Reading groups are really taking off in Aberdeenshire now - we supply stock to approximately 20 groups with another group hoping to start up in July.  We were very fortunate 2 years ago to receive some windfall money which enabled us to buy some stock specifically for reading groups and take up then was fairly small.

The stock is now purchased from our reader development budget - money for that comes from our core adult fiction and non-fiction budgets.  I do buy multiple copies usually around 10 and the stock is held centrally at Library HQ at a non reservable site.  A list of titles is either e-mailed to branches or direct to a contact person for the group.  The chosen titles are then delivered to the nearest library and collected from there, a computer record is kept of where they have gone etc.

Title choices are made using the "New Books " magazine, our own ideas and experience and most importantly, recommendations from the groups themselves - so we cover quite a range of stock,  but are always looking out for new suggestions.  One or two groups are also now asking for titles in LP and also audio format which we try to supply as far as possible.  This is one area which needs to be looked at more closely and this is in our
development plans for this year, as well as looking at promoting the collections on our web site, although it seems to be doing well without promotion.  Time wise I 'm not sure how we would manage it if it gets much bigger, but i'm sure I'm not alone there.

For titles that have maybe come to the end of their "reading group lives" I think they will probably be removed from the collection, checked over and if still in good condition, they would be distributed amongst our branches and mobiles.  It is my intention to look periodically at how the titles are being used  - we still have a bit of work to do on this area.