Skip to Main Content
Course & Subject Guides
Guidelines for Books
- You will have 45 minutes with your group of readers. Just be yourself: Be honest and open, and talk and listen carefully.
- Please prepare yourself for your role as a Book; be accurate and knowledgeable about your topic. You may even want to prepare some factual information, such as statistics or research data, to field questions or comments your readers may have. The event librarians can help you with this if you want.
- Be ready to share your personal experiences, but if questions become too personal, feel free to decline to answer.
- As your reader(s) borrowed your Book specifically for your topic, please try to limit your story to that topic. Additional information about yourself should be offered only for illustration.
- Every reader borrowing you will be different, and the reason for choosing your Book can vary greatly. A good question to start the discussion is “Why did you choose my Book?” This will give you a first impression of the reader’s interest.
- The content of the discussion with your readers is, in principle, confidential. If you quote from other readers, do not mention their names.
- If by chance you encounter a difficult reader, try to remain calm and show understanding, while expressing your disagreement where necessary. Try to move the discussion on to a less controversial area. If you feel uneasy with a reader, you have every right to end the discussion.
Conversation starters
- Why did you chose my Book?
- What do you do for fun?
- Can you tell me three things about yourself that make you unique?
- How do you deal with adversity?
- How has your perception changed after hearing my story?
- What made you decide to become a Human Library Reader?
