"The fundamental idea behind the living library is that you choose a person in the same way you would a book."
Imagine walking into a library but there are no books, shelves, dictionaries, not even a single encyclopedia. Instead there’s just a handful of people scattered around amongst the soft furnishings. Weird? Well, these people are the books; this is a living library.
The fundamental idea behind the living library is that you choose a person in the same way you would a book. The difference is that you can guide the story in the direction you want, and this book can ask you questions.
Choose your story
The first decision is to decide what stories you want told. It might be background context for a class novel, different viewpoints around a political issue or, in the case of Inverness High School, a living library methodology was used with the Higher Geographers studying migration. To fit with course content, pupils were encouraged to come up with questions concerning ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors and the impacts of migration on receiving and losing countries. However, a living library discussion rarely is confined to parameters such as these and you might consider pre-written questions unnecessary, beyond a few conversation starters.
"People can be surprising but that’s also part of the risk that can make this type of lesson exciting."
Find your ‘books’
The next step is to choose your books. The obvious place to start is amongst staff and parents. For a migration theme, this can present you with a range of possible life stories. In one case, one of our staff not only had interesting migration histories of her own, but also a grandfather who fled persecution in Burma. For our library event, we also found outside partner organisations such as Highland Multicultural Friends and HIMRA (Highland Migrant and Refugee Advocacy) a rich source of ‘book’ interest. A couple of challenges to note are the problem of arranging a time that suits everyone, and the school timetable, plus the challenge of choosing ‘books’ that aren’t overly verbose or shy, to make for the best session. People can be surprising but that’s also part of the risk that can make this type of lesson exciting. You need to use your judgement to carefully manage, to a degree, the dynamics in the room.
"The pupils heard about lives lived in faraway places, journeys taken, sometimes in difficult circumstances, and the challenge of joining a new country."
Plan the visit
So then, let the event begin. In a true living library, the attendee chooses their ‘book’ on arrival and the conversation unfolds naturally. With our version, a small group of students clustered round one ‘book’. Once introductions are over, the conversations start. Initially, questions are asked and life stories and opinions offered. But as things proceed, the chat becomes much more of a two-way process. The pupils heard about lives lived in faraway places, journeys taken, sometimes in difficult circumstances, and the challenge of joining a new country. However, it is the sharing that can contain some of the richest lesson moments, as students both tell their stories and empathise with the stories of their ‘books’.
I can only say that a living library will bring real life learning, empathy and engagement into the class room. Well worth all the effort!
