Proceedings of the First National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color - 329

to public access computers by SpanishSpeaking residents. always mention their name if you follow-up on their referral. Identifying Community Leaders 1. Use the Community Resources list to help you begin identifying potential community agencies and groups to contact. Your goal is to identify community leaders that have knowledge of or experience working with the Spanish-speaking community. 2. The leaders you interview do not necessarily have to be Spanish-speaking themselves. They must, however, be knowledgeable about the needs and issues of the community. They might have gained their expertise by working for an agency that serves the community or they may be community activists with a broad knowledge of community problems and issues. 3. Not all types of organizations on the Community Resource list may be represented in your community. You may already be familiar with some community leaders through the newspaper or other media coverage. Start with what and whom you know. Talk to other people in the library, your church, friends, neighbors, etc. who may have a personal connection with a potential interviewee. It helps to be able to say that someone they know referred you to them. 4. Make a list of a minimum of 5 community leaders to interview. These are busy people and your schedules and deadlines may not coincide. Conducting the Interview 1. Even though the community leader may offer to come to the library or your office, make it a point to conduct your interviews out in the community. You want to see them in their milieu and you want others in the community to start seeing you out in the community. Face-to-face interviews are preferable to phone interviews. 2. The interview questions are intended as a guide. Be flexible and alert. The interview doesn’t usually follow the simple 1-7 pattern of questions. Often the leader will answer several of your questions at once. If so, when you get to a question that the leader has already addressed simply summarizes what they said and ask if they have additional thoughts on the question. 3. Practice saying the questions out loud ahead of time. Rephrase them so that you feel comfortable asking them. 4. Start by building rapport on a personal basis. The session should be informal and relaxing. Find out about the person, the organization and the background about key services and projects they provide before you start the interview questions. 5. If someone they know has referred you to them be sure to mention this. Strive to make a personal connection immediately. 6. The focus of the interview questions is to identify community needs and issues. The purpose of the interviews is to get to know the community from an insider’s perspective. The focus is not to get the community leader’s perspective on what the library should be doing to serve the community. That will come later. At the interview your role is to acknowledge and tap into the expertise of the community leader. 7. Take notes but do not use a tape recorder. Feel free to take the time to write good notes. Ask the interviewee to repeat if you missed something or rephrase what you thought you heard. The interviewee wants to help you get it right. Setting-Up The Interview The sample process provided is intended to be a checklist for you rather than a script. You are starting a personal relationship so be sure you are as comfortable and informal as possible. Practice what you want to say before you make the first call. 1. At the end of the interview be sure to ask them for additional names of people you should contact. By now the community leader knows you and what you are trying to accomplish. They can be invaluable in expanding your list of contacts. Be sure to 329

Proceedings of the First National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Proceedings of the First National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color