Reflecting on this module made me think about the ways that we can use libraries to amplify individuals’ stories and promote person-to-person communication in our communities. As someone who lives in a large city, I think my favorite thing about my home is how surrounded by different kinds of people I am. A quick walk outside puts me in contact with moms with their babies, joggers, dog walkers, elders, smokers, people waiting for the bus, unhoused people, and more. But it can be easy to feel isolated from our neighbors if we get out of the habit of sparking up conversations and meeting new friends. In youth-focused library departments, I find that programming easily overcomes this barrier. I always see parents meeting new parents at storytime, and I’ll often see teens making nervous small talk with other teens during afternoon crafts. But for adult programming, sometimes it seems like the social inertia is a bit harder to overcome.
I first started thinking about this deeply during Module 8, when I watched the Anythink Library’s Get to Know Your Neighbor video. I think this program is so brilliant. The library pairs up strangers, who then sit together and pull random conversation starters out of a hat. I really love this idea, and I think with enough marketing pushes and community buy in, this could be a great weekly or monthly program at any public library. In a program like this, community members get to connect in real life with another person who they then might run into around town or in future settings; it just strengthens the societal fabric in general.
This overlaps with the “Human Library” idea that was promoted in the Power of Stories module. In contrast to the “Get to Know Your Neighbor” program, this version has a more defined set of roles for participants; some volunteers are “books” and some are “readers”. I think this can be useful for delineating different comfort levels in participants. Volunteers who are truly happy to talk to anyone can be made “books,” while more nervous participants can have a bit more choice and control as “readers.”
I also loved the Story Corps video that was linked in the Power of Stories module. I think Story Corps and storytelling programs that emulate it create a much lower stakes, more palatable version of the Get to Know Your Neighbor program, where people can hear from their neighbors without the social anxiety of meeting a stranger. The animation aspect of these videos is also just so engaging and gorgeous, and I’m always happy to watch one when I come across them.
Overall, I think people are really hungry for this kind of programming, and the library–the warehouse of stories–is the perfect place to facilitate it.
References
Anythink Libraries. (2016, December 21). Get To Know Your Neighbor [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzLI-aqFzDQ
Arne-Skidmore, E. (2021, August 4). New study on the impact of the human library. Human Library. https://humanlibrary.org/new-study-on-the-impact-of-the-human-library/
StoryCorps. (2016, April 13). The Bookmobile [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11OvHcgh-E4
1 Comment
July 28, 2025 at 6:47 pm
Hi Carly,
I totally agree with what you said about there being more of a social inertia with adult patrons, and have noticed a similar pattern at my library. There is a lot of demand for adult programming, but when we actually have events it’s harder to get a good turnout. I think these low stakes social mixer type events would be a good solution to this problem.