Human Libraries; A new path to Learning

 There are many stories waiting to be shared, but not in the conventional way that humans are used to. 

There are books, e-books then there are audio books but ever heard of books you can have a conversation with?

 What if, instead of interpreting someone's story from the printed text, you could hear it directly from them? 

For instance, what if you one could ask a Holocaust survivor about their experience or challenge your own notions of eating disorders by speaking to someone who has one? 

Narratives are a powerful communication tool, when utilised correctly, can help to bridge gaps. Hence, the concept of 'Human Library' (also known as living library) was born, based on the age-old idea of knowledge sharing.

The Human Library or “Menneskebiblioteket” as it is called in Danish, was developed in Copenhagen in the spring of 2000 as a project for Roskilde Festival by Ronni Abergel and his brother Dany and colleagues Asma Mouna and Christoffer Erichsen.

The original event was open eight hours a day for four days straight and featured over fifty different titles. The broad selection of books provided readers with ample choice to challenge their stereotypes and so they did.

 More than a thousand readers took advantage leaving books, librarians, organisers and readers stunned at the impact of the Human Library.

Human book is an individual who volunteer to represent stigmatized people in an environment by telling personal experience with challenge as it is , being an international organization and movement that first started in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

It aims to address people's prejudices by helping them to talk to those they would not normally meet. The organisation uses a library analogy of lending people rather than books.

Human libraries provide readers with access to the knowledge and personal experiences of their fellow community members. Human books stand to benefit from participation as well, in various ways ranging from altruistic to self-focused.

The Human Library have found its usage in different areas of the civil society. In Denmark the platform is used as a part of the education of new social workers at the Institute of Social Work in Copenhagen.

In the United States medical students from Thomas Jefferson University also participate in a Human Library.

At a corporate level it’s about creating inclusive work environment, and increasing the employees ability to benefit from the great diversity that especially global companies are characterized by.

Each "human" book writes a summary of their experiences, describing their daily activities

The Human Library is a safe space where we can challenge our unconscious biases, explore diversity, learn about how we're different from one another, and interact with people we'd never meet otherwise, there are many stories waiting to be shared, but not in the conventional way that humans are.

I know you are as intrigued as I am, you can find huma libraries  in the following countries;

. India

. USA

. Australia

North America

. South America.