The Human Library project started in 2000 in Copenhagen Denmark. It allows people to talk to others that they would normally not talk to and help address people’s prejudices.

“The Human Library® is, in the true sense of the word, a library of people. We host events where readers can borrow human beings serving as open books and have conversations they would not normally have access to. Every human book from our bookshelf, represent a group in our society that is often subjected to prejudice, stigmatization or discrimination because of their lifestyle, diagnosis, belief, disability, social status, ethnic origin etc.”

The project has expanded to 80 countries and generally occur has events, not permanent libraries. The first permanent library was in Lismore, Australia in 2006.