Copenhagen proves a Human Library can stand alone

However nice the comforts of festivals, libraries, universities and even corporate conferences, nothing beats the real thing. A major outdoor Human Library event, standing alone in a royal garden, patiently waiting for its audience, its readers.

No more fringing on rock music and 70.000 festival guests, no more planned reading sessions in prescheduled reading breaks and most important, no guaranteed audience. How would it work or rather, how could it work. That was our big question when the journey began and today more than 500 people passed by the event and the books carried out 100 loans in six hours.

91-year old took out Soldier

The Human Library has a reputation for a broad appeal and today this was confirmed by a new record, the oldest registered reader, a very nice lady, Karen Nielsen of 91 years. Her choice fell on the soldier who had recently volunteered for service in Afghanistan, and she wanted to know why a young man would risk his life on such a dangerous mission. She also had mentioned during the session that she wished she was 28 again, so that she could better hold on to him. The session was also mentioned in Danish daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende.

School classes waiting from the morning

On the first day of the event many teachers had gotten the idea to bring their students to the Garden to confront their stereotypes. Four different schools where storming the event from the get go and so the Garden quickly tranformed into a large outdoor reading room with groups spread out on the lawns. The afternoon was a little more quiet with a steady trickle once the press where finished doing theirs. Danish TV2 Regional News came by and produced a very nice report on the event that aired same evening. Maybe that is what ensured the serious increase in visitors and demand for books for day 2. 

The event has been promoted in local media, full page advertisements in the free daily newspapers and also got radio coverage on the first day. All of which have helped to inform potential readers of the event while they still have a chance to take advantage.

A full report on the event will follow soon but for now its fair to say that the Human Library seems able to stand completely alone. Maybe tomorrow will provide more answers.