Mary, yes, the key may be what the originators of a group want -- e.g., some song circles specify "bring Rise Up Singing" or have a prefab book of lyrics/chords for everyone to sing from, and others may specify "no books -- but there are many situations where nothing is specified ahead of time and/or people who aren't there at the outset don't know there is a set format.   Most of the song circles at music camps are not very structured and even may evolve as people come and go from the circle. And as I've said before, there often are not enough suitable spaces for a dozen different small groups to do different types of song circles.

I'm not sure why lyric sheets handed out -- especially ones print that can be read from 3 feet away -- would be more objectionable than a book that's hard to read without burying your head in it, but I guess that's just a matter of individual preference.