The Living Library at County Library Tallaght: People for Hire
Back to List08/10/2009
Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.
*** Press Release ****
The Living Library at County Library Tallaght: People for Hire
Borrow a Prejudice at a library where the books literally can speak.
South Dublin County Libraries, in association with South Dublin County Council's Social Inclusion Unit, introduce the Living Library on Thursday 15th October 2009, the first of its kind in Ireland.
In the Living Library, instead of borrowing books 'readers' can borrow a Gay man, a Traveller, an Asylum seeker, a Single mother, a Muslim or a School phobic for a chat. The aim is to challenge and overcome prejudices and stereotypical judgments.
The Living Library allows 'readers' to have a candid chat with people ('books') they'd normally never meet.
The Living Library originated in Copenhagen where Ronnie Abergel, then a 19-year-old student, and some friends set up an NGO called Stop the Violence after a friend was brutally stabbed. Thousands of teens joined the NGO which used peer education to stop youngsters carrying knives. From there the group came up with the Living Library, which is now a huge success with over 100 events in 23 countries.
Don't judge a book by its cover - come along to the County Library on Thursday 15th October between 6pm and 9pm. Borrow a 'book' for half an hour and share stories of personal challenges and endurance. As Living Library founder Ronnie Abergel has said: "With dialogue comes understanding and with that comes tolerance and that's the mission of the Living Library: to promote understanding and tolerance through dialogue."
This event is part of Innovation Dublin, a city-wide celebration which highlights creative and innovative ways of looking at society, business, culture and more.
The County Library Tallaght is delighted to become the first official Living Library in Ireland.
Event details:
Date: Thursday, October 15th, 2009.
Open: 6 - 9 pm
Duration of loans: 30 minutes
Location: County Library Tallaght
Contact person: Patricia Fitzgerald / Caroline Higgins tel 01-4597834 or email pfitzgerald@sdublincoco.ie or chiggins@sdublincoco.ie.