York Ending Stigma Living Library Project
Our ‘books’ are people with experience of mental ill-health (our volunteer YES Champions) who are sharing their stories, and encouraging you to have conversations with them, to challenge incorrect stereotypes, bust myths, and to end mental health stigma.
Sample some of our book blurbs via audio:
How does a living library work?
The Living Library is a movement for social change, through in-person conversations, “social contact”. Just like in a real library, a visitor to the Living Library can choose a book from a range of titles. The difference is that the living books are people. Once the reader has chosen a ‘book’, they sit down with their book and engage in a short respectful conversation. The idea is to use the language and mechanism of a library to facilitate conversations that challenge stigma. The Living Library aims to provide a safe environment for these conversations to take place. Readers will register for a York Ending Stigma Living Library library card and agree to the associated terms and conditions. By providing an opportunity for people to challenge their own stigmas, the Living Library has the potential to positively change attitudes and opinions towards people with experience of mental ill-health. By using book titles that acknowledge or provoke a potential mental health stigma, the Living Library can raise awareness of multiple mental health stigmas.
Watch a short video clip of one of our past living library events:
If you attend one of our living library events you will be invited to:
- Browse the physical books on the shelves and read the blurbs to help you decide which living book (person) you would like to borrow for a conversation.
- Let one of our librarians know if you would like to borrow a ‘book’ (person).
- The librarian will check the availability of your living ‘book’.
- Register for a library card with one of our librarians.
- If your ‘book’ is available for loan you can borrow them straight away.
- If your ‘book’ is already on loan you can make a reservation for a time that your ‘book’ will be available to borrow.
- If your ‘book’ is already reserved all day, you will have the option to borrow any alternative available book.
- Enjoy your living library book experience – your living book will begin to tell you their ‘story’ and you will have the opportunity to ask them questions.
- Please feel free to provide a librarian with any constructive feedback you may have about your library experience.
Living Library Card Terms and Conditions
If you attend one of our living library events and decide that you would like to borrow a book (person), you will be issued with a York Ending Stigma Living Library library card and will be required to agree to the following:
- To be kind, curious, and respectful towards all our books and librarians.
- To borrow a living book for up to 30 minutes maximum – books may be returned early by either you, a librarian, or the book themselves. Any decision to return a book early will be respected by all parties.
- To borrow only one living book at a time. However, you may borrow more than one book in a single day.
- To borrow each living book only once per day.
- To respect that a living book may not be available for loan to you.
- To refrain from offering advice to living books. In turn, our books will not offer you any advice – our living books are here to share their personal experiences for you to interpret how you choose to. Should you feel that you require support for your own mental health, we will signpost you to the Healthwatch York Mental Health and Wellbeing Guide which has details of mental health services in York.
- To refrain from sharing lots of personal details about your own life – you are here to ‘read’ our books, through listening and two-way conversation.
- To return your living ‘book’ on time.
Our friendly librarians will be on hand to help make your living library experience as smooth as possible, and we hope to welcome you to one of our events soon.
If you would like to request a private living library event for your organisation please email Emma on yes@YorkCVS.org.uk
