This page is to help the development of reader profile forms for home library service readers. This idea is to include Nancy Pearl's doorways (character, language, setting, story) as part of the planning for home bound readers. Asking why people read as well as what they read.

This page will develop over time and will be a collaboration between readers advisory staff and home library service staff.

This page contains prompts to help when doing an initial readers advisory interview with your home library client(s).

Preferences for reading
Ask the client to talk to you about a couple of things they have read or watched recently. This will provide clues about their reading preferences.

I like reading about people (character)
I like reading things which are beautifully written (language)
I like reading about places (setting)
I like a good story (story)


Fiction
Romance

How steamy do you like your romances? What kind of characters do you like reading about?
Modern settings? Historical time frame?

Family sagas
Refer to Nancy Pearl gateways... character, setting, story or language
Westerns

Historic westerns? Modern westerns?

Crime

How gory do you like your crime? Must the crime be solved?
Do you like modern settings or medieval/ historical?Do you like your characters to be consistent?
What aspect of the "crime" interests you (forensics, detective process, American/British)?

Australiana
Sea stories
Humour
Historial

Do you prefer reading about particular time periods?
Do you enjoy reading about historical events in a fiction setting?

Science fiction
Fantasy

What kind of stories do you like the most?
Do you have an all time favourite character?

Chic lit
War

What kind of stories do you like the most?

Other, please describe


Non-fiction
Gardening

What kind of gardening are you most interested in?
Would you like to read Biographical material about gardeners?

Craft

What kind of craft do you find the most interesting?

Travel/countries

Where do you want to read about? What are you most interested in in these kinds of books?
Do you like to read about other people's travel experiences?

History

Where and when do you want to read about? What are you most interested in in these kinds of books? Do you like reading about people, places or strange and wonderful things

Sport

Do you like reading about a particular kind of sport or about sports people?

Cooking

Food porn or practical?
Is culture important?

Biography/memoirs

Are you interested in particular kinds of people, or is it ideas (like getting through tough patches, miserable lives, lives of survival, the rich and famous...)
Would you like to read uplifting and inspirational stories?

Poetry

Poetry from the past, or newer works
Who is your favourite poet?

Health

Your own health? Stories of health battles?

Animals
Pet therapy (How animals impact on people's lives)?


War

What wars?

Politics

Where? When? Who?
Historical, modern or biography?

Format
regular print
large print
talking books
dvd's
magazines
large print magazines