All reservations are managed in LibCal. See the information below to learn how to use LibCal or call the Help Desk for assistance: (360) 778-7323.
What are book club kits?
A book club kit is a tote containing 10 copies of a title with a general reading guide.
Sometimes a tote will be missing copies due to incomplete returns or damaged/lost copies. If there is a reservation, staff will circulate what is available and try to get the missing copies to the group when they are returned or replaced.
How to find & reserve kits
View all kits in the Library’s catalog. This is a helpful view if you want to sort your search results by author, title, or publication date.
To see the most current titles, change the sort order of the list to “publication date”. It will put the most recently published titles to the top. To see the most recently added titles (sometimes we add older publications), you can change the sort order to “date acquired”.
Video Tutorials for using LibCal
Video on how to find book club kits in the catalog
Video on how to make a book club kit reservation
Video on how to cancel a LibCal reservation
How will I know when my kit is ready?
IMPORTANT: The first day of your reservation is not necessarily the same day that the kit is available for pick up.
If you want to pick up your kit on the first day of your reservation, please select the Central Branch as your pick-up location for your reservation.
If you are picking up at a different branch, please wait to receive the library notice that your item is on the hold shelf. It does take 2-3 days to transport a kit from the Central Branch to one of the other branches. Please account for these days when making your plans. Inclement weather may further delay deliveries.
All kits are stored at the Bellingham Public Library’s Central Branch when not in use.
For same day pick-up, please go to the Help Desk at the Central Library to select from the available kits.
How long can I keep my kit?
32 days starting on the first day of the reservation.
Need more time? Due date extensions might be possible depending on other reservations. Contact the Bellingham Public Library Help Desk 360-778-7323 with requests.
Can I cancel my reservation?
Yes, your confirmation email for your reservation includes a cancelation link. See the Video Tutorial section to learn more.
Can my group members return their copies separately to the Library?
Please return the kit as a complete set and on time out of courtesy to the next group.
A delayed return might mean a delayed pick-up for the next group. It’s no fun to go to book group empty-handed because the kit you reserved wasn’t returned on time.
Oops, I damaged/lost a book, what now?
If a copy gets lost or damaged, a gently used copy can be accepted as a replacement at the discretion of staff. This is an exception to the general library replacement policy because individual copies of a title in a book club kit require minimal processing. This policy does not apply to other lost or damaged Library materials.
How do I track what my group has read?
You have options. You can:
- Enable borrower history in your library account (good if yours is the only card used to create reservations)
- Create a list of titles read in your library account (good if you want to share the list with your group members and/or have multiple people checking kits out on their cards.)
How can I find my upcoming reservations?
Track your upcoming reservations by keeping your LibCal email confirmations. LibCal does not offer a way to search or view existing reservations on the public side.
If you don’t have the email confirmation or would like a complete list of upcoming reservations, please contact staff at 360 -778-7323 and ask for the Book Club Kit Coordinator.
Help us help you. Share as much information about the reservation as you can, especially:
- the email address used
- the kit title
- the name of the person who created the reservation
- the start date
How can my group donate a kit?
The Friends of the Bellingham Public Library have generously gifted funds for the book club kits since the start of the collection. In addition, private book groups have also been very generous.
Please contact the librarian in charge of curating the book club kit collection if your group would like to make a donation.
The librarian will work with you on title selection and discuss arrangements for either gifting funds or gifting 10 gently used copies. Title selection is influenced by the library’s collection development policy. Generally speaking, the cost of a kit is $125.00, but some kits may exceed that amount if the title is only available in hardback.
Librarian Selector for the Book Club Kits:
Suzanne Carlson-Prandini
scarlson-prandini@cob.org
360-778-7236
Why can’t I pick my kit up at a WCLS branch like Ferndale, Lynden, or Blaine?
The transportation times of kits to WCLS locations exceeds the amount of time between existing reservations.
Additional Book Group Resources
Goodreads
The largest social networking site for readers. Keep track of what you’ve read, are reading or want to read. Share titles with friends and get book recommendations from people you know.
LitLovers
A resource for all things literary, including title specific guides. Whether you belong to a book club or like to read independently, this is your site.
Reading Group Guides
The online community for reading groups. Book reviews, in-depth author profiles and interviews, excerpts of new releases, contests and more every week.
What’s Next
Search by author, title or series to find book series lists. This is the most comprehensive aid for finding information about series. Created by Kent District Library, Kent Co., MI.
last updated 09/11/2026