The nation of Denmark has an innovative way of keeping living stories from being lost—even if they’re not written yet. Their human library project lets the public check out a person, not a book.
Denmark is a lovely country I’ve visited three times so far to enjoy a wonderful young Danish exchange student who lived in my home in Canada for a year. We bonded and stay in touch. Now Jane and her dear family give me insider views of their country where I love feeling like a Dane by adoption, not a tourist.
Clever Danes created the fascinating human library opportunity in 2000 which allows readers to connect with someone’s else’s life and experience based on similar areas of interest—perhaps something like our Dewey Decimal System subject index. I may try this next time I’m there.
The “Human Library” concept began in the year 2000 as part of a youth organization called “Stop the Violence.” Library guests choose which volunteer they’d like to “check out” based on titles the human books assign themselves. Past titles have included “Olympic Athlete,” “Biking Agoraphobic,” “Fat Woman,” and, “A Questioning Christian.” Visitors sit down with their human books for half an hour to hear their personal stories. I suppose it’s possible to request more than one book per day if desired or request more than half an hour if the library guest and the person being interviewed are mutually enjoying their visit. This sounds like great opportunities for success stories including potential friendships that begin in a safe, congenial, well-supervised setting. I’m sure non-serious readers are quickly weeded out or lose library privileges.
The good news is that the Danish experiment has now expanded into five other countries including Tasmania and South Korea. Check further developments by visiting the Human Library Organization’s Facebook page. The link below tells more about the project and provides great photos. The picture at the top is from their site. What a great idea. Let’s try this in North America!
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