TAMIU Annual Report 2022

TAMIU STUDENTS What if the “book” you checked out of your library lived and breathed? What if it spoke to you and shared its story? This surreal scenario may sound like science fiction, but at TAMIU, it was very real…and very human. It was all part of University College’s first-ever presentation this Spring of “The Human Library” in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library’s Great Room. The innovative event was a first for Laredo and made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas. Founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2000, The Human Library® is an international not-for-profit learning platform dedicated to hosting personal conversations to challenge stigma and stereotypes. It uses a library analogy that lends people instead of books -- and encourages all to ‘unjudge someone.’  Organizer Dr. Hayley Kazen , TAMIU University College assistant professional, said Human Books represent marginalized communities, providing first- hand awareness and insight challenging prejudice and stereotype.  TAMIU OFFERS FIRST-EVER ‘THE HUMAN LIBRARY’ “Students identified and trained individuals to represent a broad spectrum of the human experience.  Visitors, or readers, came to The Human Library to select a Human Book and engage in a timed one-on- one conversation,” Dr. Kazen explained, “represented were addiction, disabilities, ethnicity, family relations, gender/sexuality, health, ideology, lifestyle, occupation, religion, and social status.”   Kazen said the experience filled all with great optimism, especially given the current world climate. “We live in challenging times where prejudice and stereotypes lead many to unfairly judge a book by its cover. Our shared hope is that we can all be ‘open books’ for such experiences,” she concluded.  19