Monday night in Andrews Library people were talking about religion. They sat in armchairs having one-on-one discussions about each other’s spirituality and the presence of God, or lack there of, without a PowerPoint or lecture podium in sight. They were students, faculty and staff taking part in “The Human Library: Faith Perspectives,” what organizers hoped would be an informal, non-confrontational environment to talk about what really does, or doesn’t, make the world go ëround.
The event, held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the library’s main lounge, was the first of its kind at the College of Wooster and one of the first held in Ohio. It is part of a growing “Human Library” movement that started in Denmark in 2000.† It was sponsored by the Wooster Libraries, the Center for Diversity and Global Engagment and Campus Ministries.
The first “Human Library” event was held at the outdoor Roskilde Festival in Denmark in 2000, as part of an effort to encourage open discussion about the rise in youth-related† violence that had been spreading through Europe. Today, the organization hosts “Human Library” events in over 50 countries about a wide variety of topics including perspectives on sexuality, immigration, mental health stereotypes and political affiliation.
The basic format of a “Human Library” event is simple. A number of volunteers acted as “books,” or representatives of a certain perspective or belief. “Readers,” or participants who would like to have a discussion with a “book,” can then “check one out” and have a 20 minute one-on-one conversation discussing any questions the “reader” may have.
Monday night’s event included ten “books” representing Catholicism, Baptism, Judaism, Sihkism, Unitarian Universalism, Agnosticism,† Hinduism, Atheism and Slavic Reconstructionist Paganism. All “books” were student volunteers whose last names weren’t revealed in order to maintain relative anonymity. When checked out for 20-minute periods, students discussed varied questions such as “Do you believe in an afterlife?” “What is your stance on gay marriage?” and “Do you ever miss having a spiritual center?”
“It’s just structured enough that I can talk to people I wouldn’t normally talk to outside of my normal group of friends,” said Jonathan Polin ’14, who volunteered to be the “Book of Agnosticism.”† “It’s a whole other community of people to have that dialogue with.”
Preparations for the event began this September by a committee made up of library staff members and lead by Jake Koehler, the Visting Acquisitions Librarian. Koehler had heard about “The Human Library” while at graduate school at Kent State University. As the fall semester started, Koehler began to believe it would be a conducive format for open discussion about one hot-topic in particular ó faith perspectives.
“A couple of months ago it seemed like everything was coming to a head. We were discussing whether it was acceptable to burn Korans in church,” said Koehler. “There was just a lot of intolerance issues [the world] was dealing with. It seemed like this was an opportunity for the libraries to get involved in what seemed to be a larger campus issue.”
The committee contacted the Center for Diversity and Global Engagment and Campus Ministries, which began sending out e-mail requests for volunteers, some of whom were Inner-Faith Scholars. An announcement was also put on WHN asking for volunteers and table tents and posters were put in libraries. According to Koehler, volunteers were required to attend a training session detailing how to start discussions and handle tough-to-answer questions.
“We [wanted] them to sort of walk the line between not being offended with ignorant questions, but also not proseltyzing, evangelizing, or trying to convert anyone,” said Koehler. “It’s a balance.”
There were a total of 30 “check-outs” Monday night, and an additional 10 or 11 patrons who stopped by just to inquire what the “Human Library” was about.
“In this format, it gives you an opportunity to ask questions you might be uncomfortable asking in an auditorium,” said Koehler.
Elaine Smith Snyder, Special Collections Associate and committee member anticipates that the College will hold more “Human Library” events in the future. The College of Wooster is now recognized by the parent “Human Library” organization as an active “Human Library, and can use their advertising tools and tips in the future. The College will also provide the organization with statistics about their subsequent “Human Library” events.
“I see this as effective because its very one-on-one. Staff and students have immediate responses to questions and a† level of personal contact,” said Snyder. “I hope through this we can have an awareness and tolerance for other beliefs.”
For some volunteers, there was an added bonus to participating in the first “Human Library.”
“Personally, I’m not a person who can talk a lot [in a lecture format],” said Devddharm Khalsa ’14, who served as the “Book of Sihkism.” “This is a good experience, and it’s easier to talk.”
“Plus, I can tell people why I wear a turban, because I guess some people want to know.”