Krannert Women in Management to offer Human Library
October 21, 2015
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management on Oct. 30 will host its second annual Human Library.
The Human Library, sponsored by Krannert’s Women in Management Program, is aimed at fighting prejudice and improving relations among those from Krannert, the university and the Lafayette/West Lafayette community.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Krannert Drawing Room.
“The Human Library format can help strengthen dialogue among different cultures, fight bias and promote inclusion,” said Joy Dietz, director of the Women in Management Program. “It provides a safe space for communication and, hopefully, better understanding of differences.”
In this library, “books” are people. “Readers” check out books for an open and safe conversation. The Krannert Human Library will offer more than 20 human books. Both women and men will be books. “Books” are not asked to prepare a speech; instead they come ready to engage in conversation with strangers about biases or stereotypes they have encountered related to their book title. A reader can take a book for a 30-minute period; during the conversation, readers are encouraged to ask questions and share their point of view, but always with respect for the book volunteer.
Originally initiated by the Danish youth movement “Stop the Violence” in 2000, Human Library (www.humanlibrary.org) is a civic engagement tool designed to promote dialogue among community members to reduce biases and encourage understanding.
“What differentiates this year’s event from last year’s is that we have extended the time, resulting in three shifts so that we can have more books and readers,” said Vinita Desai, a master’s student in human resource management and this year’s Human Library leader. “We have also added a more diverse range of books this year. This event is really an eye opener. I would encourage all students to attend and broaden their perspectives.”
For more information, contact kranwim@purdue.edu
News service contact: John Hughey, 765-494-2432, hugheyj@purdue.edu
Source: Joy Dietz, 765-496-6615, jdietz@purdue.edu
