Today’s lingering worry about technology is how it’s distancing people, but the East Regional Library Book Discussion Group is using Skype to bring people together in a more personal exchange between reader and author.
“It’s stimulating,” said Vicki Nesting, assistant director of the St. Charles Library System, of matching the books to the authors in a series of four monthly meetings scheduled in March and April.
Nesting, who has held numerous author-Skype talks in the last two years, said they’re growing in popularity and so are the number of meetings. “It used to be you just sit around with the books, but now you can ask the author ‘Why did you do that with the character?’”
Through the video magic of Skype, the author comes into the meeting with the group, and Nesting said “It’s so illuminating.” The story rises beyond the book covers and becomes about why an author changed a character or the backstory on how the characters were chosen.
It’s a techno twist in the ever-changing plot of technology intertwining itself in daily human living.
“I think a lot of book readers would like to hear the author’s take on the book,” Nesting said. “It just gives you a different perspective on the book. You can hear the story, but hearing about how they came to write it can be fascinating.”
Authors anywhere in the U.S. are suddenly in the room in a mouse click, which was previously a difficult exchange to pull off because of logistics, cost and availability. She develops a list of about a dozen books, which the group votes on and she contacts the authors. Now, if the author agrees, they call in Skype video and the story of making a book, choosing characters and plots and humorous recounts of research adventures and plot development lends a new dimension to loving books.
“Sometimes it helps give people a different way to look at the story,” Nesting said, who recalled not-so-enthused members with a book only to see them get excited about it after talking to the author.
Mississippi author Jonathan Odell had that effect on one group. The two connected, and the group was fascinated by his stories about midwifing dating to the Civil War. She said they were so fascinated that she had to remind them the library was closing. Afterward, they sought out his book, “The Healing.”
Initially, Skype was glitchy, but it’s improved substantially in the past two years. So when the author dials in, they project the Skype image on the library wall. It’s a two-way conversation and both parties can see each other. Technology like Skype is personalizing the book experience.
“The biggest thing is it adds a new dimension to the book discussions,” she said. “We don’t spend the whole time with the author, but it gives us the added dimension to the meetings.”
Initially, Nesting said bring Skype into the mix sounded intimidating, but the group members overcame it when they realized they loved bringing the author in the room.
What’s next?
Nesting said technology is advancing so quickly that she can’t imagine the next big techno edge, but adds, “In two years, we may be using it – whatever it is.”
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