The Human Library project is an international non-profit that organizes events with human “readers” and “books.”

Now, Washington and Lee will take part in that mission.

Books share their stories of marginalization. Meanwhile, readers listen and ask questions in order to expand their perceptions.

Karla Murdock, the director of the Mudd Center for Ethics and professor of cognitive and behavioral science, learned about the Human Library three years ago. Since then, she has been working to bring a Human Library events to Washington and Lee University.

Along the way she joined with a few of her colleagues and eventually they all became “librarians” of the Human Library.

Next year, on Jan. 24, Murdock and her fellow librarians will host a Human Library reading event in the Harte Center. In the meantime, Murdock is looking for both readers and books.

Murdock said that readers will be able to engage in a respectful dialogue “ready to challenge their own beliefs.”

Books, on the other hand, will come into the project willing to share their experience of “marginalization or misunderstanding in some way,” she said.

She also mentioned that the Human Library challenges stereotypes but doesn’t provide a platform for books to “convince people of something” or “settle a score.”

The librarians explained the nuances at the information session on Nov. 8.

Human books are tasked with coming up with a title for their story that focuses on a single aspect of experience they want to share. Some identities that may be represented include “alcoholic”, “police officer” and “bipolar, according to the presentation.

K.T. Vaughan, one of Washington and Lee’s organizers of the Human Library event, said that the titles are meant to emphasize one aspect of a book’s experience, rather than defining their entire story.

The terms for books and readers “are meant to evoke the same kind of open mindedness and curiosity that people hopefully experience in a library,” Vaughan said.

One critique that Murdock suggested might be leveled against the Human Library is that its central premise of human “books” and “readers” might be dehumanizing to the people who volunteer to share their experience and to the people who elect to have dialogues with them.

However, Murdock pushed back against that claim.

“I think that these terms are meant to evoke the same kind of open mindedness and curiosity that people hopefully experience in a library. I hope that they aren’t received in that manner. I know that they were not intended in that manner,” Murdock said.

For those interested in getting involved with the Human Library, it can be hard to decide whether to be a book or a reader.

Lisa Dewey, a professor of strategic communications, was still unsure after going to a Human Library information session.

“I would definitely be a reader. As for a book, I would have to put my head around what I would do and what segment of a story I would pick…. I would have to think about it,” she said.

There is still time for any who want to be readers or books to sign up. The deadline to apply to be a reader is Nov. 27 and the deadline to sign up to be a reader is Jan. 17.

More information for those interested can be found on the Mudd Center website.