Setting Up an Al-Anon Literature Table
Someone walks into Al-Anon for the first time and sees a table of books, brochures and price lists. Clear labels can answer three questions without a conversation. What can I look at, what can I take, and whom can I ask?
Find out what the group already offers
Check who looks after literature, which items the group keeps in stock, and whether it sets aside anything for a newcomer. Ask how it pays for replacements and who should approve a new order. The official Al-Anon literature list can help identify current titles and publication information. Follow the group’s decisions about what it provides locally.
If the table gets crowded, choose a few pieces that answer common questions. One introductory pamphlet, one meeting list and a couple of books to browse may be enough. Keep additional copies nearby so people can look without moving a tall stack.
Use our literature distribution center guide to find out how to contact the right service for restocking. Keep the latest catalog or ordering details with the volunteer who handles it. If the current order is still pending, note what can already go out on the table.
Make the labels clear from a few steps away
Write signs in plain language. “Please browse” and “Free to take” describe what someone can do without needing to ask. If the group sells copies, make the prices easy to read and give visitors a clear person or place to pay. Use a stable table with enough room for a person to put a pamphlet down and look through it.
Set the table where people can pause without blocking the entrance. Check that a seated visitor can reach the material that interests them. Use the same test as a large-print meeting script. View the print from the position in which someone will actually read it.
Keep any locally used keepsakes separate from the literature. Our guide to Al-Anon chips introduces questions about group recognition customs. If someone asks about tokens, direct them to a group member who can explain what this meeting does.
Close the table with a short checklist
Put away the display copies and note what needs to be replaced. Follow the group’s agreed recordkeeping if money changed hands. Leave the next volunteer a list of items to order or bring next week. Avoid writing down who took a particular pamphlet unless the group has a specific, agreed reason.
If a guest offers an old booklet for a special event, discuss it separately from literature stock. The temporary display loan guide gives questions about ownership, permissions and return. A borrowed item needs a clear place to go when the table comes down.
Try the setup for a few meetings and notice which questions still come up. If people regularly ask whether they can take a copy, move the sign closer to the copies instead of adding more instructions elsewhere.
If visitors ask for a title you don’t have, show them how to look it up or give them the literature volunteer’s agreed contact. Write down the title for the next order. Keep purchase requests with the people responsible for ordering so names and payment details stay off the public table.
Medallions to consider
The medallions below are AA designs for personal milestones. Ask about a particular recipient’s preferences before choosing any recovery gift.
The photos show sample milestones. Confirm your choice in the Sobriety Time selector.
Tricolor Opulent Deep Blue Diamond Sparkle
Elite deep-blue design with a stone-set triangle. The selector lists 18 months and annual milestones from 1 to 65 years.
Tricolor Glittering Silver
Deluxe silver-colored design. The selector lists annual milestones from 1 to 40 years.
Common questions
Can we sell literature at the table?
Ask the group how it handles sales, money and inventory. Follow the arrangements it has already approved.
Should everything go out at every meeting?
Use the space you have and keep the most useful titles easy to reach. Additional stock can stay with the literature volunteer.
Keep reading
Compare designs and milestone options in Elite Medallions and Deluxe Coins.
