“An otherwise very competent doctor at Rigshospitalet told me that I shouldn’t expect to ever be walking again. I don’t know whether that was reverse psychology, but it worked because it made me think: ‘Well, that’s not for him to decide.’”

We are sitting inside the Café of Send Flere Krydderier (Send More Spices) – a cosy little haven embraced by the community centre, Union, in the middle of Nørrebro in Copenhagen. The name of this place may seem a tad contradictory, for while we’re sitting there, a sublime scent of curry, garam masala, and coriander is weaved into the smooth notes coming from the Malian singer Rokai Traoré who’s playing on the speakers in the background. But maybe that’s exactly where the Café got its name from – because its food always includes so many lovely spices. 

Filip and I have sat ourselves in one end of the room with a cup of coffee in our hands. We are meeting to discuss his life and his role as a Book in the Human Library. He’s 46 and started publishing as an open Book in 2020 with the title “Amputee” after hearing about the organisation through a friend. He has been a volunteer ever since. As with many Human Library Books, I quickly discovered that you should never judge a book by its cover since Filip’s story entails much more than just his amputated legs. 

At 19 years old he left Jehovah’s Witnesses due to the fact that he is gay, and he started living alone in Copenhagen. What’s more is that he underwent a malignant cancer disease in the first half of 2020, which included momentary death, and eventually resulted in the loss of both his legs. 

“From an early point in life I’ve been used to people questioning who I am. So, ever since I was young, I’ve had to make tough decisions about myself and my life.”

Filip, a man who’s always in possession of a wink and a smile, is interested in talking about everything under the sun. He grew up a Jehovah’s Witness with his family in Jutland, a chapter of his life that’s helped shape him into the person that he is today. Among other things, he uses his upbringing as a reason why he from an early age, was conscious of what he wanted in life. But this was also the reason for his ostracisation from his family, as Jehovah’s Witnesses do not allow homosexuality in their religion.

It was a heavy choice to take, but at the same time, also a choice where he knew the consequences and felt it was a necessary action. It may sound cold and cynical, as Filip says, but in the end, it was a decision about whether he should live someone else’s life or his own, and when putting it like that it wasn’t a difficult decision for him to make. 

“There are many opportunities for people with a disability if you actually do a bit of research. Do you know how many places where I can gain free entrance in Copenhagen? Most, if not all, museums and the Zoo only cost me a penny.” 

At the start of 2020, Filip was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 43. From there, things began to escalate quickly. Filip started on an arduous journey with chemotherapy, and his doctor told him that he would either die from the cancer or the chemo. And that is literally what happened. Filip went into cardiac arrest and was in a coma for six weeks. It was while in a coma that he developed gangrene in his feet because his body couldn’t provide enough oxygen. 

On the 13th of August 2020, Filip was officially declared cancer free, but in the process, his legs were amputated from his feet to above his knees. It was one of the toughest chapters of his life, but at the same time, he had a steadfast resolution about being able to live his life to the fullest afterwards – despite having lost his legs. 

Throughout the course of his rehabilitation, that resolution persisted. He believes that his resolve comes from his time as a Jehovah’s Witness. From an early age, he experienced the necessity of taking control of his own life, and this has followed him ever since. 

Today, he’s using prosthetics for his legs, and he is enjoying the many opportunities available for disabled people in Copenhagen. Despite a supportive effort from the local municipality, Filip rarely needed much of their help, and he does view himself lucky as he made it through all the adversity without giving up. 

“I was in a place where I didn’t know whether I would be judged and met with prejudice or not.”

Filip started volunteering as a Book at the Human Library after the cancer treatment because one of his friends was a Book already. Thankfully, it’s a rare occurrence that Filip is met with prejudice in public – most of the time it’s children who point and stare. However, as he explains himself, the worst part after the amputation was the uncertainty that followed him around about what would happen and if he could ever live a normal life again. 

