Welcome to the Human Library guide. Portions of this guide have been adapted from the University of Pittsburgh's University Library System with permission.
The Human Library was developed in Copenhagen in the spring of 2000 as a project designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. Since that time, hundreds of Human Library events have been held around the world.
Curious? Learn more about the Human Library Project here: humanlibrary.org
Skyline College Library & Learning Center began hosting the Human Library in 2018 with support from a President's Innovation Fund (PIF). We hope you'll join us on November 2. Please see instructions below to register!
The Human Library is open! To speak with a "human book," sign up as a "reader" and have a one-on-one conversation. Here are some steps for Readers and Books for our November 2 virtual Human Library event.
I want to be a Reader on November 2:
1. Beginning Monday, October 25, you can sign up for a 25 minute session on Nov. 2 here: https://bit.ly/SelectABook (Find full book descriptions below).
2. Review the Information for Readers.
3. Check out the Zoom Instructions.
4. On November 2, sign onto Zoom using the link that was emailed to you.
I've signed up to be a Book on November 2. What's next?
1. Browse the Guidelines for Books and Conversation Starters.
2. Review the Zoom Instructions.
3. On November 2, sign onto Zoom using the link in your confirmation email.
Questions? Please contact Pia Walawalkar at Walawalkars@smccd.edu.
Human Book: Flying 101: How My First Time on a Plane Took Me to the Other Side of the World
4:00-5:00 pm
I had never been on a plane. 
At least not until August when I boarded one from Manila to Tokyo then to San Francisco. It was a high-adrenaline adventure, but it meant so much more than satiating my repressed wanderlust. It was the beginning of my Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) journey at Skyline College and the beginning of my life in a world I never thought I’d live to see.
Now, the plane has landed, and I’m ready to share my Fulbright story.
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Human Book: How being a quitter has made me a success
3:00-5:00 pm
"In our society we live by a motto, quitters never win. I can say with incredible confidence that is a load of crap. I
’ll focus on how important it is for people to value their own time and themselves. We sometimes make mistakes - we start an endeavor that is clearly not right for us and makes us miserable. The idea that you should suffer through however long that is, and however much it costs so you're not a quitter, is ridiculous. I can relate how quitting law school, quitting grad school, and quitting six jobs in the last twenty years have all been integral to me becoming who I am. Someone who is a successful and respected educational administrator making more money than anyone in my family ever had, to having traveled the globe, becoming a paid keynote speaker, a successful blogger and having published three books."
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Human Book: Legend of Latin Rock's rise from Darkness into the Light
3:00-5:00 pm
"This story covers the life of a up and coming musician whose life was afforded great opportunities to live a childhood dream of being a famous rock and roll star. He went from playing parties, high school dances, and festivals to headlining in Carnegie Hall, singing on American Bandstand with Dick Clark to rubbing shoulders with some to the great artist of the 70's. There was the glamorous life of luxury, often chauffeur-driven limousines to fantastic takeoffs in jets. These were the benefits of being a rock star. But for this legend of Latin Rock, the price he was to pay far exceeded his pay scale. One of the bitter fruits of his successful life was the ability to indulge and over indulge in activities that darken the soul and begin to extinguish the light of peace and happiness. The taste for music escaped his lips and the appetite for drugs and alcohol became his love and desire. With over 20 years of fighting with substance abuse, he managed to see a glimmer of light through the darkness and found his way out of the abyss."
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Human Book: An intentional tumbleweed...the power of surrendering to organic connection and transformation.
3:30-5:00 pm
"My life has taken me across the globe; from boardrooms to courtrooms, to film sets, and classrooms. Driven by curiosity of self and community, my life has been one filled with stories and storytelling focused on overcoming trauma and healing. Opportunities to be a teacher and taught in schools, juvenile halls, prisons, and activist communities have served as a reminder that life is a journey and there is always more to learn."
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Human Book: No such thing as wasted learning
3:00-5:00 pm
"I come from a long line of lifelong learners (and teachers, but mostly learners), but I didn't always appreciate this. I used to think that learning was and always should be considered a means to an end, but now I understand that it can be --and perhaps always should be thought of as -- an end in itself. All learning is good learning -- it is never a waste, nor can learning itself ever be wasted. On the flip side, I also believe that knowledge should always be freely shared, as secrets can be very destructive! Check me out and I will tell you all about how I came to this understanding, and how it has shaped my life's journey. And who knows-- in the end I might even learn something from you, too!"
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Human Book: Play the tape
3:00-5:00 pm
"I found myself lost in these tapes. I wanted to just pause them and sit in the moments. Over 20 years ago seems like forever now. I see people smiling and laughing and waving "hi." I can’t help but watch in awe at the amount of love I can see and feel. It hurts in the most beautiful way possible; it seems like trauma had erased these memories from my brain as if they didn’t exist...
My father was killed when I was seven years old, my brother was three at the time. My mother widowed at age 27. From that moment my life changed. I was forced into a caretaker role as my mother suffered from severe depression and PTSD.
I have overcome many obstacles in my life, including being pregnant in high school, being pregnant in jail, several recovery homes, getting straight in college, and gaining employment with the school. My life is a series of stories...
My father use to record everything on a camcorder, kind of like how we do now with our phones...I guess all of it seems like a dream now. Although these events have shaped me as a person, I'm sure my kids will look back at all this and watch the tapes just like I do."