The End of Great Books

"I'm sorry to tell you that we've decided to discontinue our meetings."

This announcement, from the leader of our Great Books Discussion Group, was a disappointment but not a surprise. I had assumed responsibility for publicizing the organization (and many of our other monthly clubs) when I started working at the branch nearly two years ago. After leaving a supervisory position at another library, I was relieved to get back into programming - and cheerfully began trying to attract more patrons to our groups.

But Great Books has always been different. It's a formal discussion group whose sessions are structured around specific questions. The topics of the discussions are classics - sometimes easy-to-find classics like Shakespeare's works, but more frequently obscure pieces I (an English major) had never heard of, and which most public libraries wouldn't carry. As a result, those who participated in the groups had to obtain their copies through the Great Books organization - in other words, they had to purchase them.

Each meeting attracted between five and eight people. This number remained static despite the fact that some potential new members occasionally attended. I explained to the leaders that their group was unique, that its rigid format and academic focus appealed to certain types of people. In general, our township's residents (like those of many communities) prefer the relaxed atmosphere of general book discussion groups, where participants can feel free to occasionally get off topic.

I talked to the leaders about scheduling a program in which Great Books would be promoted to a wider audience - namely, to those who could attend an evening series. We discussed the possibility of asking college professors to discuss "reading" in general. But the idea never fully developed, because April's meeting attracted only three people. The leaders were no longer willing to devote their time and energy to the group.

I'm saddened that this special group disbanded, though I know that it was due to the fact that it was in the wrong venue, not due to a lack of publicity or interest on my part. We disbanded Great Books on a fairly positive note - referring interested patrons to Great Books meetings in other locations (as opposed to shrugging and apologizing). And I think about the clubs that I started that are successful - our Writers' Circle, our Quilting Bee. Still, the loss of Great Books still feels like just that - a loss.