Introducing the Human Library Online. A software developed and devoted to help facilitate our open books to readers in a safe space. With support from Masco and UGI Corporation we are launching our new library software to help us scale the volume of books we can publish and the amount of readers we can serve.

A dream becoming reality

It has been a long time dream to be able to publish our books online and to offer readers a more flexible access to our learning opportunities. In the past we have been limited by several factors. For in-person programming it would be about distance and availability. While online we have been hosting curated sessions using Zoom as the primary hosting software. The learning opportunities in the curated space will continue and be complimented by the new virtual bookshelf.

Increasing the volume of readers

The time has come to add another dimension to our work and strengthen our global reach. An online bookshelf with books publishing every day and readers joining at a time that is suitable for them while also offering the choice of topic.

“I am very proud to see this project go live and excited to see how readers and books will embrace the new opportunity to connect and perhaps Unjudge Someone”, says Human Library founder Ronni Abergel.

The first year the new library service will be available only to organizations, institutions and our corporate diversity partners. A public offering is expected in 2024.

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We are often told not to judge a book by its cover, but that is exactly what you need to do with the new diversity quiz from the Human Library. The methodology is simple, look, judge, swipe and reflect. The purpose of the quiz is to help our readers better understand how our bias influences the way we engage with other groups in our community.

“We recognize that it is part of human nature to navigate diversity by way of our unconscious bias and the quiz will help us understand that,” says HLO founder Ronni Abergel.

Reflecting on our bias

One of the questions in the new diversity quiz.

It takes less than five minutes to test your unconscious bias and complete a set of the questions. In short you are presented with an image of one or more of our books and a statement along with the choices you have.

You then swipe your answers according to your first instincts. The exercise ends with an opportunity to reflect on the judgements passed and mirror in how others judged.

Volunteer books

The content of the online diversity quiz is based in part on the experiences of our volunteer books from around the world. This means many of the stereotypes and prejudices included in the quiz are faced by real people everyday.

The project was made possible with support from the Danish Welfare and Research Foundation for Educators. 

Helping prepare readers to unjudge

The quiz is available in English and Danish for now, but more versions are in the pipeline. The quiz will primarily be used as part of preparing our coming readers from schools, colleges, universities and workplaces, for their visit to the Human Library. Follow the link below to try the new quiz.

https://quiz.humanlibrary.org/

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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

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With support from Z Zurich Foundation, the danish company Analyze og Tal are producing an external impact study to investigate the impact of the Human Library.

The starting point for the new study is three online events that the Human Library are hosting for Zurich Insurance Group. During September 2020 employees from Australia, Europe and the US will become readers of the Human Library. 

A number of readers will be interviewed before the event, and the same readers will be interviewed again months later with the aim of investigating the long-term impact.

Inclusion key to social justice

The project has been made possible with support from Z Zurich Foundation in Switzerland. A fund set up by the global insurance company Zurich Insurance Group.

“Making social justice possible is a cornerstone of the Z Zurich Foundation’s strategy, and it starts with inclusion. We are pleased to collaborate with the Human Library, not only on the series of events, but also for the study that can validate the thesis that an open and honest conversation can be all that is required to change attitudes and break down prejudices “, says Mark Heasman of the Z Zurich Foundation.

We need more research

For 20 years, the Human Library has created a safe framework for conversations about diversity. The diversity learning platform is available in more than 80 countries with more being added each year.

“As a library we are always excited about gaining more knowledge and more than ever, we need knowledge about the tools that work and what impact they can have on our communities, ”says Ronni Abergel, founder of the Human Library.

The survey is conducted by the analysis company Analyze og Tal and the results are expected to be published during the first quarter of 2021.

Read more about the work of the Z Zurich Foundation here

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