“Human books” will be among the attractions available to visitors at the new Surrey City Centre Library this fall.
The “books” will actually be volunteers from various walks of life, religious backgrounds and ethnicities, who will be available to have conversations with their “readers.”
“(The human book) could be somebody from a religious group you’re not familiar with, or somebody who’s gay, or from a different cultural group. The idea is just to have that one-on-one experience, and break down the stereotypes of what you think it’s like to belong to that particular group,” said deputy librarian Melanie Houlden.
The recruiting process will involve various community agencies, including immigrant services and the food bank, to find volunteers who are comfortable talking to strangers, she added. The library also plans to introduce a variety of other community programs, including open-mic nights and film classes.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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