New Connections: Creating Successful Online Book Clubs for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Online book clubs are an enjoyable way to provide equitable access to library services for adults and older teens with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. You will leave this session with a plan to effectively create online book clubs for this underserved population. Learn how to market your program, train staff, choose age-appropriate books for participants to read aloud, and promote improved literacy through thoughtful discussion and vocabulary support. Join the Gwinnett County Public Library and the Dunamis Educational Foundation as they discuss their partnership and the unexpected benefits of switching to an online format.

This session combines a panel discussion with slides and a short film featuring scenes from a meeting of our online book club as well as comments from book club participants and their family members who tell in their own compelling words what this library service has meant to them, such as “My son is much more interested in reading now, and much more confident about it,” and ”I love seeing my friends every week and learning new words.”

We will share examples of materials used and have in-depth discussions about how to choose the most effective reading materials, based on specific criteria such as reading level, context clues for new vocabulary, text size, line spacing, and sentences which begin and end on the same page.

You’ll learn strategies for fostering open, thoughtful discussions about characters, plot, and themes which can be helpful to the book club members and enrich their daily lives. Time will also be spent on how to form community partnerships with agencies who work with adults with I/DD.