The Human Library Reading Garden is gearing up for another tremendous season of courageous conversations in Copenhagen. We are all set to reopen for loans again at the end of April, and the great news is that this season we will be open to our public readers every Sunday, and yes, it is still free to use the services of the Human Library.

More than 500 Loans

In the previous season, we registered over 560 loans to readers during the Sunday sessions. This confirms the increasing level of interest, support and love from our Readers. People from all over the world visited us to borrow and read some of our open Books, and we are delighted to be able to provide even more opportunities for Books and Readers this season. The conversations about our diversity are more important than ever.

Open Every Sunday

Our team of Books and Librarians look forward to welcoming our readers every Sunday. The many visitors last year confirmed to us that we need to be providing even more opportunities for Readers to engage with our Books. The Reading Garden in Copenhagen has seen an ever-increasing influx of visitors since our grand opening in 2020 (*link to article).

“We are excited to be able to offer more learning spaces to the people of Copenhagen and visitors to the city and expect a steady traffic of courageous Readers this season”, says Ronni Abergel, founder of the Human Library and creator of the Reading Garden”

A Unique Learning Experience

The Human Library Reading Garden offers a free and unique learning experience for Readers to engage in dialogue on topics that often carry a great stigma and with people who have a relevant lived experience and who volunteered to answer questions about their life and background.

The new season in the Human Library Reading Garden will launch Sunday, April 23rd, and you can find a link to the event here. Readers are welcome from noon to 4 PM, and as always, the services of the Human Library are free to our Readers.

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More people than ever before have joined the bookshelf of the Human Library. In total 437 new Books have been trained, edited and published at events in 2022.  

It is a feat in itself to be able to add over 400 new editions and it speaks volumes to the growing interest for the Human Library from Books and Readers around the world. 

New Content from 22 Nations

This year we are fortunate to have been able to welcome new Books from 22 different countries. Adding more opportunity and more diversity to our local Book Depots. The new Books have joined us from Australia, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Greater Diversity in Content

As the Human Library continues to grow, we are excited to continue to expand the range of topics that we can offer our Readers. From individuals who have experienced homelessness to refugees, survivors of domestic abuse to people with Bipolar disorder, our Books offer a unique opportunity for Readers to engage with people from many different walks of life.

If you are thinking about becoming an Open Book for the Human Library then please visit this page for more information.

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From Paris to Amsterdam to Borrow an Open Book

Orestis Christoforides reading an Open Book at Café Amstel Hoeck

With support from our friends at Heineken, the Human Library Book Cafe was open daily to readers at Café Amstel Hoeck. Three days in a row our Readers could borrow a Book while enjoying local drinks and dutch snacks. As always the services of the Human Library are free and so we registered more than 120 loans to readers. We were joined by Readers from Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Switzerland, USA, and Uruguay. One reader traveled from Paris in order to experience the Human Library:

“I traveled to Amsterdam specifically for the Human Library event as there were no events planned in France for the time being. I have been aware of the Human Library for some time after reading about it in the news. Being able to meet people who have such unique identities or are easily labeled or discriminated against seemed like a unique opportunity“, said Orestis Christoforides, who took a day off from work to become our reader. 

All Access to our Bookshelf

Our Book and their Reader at the Amstel Hoeck Café

In Amsterdam, our readers had a free choice of topics from our bookshelf and it was common that readers would borrow more than one book during their visit.“Time flew and I ended up staying for 5 hours and reading 5 different books”, said Orestis Christoforides about his experience. 

Among the topics, readers could choose from were Bisexual, Holocaust Survivor, Self Harm, Bipolar, Victim of Abuse, Victim of Stalking, Muslim, Transgender, and Body Modified to name but a few and as always our Librarians encouraged our Readers to be brave and curious when asking their questions: “Reading a human book is a fantastic experience. We are encouraged to ask very direct questions, so the conversations were incredibly open and comfortable. What pushed you to see a therapist? Have you done time? Do you have any prejudices of your own?”, says Orestis Christoforides. 

Here is what some of our Readers had to say:

There is also room for smiles in serious conversations

“It was really awesome to hear someone else’s experience that is so different from my own, and I felt super comfortable asking questions, which was lovely! Thank you!!”

“I think I’m just amazed at how much courage and openness it takes to tell strangers your stories and I’m grateful that the Human Library exists.”

“My conversation with a transgender person was a beautiful philosophical exploration with many great insights: like there is no truth, don’t make assumptions on how people behave.”

“There was a lot more going on behind the title. The books exposed their own human limitations and weaknesses very honestly, which is what I ended up relating to. I can say I returned from my short journey with the impression of having made friends and  feeling more capable at “unjudging” others, even people which I disagree with (or even dislike!)”

A thank you to our partners from Heineken for making it possible for us to contribute to the Amsterdam Pride Week program.

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