I had a great time being a “book” in the Human Library this Saturday. This was the first time a Human Library has been organized in Ottawa on this scale. It came about as a unique partnership between CBC Ottawa, the Ottawa Public Library and the Canadian War Museum.

So, what is a Human Library? 

According to the Human Library website:

The Human Library is an innovative method designed to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and encourage understanding.The main characteristics of the project are to be found in its simplicity and positive approach.

In its initial form the Human Library is a mobile library set up as a space for dialogue and interaction. Visitors to a Human Library are given the opportunity to speak informally with “people on loan”; this latter group being extremely varied in age, sex and cultural background.

The Human Library enables groups to break stereotypes by challenging the most common prejudices in a positive and humorous manner. It is a concrete, easily transferable and affordable way of promoting tolerance and understanding.

It is a “keep it simple”,”no-nonsense” contribution to social cohesion in multicultural societies.

The idea for the Human Library was developed as a way of resisting hatred and violence in society. According to the Human Library website:

Once upon a time in Copenhagen, Denmark. There was a young and idealistic youth organisation called “Stop The Violence.” This non-governmental youth movement was self initiatied by the five youngsters Dany Abergel, Asma Mouna, Christoffer Erichsen, Thomas Bertelsen and Ronni Abergel from Copenhagen after a mutual friend was stabbed in the nightlife (1993). The brutal attack on their friend, who luckily survived, made the five youngsters decide to try and do something about the problem. To raise awareness and use peer group education to mobilise danish youngsters against violence. In a few years the organisation had 30.000 members all over the country.

In 2000 Stop The Violence was encouraged by then festival director, Mr. Leif Skov, to organise acitivites for Roskilde Festival. Events that would put focus on anti-violence, encourage dialogue and build relations among the festival visitors. And the Human Library was born, as a challenge to the crowds of Northern Europes biggest summer festival.

The Human Library in Ottawa was set up simply. According to CBC Ottawa’s Human Library website:

The concept is simple. Instead of taking a book off a shelf to learn something new, you spend some time with a person — a human book. Ask that person some questions and learn more about his or her life.

On Saturday January 28th 2012, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., you can take a book off the shelf right here in Ottawa. Sixty people will be available for short term loans (20 minutes each) at six locations around the city. You’ll find them at five branches of the Ottawa Public Library-Cumberland, Greenboro, Nepean, Stittsville, and Main Branch — as well as at the Canadian War Museum.

Here is what my book description was:

Chelby Daigle was raised by her single mom and grew up in a white family, but the colour of Chelby’s skin was a daily reminder of her black father, who was deported back to Nigeria when she was just a baby. When Chelby was eight, she discovered and clung to a photograph of her dad that she found tucked inside an old typewriter. As a young adult, Chelby had a chance encounter at the Embassy of Nigeria in Ottawa that helped launch her search for her absent father.

Further reading:

Check out a CBC Ottawa interview with me and a few other great “books”

CBC’s website on the Human Library in Ottawa

Coverage of Ottawa’s Human Library in the National Post

The Human Library website