“Human Library” coming later this winter to the Baker County Library District

By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Friday, November 19th, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

BAKER COUNTY – (Released by the Baker County Library District) Baker County Library District and Neighbors of Baker are preparing to host a [[HUMAN LIBRARY] [https://humanlibrary.org/]] event on Saturday, February 19, 2022 from 4:30 to 7:30 pm in the library.

That’s right, the library will be open after regular Saturday hours exclusively for participants of this special program.

The Human Library is a place where readers can borrow human books and have open conversations about topics they usually do not have an opportunity to discuss. Each book is a volunteer who has unique experiences to share. Through dialog with readers, human books challenge stigmas and stereotypes in a safe, supportive environment.

Book topics may include ethnicity, religion, physical/mental health, social status, occupation, LGBT+, immigration status, violence/abuse survivor, and past drug and alcohol addiction. The goal of our Human Library event is to challenge preconceived biases and encourage honest and respectful dialog.

For more information, see these short YouTube videos:

• [[“Unjudge Someone” – A short film about the Human Library Organization] [https://youtu.be/1ioz1XDDMCE]]

• [[“Check Out” Human Books At The Human Library!][https://youtu.be/q4b6OJVEsZE]]

If you have had a personal experience with stigma or negative stereotypes, please consider volunteering to be a book. We will provide training and a safe environment for our Human Library event.

For more information and to apply to be a “Human Library Book,” email neighborsofbaker@gmail.com

And if you’re interested in being a “Human Library Reader,” mark your calendar and stay tuned for registration details to be announced in January 2022! The event will be limited to about 15 Readers.