Nanaimo book lovers get to experience a Living Library thanks to the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society’s Diversity Partnership program.
The Living Library works like a regular library; the difference being books are people and loans are conversations.
Living books are ordinary people who have extra ordinary experiences being themselves in the world. They are diverse in religious and spiritual practices, in culture, language, gender, sexuality, age, ability and occupation.
Designed to battle prejudice, the project encourages people to probe beneath the surface and learn about living, breathing people.
Through the Living Library, readers will have an opportunity to ‘borrow books’ for a 20-minute conversations.
“Images and fragments of information about members of our diverse community surround us, and left to our own devices, we often fill in the blanks with misinformation, false assumptions and stereotypes,” said Wanda Zink, member of the partnership. “By meeting face to face, our misconceptions will be challenged and we will have an opportunity for better understanding.”
Nanaimo’s Living Library takes place Feb. 5 at the Harbourfront Library from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, please contact Terre Flower, manager of diversity programs, at 250-753-6911, ext 3, or tflower@cvims.org.