Uncertainty begets insecurity, Filip says. And, perhaps, it’s this uncertainty that many people without a physical disability have. The uncertainty of what life you can lead with a physical disability can quickly turn into an insecurity if you aren’t aware of the many offers and support available from your local municipality and not-for-profit organisations.

Filip states the therapeutic aspect as one of the main instigators as to why he joined the Human Library. Instead of sitting at home and losing touch with reality, he needed to ‘touch grass’ and be able to talk to people – something that also helped him talk about the entire process of his cancer and amputation in its entirety. 

However, today the aspects have changed a bit. Instead of being a therapeutic outlet for himself, he’s discovered how much value his experiences are giving other people as well. People are often very moved by his journey, and, as Filip states, when you’re affected by someone’s life, you start to think. 

My coffee went cold a while ago as a consequence of the intense and emotional talk with Filip, and Rokai Traoré’s mellow song is coming to an end. I thank Filip for his courage and openness, and while we leave the café, I reflect again on my own prejudice around physical disabilities. Turns out Filip’s theory was true – I was affected by his story, and it surely made me think. 

Visit the Human Library Reading Garden in Copenhagen on a Sunday to get a chance to read Filip.

The post Book of the Month – Amputee appeared first on The Human Library Organization.

The concept of the Book Bus was introduced last year, as the pandemic eased its grasp on the everyday life of the Danes. 

The aim of the tour is to reach areas of Denmark, where we have not yet had the opportunity to offer axcess to our Bookshelf. Inclusion is also about being inclusive to our Readers, and to ensure that the Human Library is not a phenomenon exclusively available in the large cities. 

From festival to festival

This year’s Summer Tour launched at Northside Festival, and we are fortunate to have been invited to publish our Books at quite a few festivals. This means that visitors at “Tinderbox”, “Grobund Building Festival”, and “Musik i Lejet” will get the opportunity to borrow our Books. And as always, The Human Library is free for all. 

The festival scene is a special meeting place for Books and Readers. A place where many people get together and are eager to discover new things. The ambiance of joy, coexistence and relaxation creates an accommodating environment for Readers and Books to come together and engage in dialogue about our diversity. Creating a framework, where you can safely experience and explore your own unconscious bias. 

Community events

Besides the “festival” stops the book bus will also visit a range of smaller towns and publish books at pop up events. One of the stops will be at the beach in Kerteminde. A town where many Danes like to visit during the holiday. 

The Tour will include books from our local book depots in Aarhus, Esbjerg, Odense and Copenhagen. Offering an opportunity for books and librarians from across the country to connect.

For more information on the Human Library Summer Tour and other Human Library sessions:
Human Library Events Page

The post The Human Library Book Tour appeared first on The Human Library Organization.

Daniel Lee, 30, from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia works with leadership management in sports. He is also currently training to become a wheelchair racer and he serves as an Open Book with the Human Library. His topic within the library is Wheelchair User and he is helping provide his Readers with the perspective of a man, who sees his wheelchair as anything but a limitation.

Stopped walking at 3 years old

Daniel suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta which means that his bones break very easily. Children fall, but for Daniel falling meant breaking a bone every single time. Because of the condition, Daniel stopped walking at 3 years old and his mother had to carry him around, as the family couldn’t afford a wheelchair at the time. 

As Daniel couldn’t run around and play like the other children, he felt like he wasn’t a part of his local community. He had to rely on his mother to carry him around, which limited his possibilities for socializing with the other children in the neighborhood. 

Wheelchair brought independence 

By the age of 10, Daniel finally received his wheelchair. From not being able to move on his own for the last 7 years, Daniel finally felt free when receiving his wheelchair, 

“I became more and more independent. And I love being in my wheelchair. I can go places on my own without the help of others,” he says. 

From the perspective of an able-bodied person, being in a wheelchair could seem like a limitation, but for Daniel it is anything but. 

“My wheelchair is a symbol of freedom, not of limitation. My condition is the limitation but my wheelchair helps me break the boundaries of the condition,” he explains. 

