Last week, I was forwarded this article about a library in London where patrons can borrow people for one-half hour chats. Borrow people, you say? Yes, borrow people. Several Londoners volunteered to participate in Living Library program where, as a patron, you can “check out your prejudice.”
The idea is beautifully simple: volunteers are cataloged as “books” and tagged with various stereotypical descriptions related to that volunteer’s identity. Patrons ask a librarian to borrow one of the “books” and then the patron and “book” have a 30-minute conversation with the goals of breaking down barriers and of increasing tolerance. When the thirty minutes are up, the patron returns the “book” to the librarian.
After I read the article, I just couldn’t stop thinking about this concept and wondering, could we have a program like this here at Main? I invite you to comment here and let us know what your thoughts are. If we had a program like this, what living book might you volunteer to be? What living book would you want to check out?
In the meantime, check out one of our non-breathing books. We have many autobiographies and memoirs on our shelves. Read about someone who is Black, White and Jewish or read about the experience of a Person with a Transgender Spouse. Perhaps you have questions for a Christian Voter or an African-American Single Mom. Or maybe you just feel like “hassling” a Celebrity.
Comments and thoughts?
–Laura.
Eleventh Stack 