Sounds like something out of a horror film, but it’s not at all. In fact, the concept actually hailed from Denmark and caught on with countries like Poland, Philippines, New Zealand, and now Singapore. It’s quite literally a library filled with people from all walks of life which you can “borrow” and “read” (and by read, we mean interact with).
The Singapore edition of the Human Library will be held at The Red Box on Oct 31, but registration has closed. The line-up of human “books” includes a pole dancer, a tattoo-less tattoo artist, a migrant worker, an ex-offender and many more. Essentially, when you “borrow” these human “books”, you’ll get to converse with them one-on-one. The whole idea behind this is to cultivate respect and understanding towards other members of our shared community.
We spoke to Kelly Ann Zainal, the project lead for the Human Library event and psychology graduate who currently works as a Mental Health Researcher in the day and a volunteer for various social causes by night. She tells us more about the Singapore edition of the Human Library, why decided to organize it and what we can expect.
Is there any particular event in your own life that made you bring this concept to Singapore?
I have been a regular volunteer with prisons for the past three years and assumed the role of Befriender to inmates/ex-offenders, helping facilitate their transition to life outside prison. Through volunteering and attending several events promoting social causes over the years, which is where my enthusiasm lies, I discovered my passion for bringing people together, breaking down social barriers and admired the effectiveness of such initiatives. This is especially so after attending a previous Human Library event organized by SMU’s Li Ka Shing Library, where I realized that the most effective way of breaking down social barriers is by cultivating an understanding and respect towards others. The openness of the human “books” touched me as well as my friends deeply and we were driven to search for an avenue to carry this on a larger scale.
What can we look forward to at this Human Library event?
One can anticipate selecting from a library of individuals, each representing a group in the community that is somehow exposed to stigma, prejudice and/or discrimination. These people will be on “loan” as “books” to attendees aka “readers”, giving readers the opportunity to listen to their stories first-hand. Readers are able to engage in honest conversations with their borrowed “book”, within a safe conversational space facilitating the challenging of perceptions and potential stereotypes associated with a particular “book” title.
What do you look for when someone applies to be a human “book”?
Our Human books are willing and able to share their stories and address any stereotypes or prejudice they may be associated with. We curate as diverse a range as possible, as all identities naturally come with stereotypes, not just those that are typically thought of as “stigmatized”.
Are there any precautionary measures taken to ensure it is a safe environment for both the “books” and the “readers”?
For the “books”, we place paramount importance on safeguarding them. Thus, when we interview the potential “books”, we take note of any topics they may not want to address during the reading sessions and this information will be conveyed to the “readers” who are interested in the specific book. Another precautionary measure we take is to emphasize to readers that although we do encourage the “books” to answer many questions posed by the “readers” as possible, the books will ultimately have the right to decline to comment should any question be too personal or intrusive.
For both “books” and “readers”, we emphasize respectful communication between the two parties at all times. During the event, the librarians will do their best to ensure that readers have no ill will towards our books. If we are in doubt, we will not permit them to converse with the book. That being said, while the conversations are taking place, there will always be volunteers around to facilitate and jump in should any interaction becomes hostile.
What does the future of the Human Library Singapore entail?
We hope to keep Human Library as a mainstay in Singapore with one such event every quarter. Our long term aim is to compile a catalogue of human “books” in the country and provide advice and frameworks to individual groups who might want to organize a Human Library in their respective schools, libraries, events, et cetera. In this way, we could reduce duplication of efforts in contacting potential human “books”, as well as to share our learning experiences with others who are keen on this initiative.
What kind of issues will this experience address?
We hope that through attending the Human Library event, or even through understanding the Human Library concept, more people could cultivate better understanding and respect towards these groups, as well as be driven to contribute towards this movement in one way or another. The aim for the Human Library is to engender an understanding that we share our communities with people from all walks of life and that those people are subjected to prejudice and discrimination. The Human Library challenges the stereotypes and prejudice which can form opinions in any one of us.
Will there be any sort of follow-up to the conversations that happen after the first edition?
The Human Library information channels such as our Facebook page and website will still remain active for the conversations to continue after the first edition and hopefully shared by the attendees to their social circle to cultivate increased awareness about the Human Library.
