club choose to use these.
How you access the CNIB library for your club depends on whether your
province is part of the CNIB Library Partners program. The role your
public library will play in your accessible book club will differ depending
on whether or not you live in a Partner province (one that helps fund the
Partner Program) as follows:
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 Acquiring books in a Partner Province
(Alberta, New Brunswick, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and the
Northwest Territories):
As you organize your book club, you’ll want to find a contact at your local
public library. Starting at the information desk, find out if your library has
someone who does outreach or accessibility, in order to connect with a
library employee who can be an ongoing contact for the club. Once your
annual reading list is finalized, your local public library contact can take
over. Your public library contact will order the books from the CNIB
library, receive them, and keep track of them in the library catalogue
system.
For the book club, working with a partner library means that all the book
club books will arrive at the same time, at the same place, and one
person can pick them up and deliver them to the club. Also, it also
means that it isn’t necessary for every book club member be a CNIB
client to take part in the club, although he or she must have a print
disability in order to use CNIB-produced DAISY books.
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 Acquiring books in a Non-Partner Province
(British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Nova
Scotia, Newfoundland, Yukon and Nunuvut):
Once your annual reading list is finalized, your club coordinator will send
the list directly to the CNIB library, and will send a reminder to the CNIB
librarians at least four weeks ahead of the meeting to confirm which book
you will require. Each member of your book club will need to be a
registered CNIB library client.
The CNIB librarians will send out the books to each individual club
member, and will do their best to ensure that club members receive the
books around the same time.
Even in non-Partner provinces it can be helpful to involve your public
library in your book club. Public librarians can contribute to your reading
list selections. They can also help spread the word about your book club
to potential members. And they can help your book club members
discover the local library’s accessible book collection.
“It's such a nice activity because you get to see people and
find out what they're reading other than book club books, and
get names of new authors. One of the ladies in the club has
given me a whole list of authors that she likes, so you can just
go back to the library and pick up all kinds of new stuff.”
- CCB Book Club member
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RUNNING A BOOK CLUB
Book club operations can be as simple or as complex as the members
choose, and will probably evolve over time. But there are a few
decisions your group will need to make at the beginning. Here are some
questions you can ask yourselves (and remember, the answer is
whatever works for your group):
a) How often will we meet? Many clubs meet monthly with a break during
the summer.
b) What kind of books do we want to read? Are there some kinds that
we want to avoid?
c) Do we want someone to lead the discussion with a prepared reader
guide, or are we happy going around the table with our responses, and
seeing what kind of discussion develops?
d) Do we want to rate the books we read?
e) Will we have food and drinks? Some groups meet where there are
facilities for coffee and tea. Some take turns bringing homemade or
purchased snacks.
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f) How will we make room for the social part of the book group? Some
groups save their social chat for afterwards, some do it first. And
sometimes book discussions spark personal responses that take the
discussion far away from the book, but may still be deeply rewarding.
“You don't only share your ideas, or what you have learned
from the book, but also how people are doing. Because we
are all visually impaired we have something in common
which is important to share.“
- CCB Book Club member
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FORMATS AND EQUIPMENT
The CNIB library provides books in DAISY (Digital Accessible
Information System) format. DAISY is the global standard for audio
books produced for blind or partially sighted readers. DAISY users like
them a lot: the sound is great, whole books fit on one CD, and they have
navigation features that allow readers to go easily to specific places in
the book.
DAISY books can be read two ways: either on a computer, or with a
portable DAISY player. DAISY players can be purchased, but
sometimes they may also be borrowed from public libraries, or from
branches of the CCB or the CNIB.
The Ottawa CCB book club recently was able to upgrade DAISY readers
for book club members thanks to a grant from the Community
Foundation; there may be similar agencies or service clubs in other
places that might help offset the costs of DAISY readers as required.
Some accessible book clubs also use commercially produced audio
books (MP3s or CDs) borrowed from public library collections, but it may
be difficult to acquire sufficient copies at the same time.