This perspective is exactly what Daniel brings into the conversation when publishing at the Human Library. 

Challenging people’s preconceptions

“I really enjoy challenging people’s preconceptions, and the Human Library provides a platform for exactly that and an opportunity to connect. When engaging with the Readers, I can feel a shift in perspective. A lot of people have good intentions but lack an understanding of what disabled people can and can’t do. They don’t expect that we can use public transportation or become leaders. Being out alone in public in a wheelchair is inspirational in Malaysia but good intentions and inspiration is not a way of normalizing the view on the abilities of disabled people”, he continues. 

Therefore Daniel is involved with leadership management in sports, 

“I use disciplines such as Sitting Volleyball and Blind Football as a way of promoting inclusion in sports. I just returned from a conference in the US helping people understand what they should take into consideration for the people in their communities, who have a different way of life than themselves”. 

Sports as a way of impacting communities 

Daniel has always been interested in sports. When he was younger, he competed in the Asian Youth Para Games in Sitting Volleyball, and he is currently training to become a wheelchair racer. Daniel has found a way to combine his passion for sports and his devotion to inclusion,

“I use sports as a way of impacting communities. I share my life experience with students and companies to motivate and inspire others”. 

He wants to empower disabled people as much as he wants society to understand that being in a wheelchair should not limit your possibilities. 

“I wish there would come a day that being out in public is not inspirational, but just normal. If you want to be inspired, be inspired by all the other things that people can do,” he states.

Daniel can be found on loan at Human Library events in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and online.

**Disability and indeed diversity language varies internationally and individually. This interview reflects the book’s own words and views.

The post Book of the Month: Wheelchair User  appeared first on The Human Library Organization.

As an intern at the Human Library, you will be working closely with and be responsible for coordinating and implementing independent projects. As part of the secretariat team, you will also be involved in tasks from different areas of responsibility, collaborating with other interns, volunteers, and employees. We value making use of each other’s resources and perspectives across differences, and experiences. You can read more about the different positions here:

• Internship at our International Department
• Internship with International Corporate Partnership Team

We are always interested in applications from skilled and engaged persons regardless of ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or age. We also encourage candidates with special needs to apply.

Send your Cover Letter, CV, and relevant material to Head of Secretariat, Silke Bech no later than Monday March 28th at 12PM. Interviews will be held shortly after. 

Read more about the Human Library

The post The Human Library is Looking for Interns appeared first on The Human Library Organization.

The Human Library has local Book Depots spread out around the world. A few are in South America and one of them is in Lima, Peru. This is where we publish Jonathan, or as you will discover, Samantha. She has been a part of the Human Library since 2017. 

In disguise

Jonathan, also known as Samantha Braxton, publishes as the topic “Transformista” – also equivalent to “Crossdresser”. It all started at Halloween 17 years ago, in 2005, when Samantha first came to life. “I am a big fan of pop music, especially Madonna and Britney”, Samantha says, so she decided to go as Madonna, “Halloween is the perfect moment to be in disguise” she adds. The following years Jonathan repeated the experience, and this was how Samantha was first introduced to the world. 

Soon she was discovered by people in the creative industries and started singing and dancing in clubs, then moved to making social help videos and sharing her story online and quickly found recognition. She then joined the Human Library: “I always knew Samantha was a character that was going to challenge boundaries, inspire, and make people feel good”. 

Joining the Human Library

Samantha joined the Human Library after she participated in an exhibition called “Intolerancia” at a local gallery. One of the Librarians from the Lima Book Depot saw it and reached out to Sam. “I had just come out of a bad relationship with an abusive boyfriend who did not accept Samantha” she says, and then the Human Library invitation came along: “And it was an important time for me to share my story and feel like myself”. 

