Living Library
Aim
The Living Library is a tool that seeks to challenge prejudice and discrimination. It works just like a normal library: visitors can browse the catalogue for the available titles, choose the book they want to read, and borrow it for a limited period of time. The only difference is that in the Living Library, books are people, and reading consists of a conversation.
Description
TARGET GROUP
Young people (15 – 29 years). It can even be used when working with adults.
TIME NEEDED
1-2 hours
IMPLEMENTATION
Invite a group of people involved in the topic to be the “living books” (5-10 books are recommended).
In the beginning, give some time for the books to introduce themselves by preparing a poster. Group members go to the librarian and borrow a book based on descriptions on the posters. When finished reading, they should return him/her (in the same state as you borrowed him/her – don’t damage her/him). We can limit the time they can spend with one book to ensure everyone can access books.
At the end, provide a reflection on the session.
More about the method you can find here.
LIST OF MATERIALS
- 5-10 human books;
- “book” descriptions;
- librarian;
- rules of reading.
