New/Old Conversation Starter Questions

Just a little over 2 years ago, I debuted a new concept with a handout. I called "Conversation Starters to Displays." I wrote about how to to systematically ask your patrons questions, gather the answers, and turn their responses into displays and online lists as well as use that information to really understand what parts of your collections they connected with the most. You can go here to read that full post. I also provided this handout with sample questions to get you started.

Since April of 2023, I have also written a slew of posts which I have tagged "conversation starters," to help you expand upon the starter pack of questions I gave you.

I thought everything was brand new since that post, but then as I was scrolling here on my own blog to look for something I came upon my old weekly series-- Monday Discussion which Bega in 2010 and wen well into 2015. Now I remember doing the series, but I had no idea I kept that up for so long.

However the length of time I did the weekly discussion was not what shocked me the most, rather it was that what I was doing was beginning of my "conversation starters" concept, I just didn't do these questions to make a display but rather to engage the larger library worker world on RA question, issues, and ideas.

I took a trip down memory lane and was surprised by how many of the questions I posed for the Monday Discussion were so similar to things I am still asking or thinking about today.

That gave me an idea. I thought I would pull out some of the Monday Discussion questions, all from 10+ years ago, to give you some new conversation starter to display options to try out at your library. Well, new probably to all of you (heck even to me as I didn't remember writing much of this) but really old. 

Again, go here for the explanation of how to execute this exercise. Remember, the goal here is to be vague. These questions are a prompt to elicit honest, heartfelt, immediate answers. We don't want people to be overthinking any of this. We want answers that represent the full breadth of reading tastes that make up our patron base. 

Those conversation starter questions are:

• What is a book that changed your life?
• Which three books you would pick to define who you are as a reader right now?
• What is the best book you have read in a genre you don't normally enjoy?
• What book has your favorite opening lines/scene?
• Who are your ride or die authors?
• What is the best book you ever read for school/were assigned?
• What book made you laugh out loud?
• Name a book that left you breathless?
• What is a book that rejuvenated you?
• What is a book you have read multiple times?
• What books are you most looking forward to?
• Ask this one often so you can make sure you have what people want on order. Plus, if you get the same book as an answer, you can make a display and lists of "while you wait" options leading up to said book's release. People will think you "read their mind," even though you clearly asked for their opinions.

Ask these questions (again go here to see how you do that) and watch the displays build themselves and most importantly, watch your patrons build a deeper relationship with you and your services.