Collection Guide
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Elk Grove Book Club Records
MC 69
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento Room
Title: Elk Grove Book Club Records
Identifier/Call Number: MC 69
Physical Description:
2.5 Linear Feet
(6 Archival Boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1937-2018
Abstract: The Elk Grove Book Club has met since 1937 to share member book reviews of popular titles. The records of the Elk Grove Book
Club are comprised of meeting minutes, book lists and reviews, member files, and anniversary celebration ephemera documenting
the history of the club from its inception to the present.
The Elk Grove Book Club held its first meeting on March 17, 1937, in the home of Mrs. Nonine Wackman with a group of ten young
women in attendance. The club's charter members decided met the third Wednesday of every month to hear two book reviews,
and dues were set at $1 per year to cover the cost of books and magazines for the group. Since its inception, monthly meetings
have featured book reviews of popular titles presented by individual members. For decades, membership was capped at about
20 and readers met for dessert luncheons in members' homes. The club has been comprised of women active in the Elk Grove community,
many of whom were longtime members. Edna Sperry, the longest living charter member, passed away at age 101 in 2007; Olga
Batey was its longest member, joining the club in 1949 and serving as a member for nearly 70 years. As of 2018, the Elk Grove
Book Club is one of the longest-running in the United States.
The records of the Elk Grove Book Club are comprised of meeting minutes, book lists and reviews, member files, and anniversary
celebration ephemera documenting the history of the club from its inception to the present. The records are organized according
to the original order of the club, into the following series: Series I. Meeting minutes; Series II. Book lists and reviews,
Series III. Member files; Series IV. Anniversary celebrations, Series V. General.
[Identification of item], Elk Grove Book Club Records, MC 69, Sacramento Room, Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento, California.
Collection is open for research; records containing contact information on current members are restricted until 2038.