We're creating a virtual book club for Gustavus alumni, students, faculty, staff and other community members covering professional development, personal growth, social issues and lifelong learning while aligning with themes of some of our signature programs on campus (Nobel Conference, Reading in Common, MAYDAY! Conference, etc.). The book club will connect through email and a private forum where people can discuss the current book and network with each other. Joining the book club is completely free for anyone associated with the College, you just have to get a copy of the book to enjoy. The group will read a book every two months so you'll have plenty of time for each book.

1. Connect with Fellow Gustavus Alumni, Students, Faculty, Staff And Community Members: Want another way to connect with members of the Gustie community? Joining our book club will introduce you to fellow community members across industries, generations and geographies to help you improve your network, engage in lifelong learning, and stay connected with what's happening on campus.
2. Advance Your Career: A book club can enhance your career on two fronts. First, the books you read may make you more effective in areas critical to success like leadership, communication and productivity. Second, the network you'll be building may help you with career advice, introduce you to new people and find your next job.
3. Reading is Good for You: Did you know business people who read at least seven business books per year earn over 230% more than people who read just one book per year?¹ Reading improves your intelligence, reasoning ability, and has been linked to reducing the chance of Alzheimer's.² Joining our book club gives you the opportunity to read more and enjoy all the benefits that come with it.

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

We plan to start the group by reading a book every two months. The texts selected will be popular books from a variety of genres (professional development, personal growth, social issues, and even a fiction piece on occasion that aligns with our campus community) and take an average of six hours to read cover to cover. If you have between 15 and 30 minutes a week to read you should be fine. There are no strict expectations on members for this virtual community; if you are particularly busy with work, family, or other obligations and can't read one of the books that's okay. If you can only read part of a book and contribute a little to the online discussion then that's okay too. The goal of this program is to connect Gustavus alumni, staff, and community members together through reading, so participate as much as makes sense for you.

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 Gustavus alumni, students, faculty, staff and community members! You are responsible only for obtaining a copy of the book.

How do I get the books?

Participants can get books for free at their local library or purchase them. The Book Mark, our on-campus bookstore, will stock our selections and welcomes both online and on-campus orders!

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 group, 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 and friends. 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 alumni, staff, and community members. 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.