I’m always comforted when I walk into my local library and spot what books are on display each month. From the rainbow pride display in June to indigenous literature featured in November, it’s heartening that highlighting books by and about underrepresented identities and communities have become more mainstream on social media, in everyday conversations, and in public libraries.
Stories have always been a (relatively) safer way to reflect on different thoughts, histories, and lived experiences, so diversifying the stories we listen to is an opportunity to expand our perception of the world and other people. I say “safer,” but I don’t mean it is or should be a frictionless experience. In conversations about championing diverse books, some people have commented that reading stories and practicing empathy and cultural competency in real life are still two different acts. I agree that how we participate in these stories influences what we take away from them. Reading a book in isolation can lead to staying within our comfort zone, away from challenging our biases or fears of learning something new.
In contrast, the Human Library is inherently participatory, emphasizes face-to-face conversation, and encourages active listening and human connection. It also further demonstrates how the library goes beyond “physically” keeping stories in a building. Librarians can show that we actively recognize the value of these stories, will connect people to finding these stories, and will support people throughout the creation and development of these stories.
As Mark Ray highlighted, the Human Library is only made possible by the people volunteering to share their stories and participate as human books. This decision can be a very vulnerable experience, and the librarians heading this project would also need the emotional intelligence and cultural competency to guide the volunteers through that process of developing their presentations. I feel it’s significant to point out that the majority of the traditional publishing industry is white and favors publishing white authors. There is representation lacking on both sides. While libraries are absolutely part of advocating for representation in that space, but our role in knowledge creation also extends to creating a space where underrepresented stories and their authors are fostered and valued. We can say, “If you do not hear your voice anywhere else, you will be heard here.”
Citations
Jiménez, L. M., & Beckert, B., Polera, R., & Dietiker, J. C. (2023). The Lee & Low Diversity Baseline Survey 3.0. Lee & Low Books. https://www.leeandlow.com/about/diversity-baseline-survey/dbs3/
Ray, M. (2019, April 12). Courageous Conversations at the Human Library. Next Avenue. https://www.nextavenue.org/courageous-conversations-human-library/
So, R. J., & Wezerek, G. (2020, December 11). Just How White is the Book Industry? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/11/opinion/culture/diversity-publishing-industry.html