GoodReads: Tech Roundup!

Let's face it, so much of our high school students' world is digital. LIKE. SO. MUCH.

Sometimes we need to lean away from that and sometimes we need to lean into that.

An online book club is a way to lean in when it comes to library programming.

We all know when students get to high school they tend to have less time for the "extras."  And... book clubs often fall in that category. So let's make it more convenient for students and reach them where they're at.

Imagine being able to encourage your student readers from home. Even better, imagine your student readers encouraging other student readers from home.

One tool you can use to lean in is GoodReads. This digital resource may make it more convenient for your students to participate in that 'extra' book club.

good reads logo
https://www.goodreads.com/

Disclaimer: The South Dakota State Library does not endorse any service, product, or recommendation listed in this blog.

GoodReads is a massive site for readers and book recommendations and it's been around since 2007. That tells you something. You can follow which books your friends or students are reading, track your own books, get personalized recommendations, find good-fit books, start a group for an online book club.

To start your own Group, first, like any good librarian, do a bit of research on how to use GoodReads. Know that you'll be the moderator of your book club group unless you assign that task to the student-chairperson of the group. From there, invite students and then use the Discussions feature to chat.

Some other neat features of GoodReads include:
- trivia
- quizzes
- quotes
- reading challenges
- Ask the Author

To assist with collection development, consider subscribing to the blog to get recommendations for youth literature.

Some librarians also use GoodReads to double check genres while in the process of genrefying their collection. GoodReads is just one more resource that can be used in addition to more scholarly book reviews.

Lastly, you can also embed a customizable GoodReads bookshelf on your site or blog so students can see what the club is reading in real time. Here's my personal shelf:



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