by: Nicoline Hansen
The world-known Human Library phenomenon has finally found its way to Parkland College. The event is planned and hosted by the Diversity Committee and will be held on Friday, April 5.
According to the Human Library’s official website, the event was invented and first held in Copenhagen, Denmark in the spring of 2000. The idea behind the event was to “build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue.” 
During the Human Library events, real people with important stories are “on loan” to readers. The readers get to sit down with the ‘books’ and hear their stories. These events are great for sharing important stories but also for asking tough questions. The Human Library website describes the events as “a place where difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered.”
Since the first event was held in Denmark, the idea has been spread across the world and has now found its way to Parkland College.
The books that will be available on the day of the event are all from different backgrounds and will be sharing stories about everything from experiencing violence and prejudice to stories about redemption and being stereotyped.
Kristen Stephens, who is a part of the Diversity Committee, explained that “the purpose [of the event] is to continue the college efforts of promoting an inclusive work environment by providing all… a platform where they can share and learn from each other’s work and life experience with the goal of us all growing together as a collective unit.”
According Stephens, the event will be rather informal. After the books have shared their stories, the readers will be able to ask questions based on the book’s preference, which allows a dialogue to be made. Stephens explained that allowing the readers to ask questions makes the event “an interactive experience rather than an ‘audiobook’ format.”
The event will be happening on Friday, April 5 and will be a part of a larger series of conversation about diversity and inclusiveness that will be happening throughout Parkland’s campus.
Though the event is open to anyone interested whether it being students, faculty, staff, or the community, it is important to note that there will only be a limited number of spots open. To attend the event, please send an email to benefits@parkland.edu with the subject line ‘Human Library’.
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To learn more about to Human Library and the ideas behind it, please visit their website http://humanlibrary.org/.
