What is a Living Library?
The Living Library offers borrowers an opportunity to understand the lives of people in their community better—such as those who have faced hardship or prejudice, but also people from diverse life experiences & backgrounds. It is just like a regular library with one difference: in the Living Library people are the ‘books’.
The idea of a Living Library came from an original concept developed by the Danish youth Non Government Organisation “Stop the Violence” in 2000 to counter racism and discrimination in their community. The original inspiration was: “Meet your own prejudice” - literally. The Living Library operated at large music festivals and invited people ... to be ‘books’ and sit down with a ‘reader’ who could ask questions about all aspects of their life – like where they come from, their family background, how they occupy their daily lives, how they see their society, things that might worry them or inspire them, and so on. It was very successful and since its inception the Living Library concept has been adapted and developed by other countries and organisations to suit their environment, budget and community needs.[1]
There are several Living Libraries currently operating in Australia, and there is now an official Living Libraries Australia website. It was launched on Thursday, 4th September 2008 at the Dreaming08, Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) conference in Alice Springs. For a complete list of Living Libraries currently operating around Australia, click here.
The first Living Library in Australia was started in Lismore and operates once per month with about 60 registered books. There is more than one copy of some popular living books - that is, different people might represent one experience on different days. Lismore’s library’s website can be viewed at: http://www.rtrl.nsw.gov.au/site/index.php
[1] from information sheet Lismore’s Living Library, 2007.
