School libraries as power-houses of empathy: People for loan in The Human Library

Abstract

The capacity of literary fiction to foster the trait of empathy in readers has received significant recent coverage in popular and academic literature (see for example, Gavigan & Kurtts 2011). School libraries, through their natural connection to storytelling in all its forms, can help foster a culture of empathy and respect, and can play an active role in promoting tolerance within the school community. This paper will focus on the worldwide movement known as The Human Library, which aims to “challenge prejudice through conversation” (Human Library UK 2016a). The Human Library reimagines the concept of a reader opening a book and looking at life through the eyes of ‘the other’ as they turn the pages, by replacing physical books with ‘living books’: people from all walks of life who volunteer to be ‘borrowed’ by a ‘reader’ for a conversation. Through respectful dialogue, stereotypes can be broken down and empathy can replace stigmatization. This paper will focus on how any school can host a Human Library to build a culture that celebrates, rather than fears, diversity and difference.