This just in from the ALA Public Programs Office (PPO):

For the first time ever, readers around the world will be able to participate in a free, live interactive book discussion program, led by [Oprah] Winfrey and [Eckhardt] Tolle. Each weekly class will be presented as a webcast and correspond to a chapter from “A New Earth,” with the discussion focusing on the chapter’s themes. Participants will be invited to take part in the discussion by submitting questions in real-time via the Oprah.com web site.

The 10 weekly sessions will be webcast every Monday night from March 3 through May 5, at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT. To register for the class, log onto www.oprah.com/anewearth. For libraries that can’t participate in real time, archives of each session will be available for download via Oprah.com within 24 hours of the original webcast.

We’d love to hear about public library experiences with this program. You can comment on this post, or send us email and let us know what you’re up to (we’d love to see pictures!), and how it’s going.

Has your library participated in online book groups (real-time or asynchronous) before, and what has your experience been? How do Oprah’s Books play a role with your library users and your local book groups?