Social Agenda
Encouraging book group participation in harder-to-reach people and places
Social Agenda
Encouraging book group participation in harder-to-reach people and places
Our social agenda is about creating social justice. To do this, we are committed to promoting literacy and a love of books within sectors of the community currently under-represented within book groups. We value:
Diversity
We encourage participation of all peoples and individuals in book groups
Community
We encourage people to reduce their social isolation and feel part of their community.
Therefore we prioritise and subsidise book group initiatives for the following groups:
Libraries
10 books/year
Are you a librarian who'd like to borrow our resources to run book clubs in your library?
$82 per member | free for organisers
Prisons
10 books/year
Are you a volunteer who'd like to set up a book group in a prison?
$125 per group | no fees
Schools
5 books/first half of the year
Are you a teacher or school librarian who'd like to set up a book group for students?
$200 per group (7 or less) | $20 for organiser
ESOL and migrant communities
10 books/year
Are you a volunteer interested in
helping establish a fun, informal ESOL book group for migrants where
they can chat in English and learn more about New Zealand life?
$15 per member | free for organisers
We also want you!
Join us
In keeping with our values of diversity and community, we'd also like to encourage the formation of the following types of groups:
Māori groups
We would like to partner with organisations, iwi and rōpu working with tangata whenua to offer our resources and learn how we can better deliver the benefits of book groups to Māori.
Please contact us if you’re interested in working with us.
Contact Us
Men's groups
Did you know that just 18 of BDS's 1,302 book groups around New Zealand are comprised of men only? That's less than 1.5%. While we do have male members as part of mixed groups, our all-male book group members are clear about the benefits of book club for blokes:
"Conversations start with the book and end up with the men talking about their lives, which is something men don't tend to do"
If you’d like to help us get more men reading, meeting and connecting, we’d love to hear from you. If you are an organisation or individual that works with men, get in touch today.
Start a book club
Contact Us
Rural groups
We recognise that our rural communities are at greater risk of isolation. Book groups are an excellent way to maintain regular social contact between community members, as well as promote discussion and engagement with societal issues. There is no extra delivery fee for groups in rural locations.
Most rural groups join our full programme due to the regular reading and socialising routine it provides. Get started now or contact us for more information.
Start a book club
Contact Us
Partnership with Blind Low Vision NZ
If you have trouble with your vision, we have an arrangement with Blind Low Vision NZ (formerly The Blind Foundation) that makes about 40% of our titles available as audio books through the Blind Low Vision NZ library. It is free for BLVNZ members to join a BDS book group.
The catalogues of both organisations have been cross-referenced so that groups are able to choose titles available from both agencies. The book titles held in common are indicated in our print catalogue by an ear symbol alongside the book title. If you are using the online catalogue, select the filter ‘Blind Low Vision Library’.
If you are not already a member of Blind Low Vision NZ, contact them to find out if you meet their criteria. They also have an 'associate membership' option for those who may not meet the requirements for full membership. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
