Please note: In November, the Bellingham Public Library was notified that, “after almost 25 years in business, Plymouth Rocket is forced to shut down operations effective December 31, 2024.” Plymouth Rocket is the company that provides access to the KitKeeper book club kit reservation software.
What does this mean?
If you already have a KitKeeper reservation for December, it will be available as scheduled. However, it will not be possible to make any new reservations in KitKeeper. This includes on-site requests.
If you already have KitKeeper reservations for 2025, expect sporadic LibCal confirmation notifications. These will be triggered as staff enter your future reservations into LibCal. Contact Jenni, the book club kit coordinator, if you have questions about your reservations.
Jenni Johnson
360-778-7217
jjohnson@cob.org
You can access your KitKeeper history here through the month of December. Click on “My kits” and enter the barcode of the card on the reservation and PIN. Personal library cards usually have a PIN of the last four digits of the phone number on the account. Book Group Cards have a default PIN of 9999.
Video Tutorials for using LibCal
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 do I reserve a kit?
The Library is transitioning this service from KitKeeper software to LibCal software during the month of December. Kits with existing KitKeeper reservations will circulate during this time.
LibCal is now available to place new reservations. Staff are still training on using LibCal for this purpose, so thank you in advance for your patience as we go through this learning curve together.
Please view the videos in the Video Tutorial section to learn how to manage your kit reservations.
What titles are available as book club kits? How do I find kits or learn about new titles?
A complete list of kits can be found in the Library’s catalog. To see the most current additions, change the sort order of the list to “publication date”.
You can also sort by author or title.
Sometimes a kit has been returned damaged or missing so many copies that it is not immediately available. It will appear in the catalog, but you will not be able to reserve it. Please ask a staff member if you have questions about a title you see, but cannot reserve.
How will I know when my kit is ready for me? Isn’t my reservation start date my pick-up date?
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 different branch, please wait to receive the library notice that your item is on the hold shelf.
It does take 1-3 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.
Where can I pick it up?
All kits are stored at the Bellingham Public Library’s Central Branch when not in use. At this time, kits can be delivered to all the Bellingham Public Library branches of Bellis Fair, Barkley, and Fairhaven.
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 are currently outside the range of what will allow BPL staff to circulate kits in a way that honors existing reservations.
How long can I keep my kit?
Loans last for 32 days starting on the first day of the reservation. Kits can be reserved for up to 1 day prior to check out. For same day pick-up, please go to the Help Desk at the Central Library to select from the available kits.
Adjustments might be possible if there aren’t additional reservations already in place. Contact the Bellingham Public Library Help Desk 360-778-7323 with requests for additional time.
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 hasn’t been returned yet.
Oops, I damaged/lost a book, what now?
If a copy gets lost or damaged, a gently used copy will be accepted as a replacement. 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.
Can I cancel my reservation?
Yes, your confirmation email for your reservation includes a cancelation link. See the Video Tutorial section to learn more.
How do I track what my group has read?
You have a couple of 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)
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
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.
last updated 12/10/2024