Note. From We Need to Talk About That Westworld Season 2 Finale [photo of Dolores reading a book], 2018, Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/westworld-season-2-finale-discussion/
The image I included in my post comes from a scene in the season finale of a HBO series called Westworld. In the photograph the main protagonist Dolores, a sentient artificially intelligent humanoid robot,” is in a virtual library reading books that represent the minds and memories of the human guests that have visited Westworld. At the time the idea of having a library full of people’s minds and memories seemed like science fiction to me until I learned about the Human Library.
Although not the same, the Human Library was a storytelling project that originated in Denmark where people volunteered to be open “books” about their lives and experiences (Wentz, 2013). Volunteers were chosen to be representatives of stigmatized groups in the community and offered insights and honest conversations about their lived experiences (Human Library, n.d.). “Readers” were able to have one-on-one interactions with the human books and ask them questions, seek advice, learn about alternate perspectives, and find common ground (Wentz, 2013). The main goal of the library was to help people and organizations better understand diversity to help create more inclusive and cohesive communities across cultural, religious, social and ethnic differences (Human Library, n.d.).
I felt like this was a very practical and innovative way to give people a space to share their stories, educate the public, and build connections between people from different backgrounds. For example, a lot of LGBTQ+ youth grow up in families that come from religious and conservative households. Many do not have LGBTQ+ family members or know anyone in their lives that they feel comfortable and safe talking to. Having access to a human library in their community could help them know they were not alone, and help connect them to people that know what they are going through.
I think for many people having access to this resource in their local area would not only be therapeutic for marginalized groups, but also enlightening for the whole community. Storytelling whether oral, visual, or through art is a powerful tool that not only entertains but educates, connects, and inspires people no matter where they come from.
References:
Human Library (n.d.). About the Human Library. Retrieved on March 7, 2025, from https://humanlibrary.org/about/
Wentz, E. (2013, April 26). The Human Library: Sharing the community with itself. Public Libraries Online. https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/04/human_librar/
Daniel – I remember that episode of Westworld! How fun you connected it to the Human Library. I agree getting people to come together and hear each other stories is such a powerful way to promote understanding and empathy.