The joy of being a book: Benefits of participation in the human library

Abstract

Human libraries are events intended to provide readers with access to the knowledge and lived experiences of their fellow community members. These events are growing in popularity worldwide, and while often hosted by traditional libraries, can take place in a variety of community organization settings. Human library events depend on the services of the "human books" who volunteer to participate, though recruitment of these volunteers remains one of the most challenging aspects of hosting the events. Previous work has shown that human books enjoy participation in these events, though the specific benefits of human libraries for the human books have not been explored. In this study, we analyze the post-event survey responses of human books from four different human library events hosted by various institutions. Participants reported a variety of benefits ranging from altruistic to more self-focused. Reviewing their responses, we suggest eight major categories of benefits for human books. Findings hold implications for effectively recruiting and motivating potential human books, as well as how host institutions may adapt human libraries to the needs of their communities.

A Qualitative Inquiry into the Human Library Approach: Facilitating Social Inclusion and Promoting Recovery

“…By having a platform to speak for themselves, they may be able to challenge the dominant narrative about their place in society [41]. However, relatively little scholarly attention has been given to this issue faced by individuals in recovery [27]. To better manage the experiences that people in recovery have as living books in the human library, further investigation and discussion are necessary.…”

“…The human library approach helps living books (who are usually socio-economically disadvantaged group members) to connect with readers (other community members) [27]. According to Dobreski and Huang [27], by participating in dialogue, living books have opportunities to reflect on and review their past experiences. Hence, dialogue can be a learning experience for living books as well as readers [28].…”

“I Have Served to Tell”: A Qualitative Study of Veterans’ Reactions on Participating in a Living Library Project

“…Finally, Dobreski and Huang (2016) listed a series of benefits articulated by Books in exit surveys from four HL events hosted by three different institutions. Eight major categories of benefit were determined, ranging from altruistic to more self-focused in nature.…”

Unveiling knowledge structure and research trends in human libraries: A systematic synthesis of bibliometric, thematic, and content analysis

“…Second, the main purpose of physical books is to transmit information and knowledge, but human books aim at challenging readers' stereotypes and biases (Amudha et al, 2019;Groyecka et al, 2019). Human books serve as a lens that helps readers explore and understand their communities and lives, and understand how prejudice affects others and their surroundings (Dobreski & Huang, 2016). Enhancing understanding each other and dispelling prejudices helps readers build positive attitudes and behaviors (Goebel, 2011).…”