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Date: 1/6/2021
SOUTHWICK – With its first session on Jan. 12, the Southwick Public Library will be kickstarting a monthly book club on Zoom for seniors in partnership with the Southwick Senior Center.
Library Director Lynn Blair said the idea for the book club came up when brainstorming collaboration ideas with the Senior Center.
“I was talking with the Senior Center Director, Cindy Sullivan, and we were just brainstorming what our departments can do to help each other out and if there was any way we could collaborate, so we went ahead and decided to do a book club,” she said.
Between the people at the senior center and the library’s infrastructure, Blair said the book club was a natural collaboration between the two.
“She has the connections for people at her center, we have the resources for actually getting the books and setting up the Zoom program. We just tried to get the best of both of our strengths and try to create a new program,” she said.
The club’s first book is “A Piece of the World” by Christina Baker Kline and is based on artist Andrew Wyeth’s painting, “Christina’s World.”
Blair added that the library has free copies of the book and others for rent.
"We have a limited number of copies here to give away for free, but we also have ones they can borrow too. So, if anybody is interested, they can reach out to us and we can get them a copy,” she said.
With many people still at home as a result of the pandemic, Blair said she hopes the Zoom book club will give participants an avenue to talk to others from home.
“The most important thing we are missing right now is just the contact between people. I know when I do our cookbook club and our craft and chat group online, the first thing they want to see their friends and talk to people. The big goal is to keep people engaged and connected, while making sure people know they are not forgotten about,” she said.
Anyone interested in joining the club can call the library, the senior center or send an email to the library at southwicklibrary@comcast.net.