There will be books, and there will be readers. Certainly stories to follow with lessons to learn, just waiting to be checked out.
But this library doesn’t deal in text.
Next Saturday, April 20, the city of Naperville, Naperville Public Library and Naper Pride are teaming up to present the “Human Library,” an event where people — rather than books — will be on loan to engage with borrowers in conversation.
The three-hour opportunity to peruse, and exchange, personal stories will take place between 1 to 4 p.m. at the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive.
Come curious — and ready to share a page or two out of your book too.
“You’re checking out a person to have a one-on-one discussion with them,” said Dawn DeSart, public information officer for Naper Pride. “The thing about checking out a book is that you can read the book and only have your own personal impressions about how you interpret the words.
“By checking out a person, you can actually ask them questions. You can find out more about their journey and actually have a discussion about different walks of life,” she said.
Naperville’s Human Library has been half a year in the making.
About six months ago, Naper Pride co-founder Anne Dempsey started wondering if there was some way to spur and circulate discussion around diverse issues in the community, DeSart said. So Dempsey did a little research and stumbled upon a program out of Denmark called the Human Library, or “Menneskebiblioteket” in Danish.
The Human Library started in Copenhagen in 2000. Today, the concept has blossomed into an international learning platform that’s operational in libraries, museums, schools and universities — as well as the private sector — across more than 80 countries. The platform is implemented by the Human Library Organization, a Denmark-based nonprofit.
Struck by concept, Dempsey brought it to the Naperville Public Library. Library officials brought city officials into the conversation, and they were off.
“We’re really excited to be a part of this,” DeSart said. “I think we get stuck in our own lives and our own … worldview. I think hearing about other people’s struggles and successes and joys and challenges in life is going to be a real eye-opener for people.”
People, or “books,” will be on loan for 30 minutes at a time. Visitors, or “readers,” are encouraged to actively go back and forth with their chosen title, according to Karen Luster, an adult and teen services supervisor at Nichols Library.
“There should be a conversation,” Luster said. “It’s not the book lecturing the readers. It’s really, you know, asking questions of each other so that people have a better understanding of one another.”
Organizers say there will be around nine human books for readers to check out. Luster didn’t say who would be filling out shelves but did note they were community volunteers.
Each human book will have their own topic of focus. Categories can range anywhere from gender and sex to mental health, but overall, the idea is to help people encounter, understand and challenge different stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue.
“Hopefully, the people that are considered readers that check out our human books will come away with a better understanding of what it is like to be someone from one of those stereotype groups,” Luster said.
More than a standalone event, the Human Library falls in line with a recent push by the city to bring more focus to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to organizers.
Geneace Williams, who was hired as Naperville’s DEI manager in 2021, said the Human Library is “part of my vision of bringing the community together.” To that end, the Human Library is one of several events the city is helping organize through a year-long series for 2024. Called “Embracing Community: Expanding Our Dialogue, Deepening Our Understanding,” the series aims to uplift different voices across the city, Williams said.
The series started in March with a panel discussion in honor of Women’s History Month. Future events, which haven’t been announced yet, will stay within the theme of inclusive community discussion, Williams said.
For now, though, Williams’ attention is on the conversations that will come out of Naperville’s inaugural Human Library.
“I’m really excited about it,” she said. “This is awesome. This is absolutely awesome. … I look forward to welcoming people to the 95th Street Library on the 20th and (to) people learning.”
Though free, organizers are encouraging those interested in participating to register at naperville.il.us/embrace-community.