By Shwetha Sundarrajan—
Muncie, IN—It’s not like your typical library. No, it’s definitely not like a bookmobile either. The Human Library is unlike anything you’ve seen. Founded by Roni Abergel in 2000, the Denmark based international non-profit aims to “better our understanding of diversity in order to help create more inclusive and cohesive communities across cultural, religious, social and ethnic differences.”
But what exactly constitutes a Human Library? According to Peggy Lewis, the book depot manager of the Muncie Human Library, the “books” are actually people who are assigned a title based on their life experiences. Just like a regular library, visitors can check out a book and have a 30-minute discussion with them about their topic.
“No two readings are going to be the same. It depends on what the reader needs and wants out of it, and we always say that our books are open books. They are brave and courageous and will answer any sincere question,” Lewis said.
Book titles can include anything ranging from transgender to Satanist, and with the variety of titles the Human Library possesses, the goal is to reduce the prejudice and biases that people may possess.
“We have biases. Throughout time people have had biases as a matter of protection, as you look at somebody and you say, this is an immediate reaction, it’s almost for self-protection, but we may or may not act on those. But we have that. So it’s time to sit down and un-judge,” Lewis said.
The Muncie Human Library had its first in-person event in 2019 at Oakhurst Gardens, with over 40 books present for the public to interact with. But not only does the Human Library do public events, they also do corporate events for diversity and inclusion events, all for spreading inclusivity in both the workplace and in the community.
However, with the pandemic, the Human Library has had to move its events online, which opened more doors for more diverse books.
Diane Bottomly, an Associate Professor Of Elementary Education at Ball State University and a librarian for the Human Library enjoys being able to listen to people from all around the world talk about their experiences.
“It has helped me understand people from diverse backgrounds that I probably had would never have been exposed to before. And, had lacked, you know, understanding because I just had no interaction with anybody like that,” Bottomley said.
As a librarian, Bottomly’s role involves assisting those joining the event, making sure that both books and readers are comfortable, and debriefing both parties after the conversation is over.
As someone from a small, working-class town in Illinois, Bottomley says she had her first classmate of color when she was in college and was never really exposed to anything outside her bubble.
“You know you you hear about different groups, and you sometimes unfortunately we all have biases and stereotypes, but until you talk to somebody who’s lived that experience like being a refugee, you know you only get what they show on TV. You don’t get the human side of that situation,” Bottomly said.
As an education professor, Bottomley hopes for her students to utilize the Human Library to facilitate their growth as future educators.
“And the example that stands out in my mind, is one of my Ball State students was listening to a book, who had been sexually abused as a middle schooler, and they had the conversation, and she asked what I thought were very insightful questions about, you know, what should a teacher do to recognize that somebody might be in that situation,” Bottomly said. “And so they talked about that is like you know one of the best experiences that they had in class because they just didn’t get that opportunity to share and understand in terms of people.”
Not only does the organization provide a fantastic learning experience for Ball State students, but it also provides a way for locals to get out of their bubble and to meet new people from various backgrounds, like Charlize Jamieson. She is a book for the Human Library, under the title Transgender. Raised in Muncie with their adopted parents, Jamieson realized she was transgender when she was 13 years old. “Well, at a young age I was afraid they’d un-adopt me, I mean I had that fear. So I wasn’t going to risk it. And I didn’t start publicly coming out until my father passed away in 2014. So, if you do the math, it’s close to 50 years of hiding it because I was taught that your goal is to achieve the American dream and coming out as Trans didn’t fit society’s definition of that” Jamieson said.
But being a book at the Human Library has raised Jamieson’s confidence in herself and in humanity. When she returned to Muncie and decided to come out, Jamieson was apprehensive of the reactions from the fairly conservative community that she had grown up with. But on the contrary, she was pleasantly surprised at how accepting residents were.
“I underestimated the people of this town badly. So shame on me for that. Because the whole idea about the human library is to un-judge someone, and I did my share of pre-judging the people of my hometown” Jamieson said.
By removing prejudices, people can truly appreciate the diverse nature of their community. And the Human Library provides just that opportunity for those still hesitant to come out of their niches.
“You know, part of it is you provide the opportunities, and you try and encourage people to come, you know, get your friends to come work, people to come, you know, just try and open their mind. And some people you’re never going to do that with,” Bottomley said.
But for those interested in the Human Library, joining an event is easy. Visit https://humanlibrary.org/ and sign up for any event for a life-changing experience.
