What makes you afraid? What pushes your buttons? What are your biases and why do you have them? The Human Library, a global project designed to reduce prejudice and stereotypes, works like a regular library except human beings (living books) are “checked out” with the aim of breaking down social misconceptions and forging contacts between people who would never otherwise meet. A borrower gets matched up with someone whose story will challenge his or her assumptions, and the pair spend half an hour talking.
Founded in 2000 by a group of Danish teenagers in response to a violent stabbing of one of their friends, The Human Library works on the principle that aggression happens between people who don’t know or understand each other. The “books” represent social groups that are often exposed to discrimination and exclusion—for example immigrants, gay or transgendered individuals, Muslims, refugees, ex-gang members, graffiti artists, veterans, drag queens, humanists, Wiccans or even healers—and “borrowers” ask them questions, discuss personal viewpoints, or explain or debate controversial issues. The concept has caught on internationally and been adopted in more than 30 countries, as well as in 11 of the United States.
The first U.S. Human Library event took place in Santa Monica in 2008, and all events since have been sold out. The volunteer “librarians” in charge of checking out books encourage readers to talk openly about their biases while abiding by essential handle-with-care guidelines: “The reader must return the book in the same mental and physical condition as borrowed. It is forbidden to cause damage to the book, or hurt her or his dignity in any way. The reader is responsible for preserving the condition of the book.”
Understanding tends to create room for diversity, and using the Human Library to investigate an issue or stereotype can, in fact, make a difference. It is always easier to live next door to someone with whom you somehow identify, rather than people to whom you feel no connection. When people feel understood, they feel at ease with themselves and their surroundings.
Want to borrow a Buddhist or a biker? Check out the Santa Monica Library’s upcoming “book drive” at smpl.org, or visit human-library.org to start Southern California’s next community event.
—Lisa Johns
Photo by Living Library
What makes you afraid? What pushes your buttons? What are your biases and why do you have them? The Human Library, a global project designed to reduce prejudice and stereotypes, works like a regular library except human beings (living books) are “checked out” with the aim of breaking down social misconceptions and forging contacts between people who would never otherwise meet. A borrower gets matched up with someone whose story will challenge his or her assumptions, and the pair spend half an hour talking.
Founded in 2000 by a group of Danish teenagers in response to a violent stabbing of one of their friends, The Human Library works on the principle that aggression happens between people who don’t know or understand each other. The “books” represent social groups that are often exposed to discrimination and exclusion—for example immigrants, gay or transgendered individuals, Muslims, refugees, ex-gang members, graffiti artists, veterans, drag queens, humanists, Wiccans or even healers—and “borrowers” ask them questions, discuss personal viewpoints, or explain or debate controversial issues. The concept has caught on internationally and been adopted in more than 30 countries, as well as in 11 of the United States.
The first U.S. Human Library event took place in Santa Monica in 2008, and all events since have been sold out. The volunteer “librarians” in charge of checking out books encourage readers to talk openly about their biases while abiding by essential handle-with-care guidelines: “The reader must return the book in the same mental and physical condition as borrowed. It is forbidden to cause damage to the book, or hurt her or his dignity in any way. The reader is responsible for preserving the condition of the book.”
Understanding tends to create room for diversity, and using the Human Library to investigate an issue or stereotype can, in fact, make a difference. It is always easier to live next door to someone with whom you somehow identify, rather than people to whom you feel no connection. When people feel understood, they feel at ease with themselves and their surroundings.
Want to borrow a Buddhist or a biker? Check out the Santa Monica Library’s upcoming “book drive” at smpl.org, or visit human-library.org to start Southern California’s next community event.
