Checking out More than a Book|不只是借书

Checking out More than a Book

by Marcus Maurice

There's a new way to learn things at libraries.

　　Not so long ago, when people needed information for a term paper, they had to head to their local library, search around for books on the topic, and then scour those books for relevant data. Nowadays, all people have to do is type topics into search engines on computers and millions of websites with tons of information are at their fingertips. One of the consequences of all of this convenience is that the Information Age is hurting libraries. People no longer have as much interest in looking through the volumes of information contained in these buildings.

　　While traditional libraries have lost much of their appeal, there is now an entirely new kind of library. Human Libraries are basically people "on loan" with the goal of breaking down stereotypes and ending prejudices. Coming from various backgrounds, people who have interesting jobs and want to share their stories are selected as "books." The general public can "check out a book" from a Human Library for 30 minutes to an hour and ask the living source of knowledge any questions they want. This opens up dialogues between people who wouldn't normally have conversations with each other, such as a police officer and a graffiti writer or an Israeli and a Palestinian.

　　Human Libraries started at a musical festival in Europe in 2000 and the concept has since exploded around the globe. Since the idea is so simple that it can be implemented anywhere by anyone, Human Libraries are doing a great job at promoting tolerance among people of different cultures. This past January, one of the most ambitious Human Libraries happened in Canada. Twenty-four events took place in 15 cities across Canada in what was called Human Library Day. The event was a huge success, and there are hopes that next year, more countries will join in to make Human Library Day even bigger.

 

不只是借书

图书馆里有学东西的新方法。

　　不久前，当大家需要学期报告的相关资料时，必须前往当地图书馆寻找和报告主题相关的书籍，然后在那些书籍中寻找相关的资料。现在，大家所必须做的事就是在计算机的搜索引擎里输入主题，然后几百万笔拥有大量信息的网站就随手可得。这一切的便利带来的后果之一就是信息时代让图书馆受到了危害。大家对浏览那些被收藏在建筑物里的大量信息不再那么感兴趣。

　　就在传统图书馆已经失去了大部份的吸引力的时候，现在出现了一种全新的图书馆。真人图书馆基本上就是以打破刻板印象及终止偏见为目标来『借阅』真人。这些人来自各种不同的背景，他们拥有有趣的工作，并想要和他人分享自己的故事，于是被挑选为『真人书』。一般大众可以从真人图书馆里借阅真人，时间为三十分钟至一小时，同时也可以请教这个活生生的知识来源任何想问的问题。这种方式让通常不会和彼此对话的人开始交谈，例如警察和涂鸦客，或是以色列人和巴勒斯坦人。

　　真人图书馆开始于 2000 年在欧洲举办的一个音乐节，而从那时起这个概念就已迅速扩展至全球各地。由于这个想法非常简单，以致于它可以由任何人在任何地方实行，真人图书馆在推动不同人种文化背景的宽容有良好的成效。2013 年一月，其中一间目标最为远大的真人图书馆在加拿大成立了。在所谓的真人图书馆日当天，加拿大全国十五座城市共举办了二十四项活动。该活动大获成功，且明年有望会有更多的国家参与，让真人图书馆日变得更盛大。