The Human Library Organisation, 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.
Thomas Memorial Library is pleased to partner with the Town’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to bring the Human Library®
to Cape Elizabeth for the second year in a row!
Read a Human Book
Stop by and view our selection of titles for the day,
and borrow one for a 30 minute one-on-one conversation in the library.
Saturday, October 19
between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Human Books are volunteers–people from Cape Elizabeth or surrounding communities–who have agreed to open themselves up to strangers for questions and honest conversation.
All of the library’s Human Books have had the experience of being misjudged or misunderstood by others due to an aspect of their identity, occupation, illness, race, age, disability, or background. What would you ask someone who’s life experience or identity is very different from yours? What if there were no taboos–if you could ask anything you want to know? The Human Library provides this opportunity.
Please join us for this special one-day event. No registration necessary!
Don’t miss this opportunity to unjudge someone!
We are grateful to the Thomas Memorial Library Foundation for their financial support of this event.
Learn more about the TML Foundation by visiting their website.
Would You Like to Help with Our Event?
If you are interested in volunteering to help during this event–staffing our check-out table, monitoring time for the conversation sessions, or other tasks as needed–please email Library Director Rachel Davis at rdavis@thomas.lib.me.us
Would You Like to Be a Human Book?
If you feel you belong to a group in society that has experienced stigma, stereotyping, or prejudices, please becoming a Human Book. Please click here for more information and to fill out an application.