Thomas Memorial Library is partnering with the Town's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI Committee) to offer a Human Library® event in October of 2023. The Human Library Organization, a nonprofit founded in 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark, provides a safe framework for personal conversations that can help to challenge prejudice, reduce discrimination, prevent conflicts and contribute to greater human cohesion across social, religious and ethnic divisions. The Human Library® is based on the idea that we all carry prejudices and that we all judge. A Human Library® event offers people the opportunity to have a conversation with someone who belongs to a group in society that has experienced stigma, stereotyping, or prejudices.
Next fall, the library Community Room will be transformed for one day into a special dialogue room, where taboo topics can be discussed openly and without condemnation -- a place where people would otherwise never talk find room for conversation. If you feel you belong to a group in society that has experienced stigma, stereotyping, or prejudices, the library and DEI Committee invite you to learn more about the project and consider applying to become a Human Book.