**TIMMINS PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS RELEASE**

As the adage goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. The Timmins Public Library is hosting a Human Library Event on February 26, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. Founded in Denmark in 2000, the Human Library “… is designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. The Human Library is a place where real people are on loan to readers. A place where difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered.” (From: http://humanlibrary.org/about-the-human-library/)

For this event, several people in the community have answered the call to be “human books” and share their stories with interested “borrowers”. Each borrower schedules a twenty-minute conversation with a human book to learn more about that person’s life and experiences. The human books come from all walks of life; however, their unusual circumstances have often led to prejudices and misunderstanding in the community. The borrower learns from the human book and can gain a better insight into the person beyond labels. The Library provides a safe, neutral environment for both the human book and the borrower to hold a dialogue.

How the Timmins Public Library Human Library Event will be organized:

–Starting on February 20, the Timmins Public Library Facebook page will feature one human book profile each day until the day of the event
–Human books have made themselves available for 20-minute slots, starting at 5:30 p.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m.
–A borrower reserves 1 or more human books throughout the evening and has a conversation with up to four human books

Filed under: Local News