How to interview your library’s patrons

January 07, 2025

I smushed all my advice about interviewing people into one blog post:

• Why (or why not) to hold interviews
• How to recruit participants
• Drafting research questions and interview questions
• Tips for facilitating an interview
• After the interview

Excerpt from facilitation tips:

When you ask a question, stop talking after the question mark. In normal conversation, you might ask, “How do you decide to attend an event? I know it can be hard to find time in your schedule or find something that’s relevant to your interests, and…” Don’t ramble, and don’t prime the participant with things to say! Just ask the question and put a friendly, open expression on your face. Remember, they should talk much more than you should.

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I write occasional posts for LibTech Insights, a blog about technology in academic libraries from Choice, an ACRL/ALA publisher.