"I do tend to stay at home, so I tend to need that little kick in the
butt to get me out the door, and this is something I can aim for,
something I can do, and then once I'm out, I'm out for the
day, and I can enjoy just being out there, just walking down
the street and enjoying what's going on around me.”
- CCB Book Club member
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BOOK CLUB ALTERNATIVES
Mixed club: Sometimes existing book clubs are open to choosing books
available in accessible formats, so that sighted and print disabled
readers can read and discuss the same book together. One small town
Alberta librarian noted that a “mixed” book club in her community
provided a way for a reader who had lost her sight to reintegrate into her
community.
Virtual club: Since 2010 the CNIB in Atlantic Canada has offered a
Virtual Book Club. Using simple voice chat software called “TC
Conferencing,” club members enjoy monthly book chats from the comfort
of their own homes. Members need a computer with an internet
connection, a microphone and speakers or a headset.
CNIB staff can assist with technical needs, and with acquiring books
from the CNIB library. For more information contact Peter Parsons,
Manager, Programs & Services, CNIB, Halifax, at 902-453-1480, ext.
261, or peter.parsons@cnib.ca.
Online book clubs: There are numerous book sites online where
readers can discuss a wide range of titles and genres. In Canada The
Globe and Mail has launched an online book club
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(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/the-globes-onlinebook-club-is-here/article2293840/), and the CBC has a CBC Book Club
Facebook page where online book discussions can take place
(https://www.facebook.com/cbcbookclub?sk=wall&filter=1) .
Telephone club: In the U.K., the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind
People) runs telephone book clubs. Groups of eight people, hosted by a
trained volunteer, meet by phone over the telephone for an hour, once a
month for six months. For more information on how these are operated,
visit the RNIB book club site:
http://www.rnib.org.uk/livingwithsightloss/copingwithsightloss/talksupport/
telephonebookclubs/Pages/telephone_book_clubs.aspx
“It’s a marvellous group and it develops
nice friendships too."
- CCB Book Club member
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SAMPLE READING LIST/ORDER FORM
FOR CLUB MEMBERS AND CNIB LIBRARIANS
Distribution
Date
Discussion
Date
Author
Title
Sept 13
Oct 4
Kate
Pullinger
The
Mistress
of
Nothing
Lady Duff Gordon is the
toast of Victorian London,
but when her tuberculosis
means exile, she and her
devoted lady's maid, Sally,
set sail for Egypt.
Oct 4
Nov 1
Donna
Leon
Friends
in High
Places
Commissario Brunetti is
plunged into a world of
corruption and intrigue when
he investigates the death of
a young bureaucrat in the
Venetian planning
department
Nov 1
Dec 6
William
Young
The
Shack
In a world where religion
seems to grow increasingly
irrelevant this book wrestles
with the timeless question,
"Where is God in a world so
filled with unspeakable
pain?"
Dec 6
Jan 3 or 10
Charles
Portis
True
Grit
Fifty years afterward, a
woman tells how, as a girl of
fourteen, she, a federal
marshal, and a Texas
Ranger tracked her father's
murderer from Arkansas into
Indian territory.
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Comments
RESOURCES
Canadian Council of the Blind: http://www.ccbnational.net/content/
Go to “About Us” and click on “Chapter List” to find a chapter near you.
CNIB Library: http://www.cnib.ca/en/services/library/
Everything you need to join and use the library can be found at this link,
or by calling 1-800-268-8818. The “New Titles” list is a great way to
browse for potential book club books in accessible formats. The CNIB
Library also offers a DAISY Book Club Guide to help you organize a
book discussion group using DAISY books from the CNIB Library:
http://www.cnib.ca/en/services/library/librariesschools/visunet/Documents/DAISY_BookClub_Guide.doc
The CNIB Library is also the way to involve kids with print disabilities in
the annual TD Summer Reading Club:
http://www.cnib.ca/en/services/library/kids/summer-reading/
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