High school students in Auburn have a new extracurricular activity outside of the classroom. Last month, the Auburn Public Library started a book club for high school students in the 10th through 12th grade.
Cynthia Ledbetter, the engagement and outreach librarian at the Auburn Public Library, said the students initiated the club themselves.
“Several high school students from Auburn High School approached one of their language arts teachers about starting a book club, and they were unable to start it through the high school at the time,” Ledbetter said. “So, through another teacher that we have a relationship with, they reached out to us here at the Auburn Public Library to collaborate to start a book club for 10th through 12th grade students, which Auburn High School serves.”
The book club focuses on a wide range of genres and themes. February’s topic is “Love/Hate Relationship with a Book.” Students will discuss books that they either loved or hated while having snacks provided by the library.
Ledbetter said teenagers are the hardest demographic to bring into the library, so this book club is an exciting collaboration with the school.
“They’re very busy with school and extracurricular activities. So, by the time it rolls around, when they're going to spend their free time, it's challenging for us to engage with them and bring them here when there are so many different options for them, and they're already so busy,” she said.
Ledbetter said the library wants to relate more with students and be a resource for them throughout their lives.
“We just want to be able to connect with them, so that we can build that relationship with the teenagers in our community and in our school system. So that once they graduate from high school, they see us as a resource for college and beyond. [That] they see us as a resource, as a place to be the place to come and collaborate with their peers,” Ledbetter said.
The High School Book Club is open to the public, free of charge, through May. It takes place monthly at the library from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Dates and topics include:
· Feb. 13: Love/Hate Relationship with a Book
· March 12: Dystopian Books
· April 9: Poetry/Novels-In-Verse
· May 7: Mystery
For more information, visit the Auburn Public Library website here.
