Keisha Hester is a librarian residing in Chicago. She connects readers with books on a daily basis, and is in the process of writing of her first novel.

BPM: Do you have any words of wisdom for book clubs?

Decide the ground rules from day one. If your group will actually discuss the book at length, then requirement number one is that everyone reads it. If it will be more social in nature, then pick books that are light and quicker to read. Also, feel free to totally judge a book by its cover! If it is aesthetically appealing to you, chances are higher that you will read it to completion.

BPM: How do ebooks fit into libraries? Would you ever stop buying printed books?

Libraries now offer ebooks through various platforms to patrons, though not every ebook is available for libraries to purchase. The publishers have placed certain restrictions on their digital works, which is unfortunate. Personally, I would never stop buying printed books. Here’s why: you don’t actually own the digital book itself in some cases. Publishers can essentially encrypt files to self-destruct after a certain time period, as it were, which is what happens when you borrow it from a library. After the loan period is up, you can no longer access the ebook unless you check it out again. And the platform that you use to access that ebook could also go away. What would you do with the files then, if the platform used to access them no longer existed? With the printed word, all you have to do is go to your book shelf, pull it off, sit down, and read!