The Petoskey District Library will be the first library in northern Michigan to provide “human books.” The job may not require sitting on shelves, but it does include a lot of learning.
The Human Library program is a traveling nonprofit event that began in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2000. It’s now presented in more than 80 countries with most in partnership with local organizers.
The concept aims to bring the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” to life. People who typically have faced some sort of stigma, volunteer to be a “book” for the day, while attendees can “check out” a book for one-on-one conversations.
"I think it gives people a better understanding of their neighbors, their friends and people that they probably judge but don't even know it.”
Mary Beauchamp
Petoskey District Library
According to the organization’s website, the original event was open eight hours a day for four days straight and featured over 50 different "titles."
The program held its first events in North America in 2008. In Michigan, human libraries have been organized in communities like West Bloomfield, Midland or Washtenaw Community College and other campuses.
More events scheduled throughout the state this year.
The event in Petoskey is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3.
Want to be a book?
Mary Beauchamp is one of the staff members working to organize the event. She said someone volunteering as a human book could include a person who was adopted, someone recovering from alcohol abuse, a parent who lost their child to suicide, a police officer and much more.
Applying to be a human book involves an interview process to ensure the candidate has processed their trauma in some way.
“Say, if you're recovering from addiction, you have to be clean for two years. Or if you're a victim of crime you need to be a few years removed from that. Or if you're a felon it has to be in the past,” Beauchamp said.
“We just talk to them for a little bit and make sure that they're a good fit, that they don't have an agenda and they're comfortable talking about their experiences.”
Volunteers go through training on how to handle tense conversations and staff are present at the event to ensure the conversations remain civil. Like a regular library - one of the rules is to return the human book in the same condition as when it was checked out.
Beauchamp said the conversations center around the volunteer’s personal experiences instead of wider trends and issues.
While some of those experiences may be difficult to hear, she says the books provide an opportunity to see neighbors from new perspectives.
“How are we to understand each other if we do not have the opportunity to talk to each other?” Beauchamp said. “Sometimes we don't know what our own prejudices are.”
Those interested in volunteering as “books” should contact the Petoskey District Library ahead of the event on Aug. 3.
