Bridge Building, Intersectionality and Inclusion
Poster Session
Emi Kawasaki, MLS, M.Ed
Faculty Librarian
GateWay Community College
Beth Malapanes, MLIS
Library Faculty
GateWay Community College
Discover an innovative way for all sorts of libraries and institutions to increase awareness of diversity issues, civic responsibility, and global engagement through The Human Library. The Human Library, created by an international organization humanlibrary.org, consists of sessions where “readers” are able to “check out” a human book who has a story to share about his/her experiences with stereotyping or prejudice. Through meaningful conversations, “readers” listen to a “book” chosen from the available catalog that addresses a personally held prejudice in order to appreciate the humanity in all people.
The workshop will include a demonstration of Human Library session, detailed guidelines on how to organize a Human Library event, photographs from the event, and qualitative feedback from both “book” and “reader” participants. This interactive workshop will generate interesting conversations on the roles that libraries have in promoting tolerance and understanding. Furthermore, this workshop will stimulate discussions on the use of unique strategies, such as this one, for collaborating with faculty across disciplines and any other stakeholders in your organizations.