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© 2021 V&R unipress, Brill Deutschland GmbH ISBN Print: 9783847113232 – ISBN E-Lib: 9783737013239 DanielleFuller “It’snotonmymap!”: A JourneyThroughMethods in theCompanyofReaders Abstract In this essay I explore challengesposedby someof thedifferent researchmethods that I haveemployedtoinvestigatereadingasasocialpractice intheearlytwenty-firstcentury. I examine two specificmethods – focus groups and building digital tools – anddrawex- amples fromtwocollaborative reading studiesprojects. It is2004.MyresearchpartnerDeNelandIaresat inarentedPlymouthCruiser which is parked under a street light near theMoody Blues Café inWaterloo, southernOntario.Weareabouttoleavetheareawherewehavebeenconducting our pilot study for theBeyond theBookproject. In the lastweekwehave com- pletedandruna test questionnaireonline, held several interviewswith reading eventorganizers andhalf adozen focusgroupswith readers.Theworkhasalso involvedmanytripstobranchesofStaples,astationaryshop,tomakecardboard bookmarks advertising the questionnaire, numerous telephone calls to new contacts, and thewrapping of dozens of books as ‘thank you’ gifts to our par- ticipants.We only have a small research grant sowe have begged these books fromfriendswhoworkintheCanadianpublishingindustry.DeNelhasdrivenus manymilesamongthethreesmallcitiesofKitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge,and I have sat in thepassenger seatwith the relevantmap inmyhands, calling out directions that Ihaveprepared inadvance. Ithasbeenanexhilaratingbutchallengingweek.Prior to this studyIhadnot done any focus groups, but I ambeginning to seewhy they are ausefulwayof talkingwithreaders.Sittinginthepassengerseatof thecarthisevening,however, I feel tired, grumpyandguilty.Wehave just finisheda focusgroupwithabook club sitting inanoisy café crammedarounda table. Itwasdifficult tohear and hard to listen. Worse than this: I contradicted something DeNel said about CanadaReads in frontof thebookclub. I knowIneed toapologise. But first, I have tomakesenseof themapIamholding so thatwecangetoutofWaterloo andbackonthe401highway toToronto.Webothpeer through thecarwindow Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0