Even though Samantha is real, you can’t see her every day, “You are not going to see her drinking a cup of coffee or see her dating. She has no life. And that is the magic of Samantha”, Jonathan says and adds, “I am the one giving life to Samantha”. She is created to inspire people and make people feel good: “I feel great about myself every time I tell my story at Human Library events”. 

Helping expand readers perspective

“When I am published I feel like I get to experience how my readers erase the image they had in their mind”, she states. Many of her readers have been gay and lesbian and often they have not been openly out of the closet to their friends and family, and so they have come for advice and for insight into her journey. 

“My friends have always supported me, but at first my parents thought I had a fever when I told them about Samantha”, now Jonathan’s parents are actively helping with Samantha and are big supporters: “That is the best feeling”. 

Samantha is grateful to be a part of the Human Library Lima Depot. One of the things she highlights is that they are a strong group, “Many of the books and librarians have known each other for years now”. She hopes to help inspire readers and open their minds: “I am happy that I get to help educate people”. 

Follow the work of the Human Library Peru for an opportunity to read Samantha.

The post Book of the Month: Transformista appeared first on The Human Library Organization.

The first impact study of the Human Library online format shows that Human Library events help Readers understand a broader scope of diversity and recognize that inclusion is more than acceptance – it requires action. 

Danish research consultancy, Analyse & Tal, was commissioned by Z Zurich Foundation to conduct a qualitative study to investigate the impact of the Human Library. The study was based on three virtual events the HLO hosted for 200 Zurich Insurance Group employees from different regions of the world. A group of participants who took part as Readers in September 2020 were interviewed before the events and again three months later. 

Jakob Kristensen, Analyst at Analyse & Tal says the findings indicate high satisfaction and significant short-term impact among the participants, “We focused on the intensity of people’s experiences. I was surprised to see that so many participants were able to recall vivid details of the event, as well as the recurring thoughts they had about their experiences in the months that followed. The level of detail and excitement they could recount was impressive. Based on our experience, we would label this as a significant impact.” 

Readers began reflecting on own biases

Readers found the format of the event to be both surprising and refreshing. It was frequently mentioned that being faced with another human being inspired them to reflect on their own biases and resulted in an increased sensitivity towards the diversity that exists beyond physical appearance. 

After the event, most Readers learned to identify stigmatized groups that are typically less visible and not included in their previous DEI experiences in the workplace. They also articulated a realization that inclusion goes further than acceptance or non-discrimination – it requires conscious action. Some mentioned they had changed their behavior based on their experiences at the event. This result is exciting, as it demonstrates medium-term impact which spreads further than the individual.  

“There are definitely proven impacts that were supported by a whole host of verbal comments and a clear desire to repeat the experiment.”  says Mark Heasman,  Head of Activism at Z Zurich Foundation.

Diversity Partners Inspired to Continue the Dialogue 

On Wednesday 24 March, Diversity Partners from all over the world came together to learn about the outcome of the impact study. After Jakob presented the results, there was an animated discussion between our Partners about how they can embed the Human Library into their organizations existing DEI efforts. There was even talk of collaboration between different friends of the Human Library and so we are helping create new networks and forums to share learnings and outcomes.

“Social equity is an important pillar for Z Zurich Foundation and if we’re going to change things within that space, we need to break down stereotypes,” says Mark Heasman, “The Human Library fits in really well with what we’re trying to achieve, and we see a lot of value in the platform as a tool to engage our employees.” 

Nadia Younes, Global Head of Employee Experience, Diversity and Wellbeing at Zurich Insurance Group, says, “We want to implement the Human Library into broader development programs and make it a more systemic approach to learning, particularly among our leaders. We want to weave this into how we operate as an organization in the long term rather than just a one-time event.” 

This small impact study has provided some exciting evidence that the Human Library has a lasting positive impact on those who attend our events, and we are thrilled to see it inspire our Partners to strengthen their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. To aid them in this process, we plan to build upon Analyse & Tal’s research to determine the extent of our impact in the long-term. 

