Human Library offers
books of a special sort
Libraries
are repositories of books, but Wilton Library is planning an event where the
books are actually people. It’s the Human Library, where a group of people may
be “checked out” to tell their stories. People with a story to tell are
invited to apply to join the “collection.”
The program,
scheduled for March 24, is being spearheaded by Teen Services & Makerspace
Manager Susan Lauricella and Melissa Baker, media and digital services
librarian. The two attended a Human Library event in the fall of 2016 at
Fairfield University and were “blown away by the experience,” Lauricella told
The Bulletin.
“We started
thinking seriously about doing it ourselves,” she said.
Human
Library began in Denmark in 2000, and Wilton Library is the first non-academic
library in Connecticut to receive permission to offer a Human Library event.
The program provides a safe, non-judgmental environment for people who have
encountered prejudice (a “human book”) to talk one-on-one with people
interested in learning more about their challenges (the “readers”).
The program
allows people to sit down and have a dialogue, Lauricella said, perhaps leading
a reader to think, “This type of person is not what I imagined them to be.”
At the
Fairfield event, the women spoke with a young woman who had not been able to
come out about her sexuality with her family or her small-town community. They
also met a young man with schizophrenia and learned about the challenges he has
faced.
“You can
meet people, ask questions, and hear stories you might never hear,” Baker said.
The library
has a number of human books lined up willing to talk about depression, mental
illness, anti-Semitism and immigration to the United States in the 1930s,
discrimination based on appearance, adult ADHD, race relations, younger-onset
Alzheimer’s disease, surviving cancer and a coma, navigating the ABC program,
being a follower of Christ, and raising a special needs child.
The program,
not surprisingly, will be similar in many ways to a traditional library. Books
may be checked out for 15 minutes, holds may be placed on books that are
already checked out, and books must be returned in the same condition as
received.
Telling a
story
The books
who are participating may be found on the library’s website, www.wiltonlibrary.org, along with a
brief synopsis of their stories. Their names are omitted, although some may be
familiar members of the community.
With about 11
people signed up, Lauricella and Baker are seeking more people. They hope to
have as many as 20. There is an application process.
Potential
books must have a story that involves being misunderstood in some way by
others. They must be willing to talk about challenges or prejudices they’ve
experienced.
“People who
have faced challenges based on their experiences or identity — based on
stereotypes or preconceived notions,” Baker said.
The program
will run four hours, and books must commit to participate for at least two
hours. Books must be at least 18 years old. The application deadline is the end
of this month. Applications are on the library’s website. Click on The Human
Library icon on the home page. Questions may be addressed to Lauricella at slauricella@wiltonlibrary.org
or Baker at mbaker@wiltonlibrary.org.
Both
librarians are excited about the program’s possibilities.
“The books
we’ve dealt with so far, their stories are just incredible,” Lauricella said.
The goal,
Baker said, is “more understanding, more compassion.”
Regards
Prof. Pralhad Jadhav
Master of Library &
Information Science (NET Qualified)
Senior Manager @ Knowledge
Repository
Khaitan & Co
Twitter Handle | @Pralhad161978
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