Humans on Loan(a)|借人不借书的『真人图书馆』

by Marcus Maurice

Through conversation, human libraries are bridging gaps.

What do a police officer, Buddhist monk, journalist, homeless woman, and war veteran have in common? This question might sound like the beginning of a well-worn joke, but the truthful answer is that all these people have been checked out from Human Libraries. These are where people with interesting stories volunteer to talk with others for short intervals of time. Anyone can visit a library and check someone out. Usually, living books are available for a 30- to 45-minute chat about anything ranging from religion to wars to crime fighting.

The music and movie industries haven't been the only ones hurt by digital piracy. Library attendance, for the better part of the last decade, has gone down dramatically. This means that library managers and owners have had to find ways to bring people back. Human Libraries are great reasons for people to head to the library and learn something new. Managers are hoping that while waiting for a living book to talk with, people will take a look around the facilities and remember all the great things that libraries do for the community.

One of the goals of Human Libraries is to bring communities together. Many people living in big cities only know their friends and family. Human Libraries let people walk a mile in someone else's shoes. Whether it's someone with an unusual religion or a completely different profession, everyone has a story that he or she wants to share. What are you waiting for? Go to your local library and see if they are offering Human Libraries. If not, suggest they start one.

借人不借书的『真人图书馆』

真人图书馆藉由交谈搭起人与人之间的桥梁。

　警察、佛教僧侣、记者、无家可归的女人和退伍军人，这些人有什么共通处？这个问题乍听之下似乎是 1 个老掉牙笑话的开头，不过实际上它的答案却是，这些人都曾在真人图书馆被借阅。真人图书馆里有一群人自愿花一点时间和他人聊天，而这些人各自拥有人们感兴趣的故事。任何人都可以到这种图书馆来『借阅』某个人。通常，『真人书』可以跟人聊 30 至 45 分钟，话题不限，从宗教、战争到打击犯罪都有得聊。

　　受到数字盗版侵害的产业并不仅限于音乐和电影而已。过去 10 年来，大多数的时候图书馆的造访人次已急剧下降。这表示图书馆主任和负责人必须找寻方法让人潮回笼。真人图书馆是人们前往图书馆学习新信息的好理由。图书馆主任希望人们在等待和真人图书交谈的时候，会在馆中四处看看，顺便回忆图书馆为小区所做的种种美好事物。

　　真人图书馆的目标之一是将小区凝聚起来。许多住在大城市里的人只认识朋友和家人。真人图书馆则让人们有机会了解其他人的处境。不论是拥有不同于一般宗教信仰或从事完全不同行业的人，每个人都有他们想要分享的故事。你还在等什么呢？到你当地的图书馆看看他们是否提供真人图书馆。如果没有，建议他们开办 1 个。