From staff to reader to book

One very concrete outcome from the sessions is the case of Ray Chaaya, Employee Experience & Culture Lead for Zurich in Canada. Ray shared his journey from becoming a reader through the Zurich sessions to signing up as a book for the library.

“When Z Zurich Foundation sent out the invitation, I was on vacation and quickly skimmed the invite, thought it sounded intriguing and hit okay. What I didn’t realise at the time was that the event was actually taking place at 1:00 a.m. my time so when the day came I was pretty bummed out that I had to wake up at 1:00 a.m. to do this, but I set up my alarm, I sat in front of my computer and the next 2hrs flew by. It was 3am and I couldn’t go back to bed. My mind was buzzing from the impact I had just experienced from talking to these Books.  

The next morning I went online and signed up to become a Book.  

I thought this was an interesting way of doing what I already do in an organized, structured, virtual and now global format where I can reach more people and hopefully make a bigger impact”. 

To learn more about the impact study contact the Human Library secretariat or Z Zurich Foundation.

The post New study on the impact of the Human Library   appeared first on The Human Library Organization.

We are proud to announce the introduction of a new Human Library book depot for New York City. Over the past months members of many different communities have come together and joined forces to help us create safe spaces, where we can learn about our diversity.

Based in Brooklyn

New York now joins a list of cities across the US to host a local Human Library Book Depot. San Francisco, LA, Chicago, Muncie, Fort Wayne are others. It is not an easy task to build a book collection from scratch and to establish a strong group of librarians that can help publish our books to readers.

Technically the new book collection is based in Brooklyn and spearheaded by among other librarian and book depot manager Leslie Lucas Gallager.

“New York City is such a big place, but it’s really a patchwork of neighborhoods and personal networks. It has been a wonderful challenge for me and for our librarians to tap into those networks and find our friends (and friends of friends) who not only have a challenging aspect of their lives but are also willing to talk about it”.

Human Library founder Ronni Abergel is excited about the potential for impact in the city.

“New York and especially Brooklyn is one of the most diverse places on earth. So it is wonderful for us to finally be able to help build understanding across the many communities living here. With the resources now in place, we will be more available to local libraries, schools, colleges, universities, festivals and work places”.

Partnerships that are crucial to the sustainability of the book depot.

Publishing virtually at first

Due to the pandemic the first meeting with readers will be online and its planned for January 24th. A selection of the new book collection will be published using the Zoom platform.

Among the titles expected to be available you can find books on: “Unseen Disability”, “Homeschooler”, “Mother of a Transgender Daughter”, “Intersectional Blackness”, “Refugee”, “Mother of a son with Down’s Syndrome”, “Transracial Adoptee”, “PTSD”, “Non-binary”, “Lesbian”, “Lonely”, “Buddhist”, and “Formerly Incarcerated”. 

Rising demand online

The demand for the Human Library’s online events is rising sharply and more than 60 sessions are already planned for 2021. The January 24th event is free to readers and you need to be able to set aside two hours to become our reader.

You can find more information about the opportunity to participate in the launch of the new book depot for New York City by following the link below.

https://fb.me/e/13glTh8i0

The post The Human Library launches in New York City appeared first on The Human Library Organization.

We are proud to announce that alongside curated books, catwalks, and books for reading, the Flybrary at Burning Man this year will also be hosting the first ever Human Library.

The Human Library is designed to take the concept of a traditional library, and bring it to life. Instead of offering books, this is a library where real people are on loan. It is a place where personal stories and experiences come together and where you become a reader.

Our Books at Burning Man (all Burners themselves!) belong to one or many diverse groups in society that often stigmatised as a result of who they are, choices they have made, or an experience they have had. We want to break through the stereotypes, and prejudices that divide people by creating a safe space where honost conversations can take place, and curious questions can be asked. We will be publishing titles across the spectrum of mental health, gender, sexuality, occupation, lifestyle, religion and many more. In essence we want to encourage people “not to judge a book by it’s cover”!

