Reflection on The Power of Stories

The Need for Sharing Stories in a Divided World

Stories have the power to give strength, understanding, and hope amidst the turmoil of the world around the reader or listener, as in a book or an audiocast (Stephens, 2019, 2025; Villagran & Long, 2022). Stories can help an individual gain greater insight into the background and interests of community members (Stephens, 2020). Information from those stories should be freely accessible, and a way to garner stories of those in a neighborhood is through various interpersonal story-sharing programs at libraries (Eberhart, 2018; Paxaman, 2020; Stephens, 2019; Wentz, 2013). These types of experiences, according to Arne-Skidmore (2021), have allowed for greater development of people’s empathy, the undermining of implicit biases, and the willingness to cross barriers previously deemed un-crossable. The sharing of stories also allows a patron to feel seen and heard, as they may be part of one of many marginalized individuals in a community (Arne-Skidmore, 2021; Kostelecky et al., 2023; Villagran & Long, 2022). It is also not just patrons that benefit from such a nuanced way of storytelling, because libraries benefit from the “Human Library” program as well, with the expansion of collaborations between the library and other organizations (Wentz, 2013, para. 5). This collaborative effort allows libraries to be seen as expandable and not expendable, as they are witnessed as being constantly evolving and changing to cater to their patrons’ needs (Paxaman, 2020; Wentz, 2013).

Sharing Personal and Written Stories

Sharing interpersonal stories can be done in several innovative and simple ways, depending on how complex the library wishes to make the Human Library experience for others in a neighborhood (Arne-Skidmore, 2021; Eberhart, 2018; Stephens, 2019). One extremely popular way to share the Human Library experience is through podcasting, which allows the recorded story to be broadcast to a broader audience, as StoryCorps does (Eberhart, 2018; Stephens, 2019). The simplest and most interpersonal method is with a program in a library that allows people to share their stories and struggles with others, while creating a personal connection with the person sharing their story (Arne-Skidmore, 2021; Human Library Organization, 2023; Wentz, 2013). I think that both podcasting and library programming are great ways to showcase how people struggle in a continually divided world, such as immigrants speaking about their struggles or formerly incarcerated individuals showing how they overcome every barrier to prosper in their lives (Barboza, 2025; Wilson & Witter, 2019).

References

Arne-Skidmore, E. (2021, April 8). New study on the impact of the Human Library. The Human Library Organization. https://humanlibrary.org/new-study-on-the-impact-of-the-human-library/

Barboza, T. (2025, February 27). Where can L.A. immigrants go for help under Trump? Try the public library. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-27/immigrants-resources-help-los-angeles-public-library

Eberhart, G. M. (2018, February 10). Sharing people’s stories. American Libraries Magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/sharing-peoples-stories/

Human Library Organization (Director). (2023, April 25). The human library reading garden in Copenhagen [Video recording]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxukgiVqb5A

Kostelecky, S. R., Townsend, L., & Hurley, D. A. (Eds.). (2023). Hopeful visions, practical actions: Cultural humility in library work. American Library Association.

Paxaman, M. (2020, November 25). Challenged but not dying, the public libraries are more relevant than ever. Jutland Station. https://web.archive.org/web/20201125214023/http://www.jutlandstation.dk/challenged-but-not-dying-the-public-libraries-are-more-relevant-than-ever/

Stephens, M. (2019). Office hours: With a little twist & power of the pod. INFO 287 – The Hyperlinked Library. https://287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu/office-hours-with-a-little-twist/

Stephens, M. (2020, April 9). Office hours: Narrative inquiry. Tame the Web. https://tametheweb.com/2020/04/09/office-hours-narrative-inquiry/

Stephens, M. (Director). (2025, October 27). Hyperlinked library power of stories [Video recording]. Panopto. https://sjsu-ischool.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=25a905bc-6739-4f68-afea-af10013f32fb

Villagran, M., & Long, B. (2022). Barriers to trans* service and outreach in public libraries. Young Adult Library Services, 20(2), 19–24.

Wentz, E. (2013, April 26). The human library: Sharing the community with itself. Public Libraries Online – A Publication of the Public Library Association. https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/04/human_librar/

Wilson, C., & Witter, B. (with Moore, W.). (2019). The master plan: My journey from life in prison to a life of purpose. G.P. Putnam’s Sons.