In a heartfelt celebration of community leaders, Peggy Lewis, 67, dedicated volunteer and Human Library Book Depot Manager in Muncie, In, received the Vivian V. Conley Award for Distinction in Advocacy for Social Justice on August 28th for her work with the Human Library.

Vivian V. Conley was a prominent civil rights activist and community champion in Muncie and at the forefront of many community issues relating to education and civil and elderly rights. The award, named in her honour, recognizes individuals who, like Vivian herself, stand at the forefront of community matters and drive meaningful change. Peggy’s dedication to creating an inclusive community where diverse voices are heard aligns seamlessly with the award’s values and serves as a well-deserved recognition of her outstanding contributions to the community.

Peggy Lewis in the middle, celebrated by Books and Librarians.

“You need to understand that this is my passion, and the real winners are all of the Books and Librarians who work together to help me make this a reality. I am humbled and honoured. I was so happy to share this moment with some of those Books and Librarians as well as my sons,” Peggy says. 

Making Indiana a Human Library hub

Peggy Lewis has been leading the local work in Muncie since 2019, and with a band of incredible volunteers, they have built a strong local presence that is giving voice to the diversity of the community and enabling learning opportunities across educational institutions, festivals and workplaces. 

She has put thousands of hours into caretaking for Books, Librarians and readers. Ensuring the safe space for all involved in the work. 

Peggy got involved almost by circumstance after meeting Human Library founder Ronni Abergel at a training session held in Indianapolis. Since then, she has been trained and visited the head office in Copenhagen, Denmark. Along with her team and the amazing Fort Wayne Human Library team, Peggy Lewis has helped make the state of Indiana a regular hub for the Human Library in the US. Peggy Lewis, we salute you.

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This year, the Human Library had the opportunity to contribute to Copenhagen Pride Week with a pop-up event at City Hall Square. On Tuesday, ten Books and four Librarians were able to complete over 50 loans in one afternoon. 

Readers getting guidance from one of our librarians. (Photo: Elin Hansen)

With topics such as asexual, HIV+, amputee, bipolar, anxiety and depression, the Human Library opened a temporary bookshelf in the middle of City Hall Square. Within four hours, all the Books were borrowed multiple times, and there was a constant buzz from the many exchanges between readers from around the world and the volunteer books from the Human Library’s Book Depot in Copenhagen. Loans were, as always, free to our readers. 

Great Interest from Readers

Copenhagen Pride is already an event with a strong focus on diversity, which makes the concept of the Human Library a great fit for the program, and the interest from readers was substantial. 

“We’ve basically had almost all of our Books out on loans all throughout the afternoon,” Says Librarian Linnea Hardgrib

One of the pageturners that have been in the hands of readers is our latest Book of the Month, 46-year-old Filip Milo. He is an open book in the Human Library with the subject of being an amputee. 

Filip Milo at Copenhagen Pride. (Photo: Elina Hansen)

“I was borrowed by, among others, a lesbian couple, where one was a doctor and the other a chiropractor, and it turned into a longer conversation about physics, illness, and healthcare. Others wanted to know how it had gone so wrong. And since I was wearing shorts for the Pride event, my book topic as an amputee was quite evident to anyone before we even started talking.”

Takes Courage to Talk Openly About Anxiety

Monica Molin is 27 years old and offers her readers access to her lived experience with anxiety. This resulted in six loans in four hours. 

“I think it’s incredibly brave that my readers come and talk openly and honestly about their own experiences. One reader had just arrived in Copenhagen from Germany the day before, and she mentioned that many of her friends were struggling with anxiety, and she wanted some advice on how to best support the people in her network. And that’s actually one of the best things for me as a book to talk about. How we can best support and help each other,” says Monica. 

Even heavy rain could not prevent people from taking advantage of the learning opportunity. And so after a bit of rain, it cleared up again, and people could sit outside in the sunshine with their open book and challenge their prejudices. 

An open book with her readers at Pride in Copenhagen. (Photo: Elin Hansen)

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