Courtesy of Osterville Village Library Facebook page
OSTERVILLE – The Osterville Village Library will host its 2nd Human Library, providing the public a chance to have conversations with people that address current issues and provide learning experiences.
Library Executive Director Cyndy Cotton said the Human Library is an event where people become books and the readers who attend have a chance to check the books out.
“Readers can have conversations with people that they may not have a chance to meet in their normal course of life, or somebody they may have preconceived prejudices on and they can have a conversation to hopefully un-judge them,” Cotton said.
Some of the human books will be ready to discuss experiences including the loss of a child, raising a child with Down Syndrome, and raising an autistic child.
Other human books include someone who has struggled with addiction and a Jewish person who will talk about rising anti-Semitism.
Artist and activist Edith Vonnegut, a local of the Cape, will also be one of the featured books.
Cottton said that each of the human books has to go through an application process and training before they can have talks with readers.
She explained readers who attend the event will have a 20-minute conversation with a “book.” A brief break period follows before people can move onto to talk with another book.
Cotton also noted that readers get rules of conduct. Volunteers are also present to make sure that conservations remain civil.
“Everybody should treat the books with total respect and dignity. It’s a learning experience, it’s not a confrontation experience,” she said.
The OVL hosted the Human Library for the first time in 2019. It was the first place to hold the event on Cape Cod.
The 2nd Human Library will be held on Friday, July 15 at 10am at the Osterville Village Library.
Head to the Osterville Village Library’s website to learn more about signing up for the event.
By Brian Engles, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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