We are excited to be bringing this experience to Burning Man and letting the Burners do the talking!

The Human Library will be open from 1pm – 4pm at the Flybrary from Monday 26th to Friday the 30th. Come pass by the Flybrary this year to not only check out this great installation, but to check-out a real human book (or more!), for personal and taboo-breaking dialogue. Our librarians will also be there to guide and help you find the book that is right for you.

We look forward to seeing you all on The Playa!

Information about location of the Flybrary will be on the maps you receive as you enter Burning Man, or it will be available at the information point!

The post Human Library at Burning Mans Flybrary appeared first on The Human Library Organization.

We have hosted thousands of events. Facilitated more than a million conversations. But we have never published 80 books to serve 420 readers at the same time. That will be the scene on June 22nd, when members of the Danish Labour Union HK become readers of the Human Library at Hotel Nyborg Strand.

Books sourced from four book depots

It is no easy feat to assemble 80 volunteer books that can all be available on the same date. It has taken more than three months to coordinate and gather our books from four different book depots across Denmark.

The depot in Copenhagen, which is also the largest in the world, naturally is yielding the majority of the content we will publish, but our local book depot on Fyn close to Nyborg will also contribute and so will the book depots in Aarhus and Esbjerg. Making it a national team effort and a historic day in more ways than one. In our 19 years of work, we have never had this many books and so many book depots in operation.

Recipient of HKs Honorary Jytte Award

The Human Library and HK have a strong history. In our daily life, we work closely with library assistants whenever we visit public libraries across the country. Since 2017 we have hosted several events for different member groups of the labour union, typically as part of conference programming. In 2017 we were honored to receive HKs Jytte Award from the Library Assistants Association, in recognition of our contribution to the public library sector.

Record readers come from dental clinics

When they are not participating in a labour union conference, the readers on this record making day, all work in dental clinics across the country. In their daily job many of them are in contact with a very diverse group of patients and this session perhaps can add to their knowledge and understanding of diversity.

This event is not open to the public.

The post A record for the Human Library appeared first on The Human Library Organization.

Tomorrow marks a historic day for the Human Library in the UK and especially for our readers in Scotland. It is the day where our new book depot in Edinburgh start its operations and journey toward sustainability. Soon readers will be able to take advantage.

Two years with support from Heineken UK

The new book depot is part of a two year project to build a sustainable book depot, that will enable us to serve our readers and partners in the city. The new book depot has been made possible only with support from our first and largest diversity partner in the UK, Heineken.

Human Libraries available in Edinburgh

For the members of the community in Edinburgh this means that soon we will be able to accommodate invitations to publish our books and to meet the demand from our readers. Typically we host our events in schools, libraries, universities, festivals and work places. It is always free to readers.

Books and librarians needed for the bookshelf

You can have no library without a proper book collection so readers can dive in. Soon we shall start advertising for new books to join our book depot and for other volunteers to join us as librarians. And so the recruiting and training of new books and librarians is underway. We expect to be able to offer our readers access to the first events in the fall of 2019. A book depot with critical mass can typically host 24-30 events annually (Copenhagen carried by 140 members).

Want to get involved?

From now on and onward, we will always need more great books to fill up our bookshelf. To help us answer questions from our readers. If you are able to speak openly about a stigmatizing topic and through your experiences help us challenge the prejudices and stereotypes, then please think about signing up to be published or to become part of the librarian team that does.

How demanding is it to be a volunteer in the Human Library?

If you volunteer with the Human Library, it is because you are able to donate at least 4-6 hours of your time a month. To come out and be published at least once a month. Sure if you miss one month that is fine, but this is what to expect. Before you can be published we must verify your content and provide you with training to become a book.

More information on how to join the Human Library can be found here:

How to become a volunteer book

To reach out directly to our book depot manager in Edinburgh, click here

The post New Human Library Book Depot open in Edinburgh appeared first on The Human Library Organization.