Library Let’s You Check Out People, Not Books
Libraries are a great place to learn, but one library is helping people do that and it has nothing to do with books. The Human Library is a non-profit where…
Libraries are a great place to learn, but one library is helping people do that and it has nothing to do with books.
The Human Library is a non-profit where instead of borrowing books, people borrow people. You can expand your minds about people who are not like you. “Human Books” usually represent groups that face prejudices for things like their lifestyle, ethnicity, beliefs, or disability. They can range from someone who is Muslim, to a homeless person, or someone who has been abused.
Organizers hope that those who take part in events learn to “unjudge” a book by it’s cover. Noting that there are places where "difficult questions are expected, appreciated, and answered."
The Human Library was created 21 years ago by Ronni Abergel, a Danish human rights activist and journalist, and since then it’s held events in more than 80 countries, in libraries, museums, festivals and schools. He thinks that considering today’s climate the library is needed now more than ever.
- "I had a theory that it could work because the library is one of the few places in our community where everyone is welcome, whether you're rich or poor, homeless or living in a castle, professor or illiterate," Abergel says. "It's truly the most inclusive institution in our time."
Source: CNN
