UCSB Library is excited to launch summer book clubs for campus and community members. Each book club will choose from the UCSB Reads 2022 short list of books selected by a committee of UCSB faculty, students, staff and community members. Each year the books on this list are all strong contenders for our campus one-book program, so if you love reading and talking about important issues brought up by a recent book, we hope you'll sign up now, and stay tuned for the announcement of the short list coming in mid-June.
Both student-only book clubs as well as clubs open to all campus and community book clubs will be offered. The Library will provide a limited number of free books on a first-come first-served basis.
Sign up here to reserve your spot.
If you are a UCSB student (undergraduate, graduate, or recently graduated) and are interested in serving as a discussion leader, please fill out this interest form linked here.
Although this year was full of uncertainty, being a leader for UCSB Reads gave me the opportunity to connect with an amazing group of students, to practice having difficult conversations by discussing important literature, and essentially created a community during this critical time. It has been incredibly rewarding. - Lupita Barragan, UCSB Reads 2021 Book Club Leader
UCSB Library is looking for undergraduate and graduate students as well as recent alumni to co-lead informal summer 2021 book groups reading books on the UCSB Reads 2022 shortlist. This is an opportunity for social and intellectual connections with other UCSB students outside of a classroom setting. The Library will provide you with free copies of the books, a $100 stipend, and resources to run a successful book group. Your co-leader will be another student or recent alum.
Listen to a podcast on Spotify featuring a discussion with Lupita about her experience leading UCSB Reads 2021 book discussions.
Book club leaders will be given autonomy to decide when book club meetings are held and which book(s) the group will read. The UCSB Library will support leaders with free copies of the book, up to a $100 stipend, discussion guides, and be available for questions along the way. All book discussion will be co-led, so you are not alone in the process. The time commitment for leaders is approximately 10 hours.
Leader responsibilities include:
The UCSB Library is organizing student-led small group reading discussions for UCSB students to dive into the books on the UCSB Reads shortlist. These five titles are under consideration for our “one book” program that will officially begin winter quarter. You’ll have the opportunity to explore themes of these books in a small group setting and share feedback on the finalists. You are not required to read the entire book(s) to participate.
These groups will be opportunities for social and intellectual connections with other UCSB students as well as a chance to learn about UCSB from current and recently graduated students.
The UCSB Library will even provide copies of the books to participants free of charge!!
Sign up for a discussion group. These groups will begin meeting in July 2021.
Interested in leading a book club? The UCSB Library is offering $100 stipends to book club leaders. Find out more about being a discussion leader.