Who we are:

The Human Library, Charlottesville is developed off of an initiative out of Copenhagen striving to tackle stereotypes and prejudice through genuine conversation. It is a space for expression and challenge. A space where people can come together and share life experiences with those within UVA and the greater Charlottesville community.

How does it work?

It is essentially a library, but the "books" will be represented by individuals who have faced challenges, stereotypes and prejudices. Readers (ie UVA students, people who come to the event, etc) will have the chance to "read" these books.

We will be hosting a one-day event on October 23rd, 6-8pm in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library as a part of Global Week at UVA. On the day of the event, people will check in with "the librarian," and see a catalogue of available books. Each reading session is 20 minutes, and the books will allocate the 20 minutes in any way they believe is the most effective in helping the readers understand their story (e.g. 5-minutes to share story, 15-minutes to have an open Q&A). We will also limit each reading session to around 3-5 readers at a time to encourage a comfortable conversational environment.

Sponsored by: UVA Library Global Initiatives Group