Ciao again! Welcome to the playlist that supports your journey of discovering the basic principles of the living library methodology and that will guide you towards successfully organizing it.
Before we dive deeper into the Living Library, we want to assure you that the Human Library and the Living Library are names for the same methodology, the same event, and the same approach!
Okay, now that we've cleared up this confusion, let's get started!
Behind the Living Library is one such simple idea:
Meet your own prejudice! Instead of talking about it, simply meet it.
Let's go again through the concept of the Living Library:
The Living Library works exactly like a normal library – readers come and borrow a book for a limited time. After reading it, they return the book to the library and – if they want – they can borrow another book. There is only one difference: the Books in the Living Library are human beings, and the Books and readers enter into a personal dialogue. The Books in the Living Library are people representing groups frequently confronted with prejudices and stereotypes, and who are often victims of discrimination or social exclusion. But only that, anyone can be a book!
Anyone willing to share their experience, and untangle the mysteries, myths, misunderstandings and prejudices. The 'reader' of the library can be anybody who is ready to talk about his or her own prejudice and stereotype and wants to share their time with our books. In the Living Library, Books cannot only speak, but they are able to reply to the readers' questions. Since dialogue is a two-way street, the Books can also ask questions and learn by themselves.
This playlist will support you in:
- Understanding the Living Library methodology and its social impact;
- Discovering how to recruit, train and support Living Books;
- Developing skills in event planning, coordination and promotion;
- Training volunteers in facilitation, active listening and conflict resolution;
- Ensuring inclusive and ethical storytelling practices.Getting familiar with practical strategies for planning and running smooth, impactful events.
- Learning how Living Library functions.Being equipped with the tools needed to organize a Living Library.
As you already know, all this is followed by:
- Exploring the concept of digital badges as a tool for recognizing learning achievements.
- Understanding how digital credentials can represent skills and learning.
- Learning how to reflect on personal achievements and track progress over time.
We are sharing with you a document that will provide you with more detailed guidance and illustrative examples:
Human Library Organization explained Human Library in a minute through the following video: