A Human Library event is a public event based on our Human Library project.
It is an event which is open to the public and takes place in community space and is free of charge to all participants.
Each Human Library event features two or three Human Books who people are encouraged to get to know within the space of a couple of hours. Depending on how the event and protocol is organized as a rough guide:
- You get assigned to a Human Book and have to spend 30 minutes getting to know them while also allowing them to get to know you as much as possible.
- After a break you are given a choice whether you wish to continue getting to know your first assigned Human Book further or you wish to move on to another Human Book once again for another 30 minutes.
- You may be assigned a group of people who get to know a Human Book together for 30-45 minutes during which you are free to get to know other participants at the event as well.
During the event there's plenty of tea and coffee and often refreshments such as snacks, nibbles and food. People who attend Human Library events fall into three categories:
Human Books are the people with interesting stories and narratives, often who have been affected by social stigma, social exclusion, prejudice and discrimination. These are the people who are featured (as illustrated above) as Human Books to others for the event and who lead the Human Library event.
Community support volunteers also attend the event incognito and provide support to both Human Books and other participants while also ensuring that everyone keeps to the protocols of the event.
Other participants may be members of the Qultura community or come from the wider local community (members of the public) and participate in the event. We have a community forum set up for people who wish to get to know others, exchange contacts and join the Qultura community but there is no obligation and we won't get upset if people don't want to join.