1. Increase Your Connection to the Ocean County Library Community: Our facilitated book club will broaden your connection to new ideas while also introducing you to members of your community from across industries, generations, and geographies. The connections and friends you make may help you find your next opportunity or assist you in reaching your goals.

2. Embrace Lifelong Learning and Growth: Get exposed to titles you might not typically read. Gain new perspectives through engaging and thought-provoking online discussions. Increase your access to dynamic learning and personal growth opportunities when it fits your individual schedule.

3. Reading is Good for You: Reading can reduce stress, help you sleep better, and improve your relationships [1]. Did we mention it also makes you smarter? Reading increases your verbal intelligence, reasoning ability, emotional intelligence, and your creativity. It has even proven to defend against Alzheimers [2].

How often will books be read, what is the time commitment and what are the expectations?

We plan to start the book club by reading one book every two to three months. The texts selected will be lifelong learning, personal growth, fiction, non-fiction, and other genres and take an average of nine hours to read cover to cover. If you have between 1 and 2 hours a week to read you should be fine.

Will there be any in-person meetings of the book club?

No, the book club will be entirely online. You can participate anywhere you have Internet access and on days and times that are convenient to you.

Is there any cost to participate?

Participation is free for everyone with a Ocean County Library card! Don't have a card? Sign up online for a free eLibrary card here.

How do I get the books?

Ocean County Library cardholders will have access to an eBook through Freading for each book selection. All other participants or library patrons who prefer a different format can search for a copy of the book through the library website, or get a physical copy through another preferred provider/retailer.

How do book club discussions work?

The book club will have a moderator from PBC Guru who manages the forum where discussions occur online. The moderator will pose questions to the book club, share relevant articles and facilitate conversation about topics in the book. Members will be encouraged to post and share as well. This format allows for ongoing conversation and makes it easy for readers to connect with each other through the forum.

How do I make a forum profile?

We're using a private forum to host the virtual book club so it's easy to connect with fellow alumni. During our sign up process, you will enter the information to auto-generate your free profile. After you complete the sign up, we'll send you a link to the forum and you can begin to post right away!

What exactly is PBC Guru and what do they have to do with the book club?

Professional Book Club (PBC) Guru is a book club management company that works with businesses, alumni associations and professional societies. We are teaming up with PBC to put this program in place for patrons and the community. You can check out their website at www.pbc.guru if you want to see more of what they do.

I've already signed up. How do I log in?

If you are already a member, you can click here to log in.

What if my question isn't answered?

Feel free to send an email to info@pbc.guru and we will be happy to help.