This fall, the Massachusetts Library Series (MLS) is hosting two MLS Member Webinars! MLS member library staff will share their knowledge and expertise about their selected topics for their fellow library colleagues.
In this blog series, we’re spotlighting this season’s presenters by sharing how their backgrounds connect to their chosen topics.
Learn more about organizing a human library event from Sam Correia, community engagement librarian at the Duxbury Free Library, in today’s blog!
Be sure to also register for Sam’s webinar: Organizing a Human Library Event in Your Community
What is your name and position, the name of your library, and the community your library serves?
Sam Correia: My name is Sam Correia (they/them) and I’m a community engagement librarian at the Duxbury Free Library in Duxbury, Massachusetts. My work focuses on outreach, equity-based programming, accessible resources for all, and radical librarianship. I’m passionate about LGBTQ history, community archiving, and outreach services to incarcerated people. My library serves a town population of about 16,000 people.
What is your webinar about?
Correia: My webinar, “Organizing a Human Library Event in Your Community,” will instruct attendees on what a Human Library event is, how to submit the application, and how to find participants.
I will also discuss timelines, workload expectations, safety concerns, and the benefits of engaging with local community members in meaningful, inclusive library programming.
What is your background to Human Library events? Why are you passionate about them?
Correia: I’ve planned two Human Library events over the course of three years. In my four years here at the Duxbury Free Library, I’ve planned numerous programs related to topics on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and community engagement.
I think often about the loneliness epidemic, and how librarians can go about creating meaningful, lasting connections in our communities. As a community engagement librarian, the thing that I most often hear from folks is that they want opportunities to talk to people and connect. I’m passionate about ways that we can bring people together, while also giving people the agency to feel like their experiences and stories matter.
Why did you decide to host an MLS Member Webinar?
Correia: When I had planned our first Human Library event back in 2023, I was doing a lot of online research and was mostly seeing examples of Human Libraries at academic libraries. I then called a couple of Massachusetts public libraries who had also done this type of event to ask about their experiences.
The people I spoke to were knowledgeable and helpful; however, because of staff turnover, I wasn’t able to gather a full picture of the work that goes into this event. I’m hoping this webinar will be helpful for folks in public libraries throughout the state, but specifically libraries serving small towns with limited staff time.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve had a number of individuals reach out to me directly to ask about the logistics and details regarding the planning of a Human Library event. I think people are looking for opportunities to engage with their communities in meaningful ways, and this Human Library program may be a good option.
This webinar will go through my own personal experiences with planning logistics, as well as how to have a safety-first, trauma informed mindset when it comes to planning.
Do you have any advice to other library workers who may be interested in learning more about
Correia: For folks who may be interested in learning more about this topic, I would suggest browsing through the Human Library’s website: HumanLibrary.org.
You can also check out this 2020 article in American Libraries: “Human Libraries: Turning the Page on Discrimination” by Timothy Inklebarger.
This 2016 WebJunction article by Jennifer Peterson, “3 Ways Libraries Can Channel Understanding in Confusing Times,” includes various Human Library examples.
And finally, Cincinnati Magazine published an article in 2022 titled “‘Unjudge Someone’: Check Out a Living, Breathing ‘Book’ at the Human Library” about a Human Library event at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library.
