In our first Reader of the Month sit, we meet a lady from France named Solène, 34. She moved to the UK in 2016 and works for a consumer healthcare company as a scientist and very much enjoys meeting new people and discussing different topics. A natural born reader of the Human Library you could say. Soléne has read books both in digital and analog versions. Here is an insight to her reader journey with the Human Library.

How did you first come to learn of the Human Library?

My employer gave us the opportunity to participate in the Human Library online. It turned out it was a great opportunity for me to discover this wonderful initiative.

What has your reader journey been like? 

It’s been really interesting, in the beginning I was mostly choosing topics quite far from my own personal experience and only slowly approaching topics that are closer to my heart.

First the digital bookshelf, then you have visited us in-person. Why did you pursue in-person also? 

Doing sessions online from the comfort of my home was great, however I was missing an important dimension, the human aspect when discussing in real life. So attending the Human Library Book Cafe in London brought the experience to another level for me.

How many books have you read now?

One of our librarians getting ready for the Human LIbrary Book Cafe in London.

I have read more than 10 books addressing eclectic topics like disability, sexuality, mental health, religion & belief, neurodiversity and many more.

What are some of the most important key takeaways for you? 

Time flies very quickly. This initiative is a good opportunity to ask all the questions you always wanted to get an answer, in a safe environment. It’s also a great chance to open our minds and challenge our way of thinking.

Why read so many books? 

I have started to read one book, then two and so on. I always wanted to know more about people and their experiences. And the more books you read the wiser you can get.

What would you say to people who are not sure if they should borrow a book from the Human Library? 

Just do it, you won’t regret it. It will bring you so much insight in your life.

Any great tips for other readers? Any comments for the books you have read so far?

To be comfortable before your first reading, get a few questions ready for your book and just be yourself. Remember the Human Library is a safe environment to discuss and learn more about ourselves and others. 

I wish this initiative will grow worldwide and become accessible to all people.

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This Easter weekend book depot managers from England, Estonia, Netherlands, Romania, Scotland, Ukraine and the United States will come together in Copenhagen for the Human Library Book Depot Manager Training.

New sustainable book depots

They come here from all over the world to help us build strong sustainable book depots for the Human Library in their communities. Some have hosted many events and others are starting from scratch with only their skills and dedication to help create a more inclusive and understanding community.

A resource to the community

A Human Library Book Depot is just like it sounds, a collection of books and librarians ready to render a Human Library. A book depot receives invitations from local partners to bring out the books and publish them to readers. Typically the invitations come from educational institutions, libraries, festivals and some from the private sector.

Making events easily accessible

A book depot with enough volunteer books and librarians, can publish anywhere from 12 to 30 times a year. Some book depots have been in operation for many years and hold over a 100 different books. With a local book depot events can be rendered with very high quality in content, delivery and methodology while keeping preparation time down. Something that has stopped many from repeating events despite the tremendous impact.

Depot Manager is key to the collection

The book depot manager is the person overall responsible for the operation and development of the book depot. All matters regarding recruiting, delivering events, care taking for books and volunteers and keeping quality, are matters for the book depot manager to handle. It takes the right person and the understanding of our vision along with the skills, tools and network to build it. But when you built it, they will come. Books, librarians and readers.

New cities and developing existing collections

The training in Copenhagen will help us launch new book depots in Edinburgh, New York City, Prague and Kharkiv. While reinforcing our presence and adding to the positive work already done in cities like Bucharest, London, Tilburg and Tallinn. For more readers and books to take advantage. Soon readers in the mentioned cities will be able to more easily take advantage of the safe space the Human Library provides. The space to ask difficult questions and get an honest answer.

This program is funded entirely by the Human Library Organization and our volunteers.

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