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Summit County 'human library' sheds light on disabilities, LGBTQ+ community and mental illness

The "human library" at the Summit County Kimball Junction Branch library featured eight human "books."
Kristine Weller
/
KPCW
The "human library" at the Summit County Kimball Junction Branch library featured eight human "books."

Summit County’s Kimball Junction Branch library featured a “human library” Saturday. Visitors had the chance to speak with eight living, breathing “books.”

Coalville Branch manager Susan Murphy helped organize the human library. She said the Human Library Organization was started in Denmark over 20 years ago to build empathy and understanding in communities.

“In a regular library, you come in and you check out paperback books. In a human library, you come in and you actually check out a human being for a 20-minute conversation,” she said. “All of the human beings, we call them human books, are people who have experienced bias or discrimination or stereotyping just because who they are, what they believe or what they look like.”

Murphy said all the “human books” go through online training before participating in the library. The training helps them understand what kind of questions they might be asked and what to do if they start to feel uncomfortable.

Diana Sampson volunteered to share her life experiences so she could raise awareness about living with a disability. Sampson is both a wheelchair user and a mother of four kids with autism.

Sampson said the biggest issues she faces as a wheelchair user are buildings not being accessible and people taking parking spots meant for people with disabilities “just for a second.”

“There were times that I actually left a business and ended up not doing what I needed to that day because there was not an accessible parking spot, and someone without placards was in the one that I needed,” she said.

Sampson said she also encounters many well-meaning people, who try to help her before asking if that’s what she needs. For example, there was one instance when she had a manual wheelchair when a man ran over and just started pushing her.

“I have issues with walking, but there are other things I can do for myself, and I'd like the opportunity to,” she said. “So, I would love it if people would ask first, ‘Do you need help?’ And if ‘I say no, thank you,’ I would love for people to be able to respect that.”

Carol Haselton is on the Friends of the Library Board, which supported the event. She spoke with Sampson about her experiences and said it was a good opportunity to ask questions and not feel like you’re being rude.

“I asked if it was okay to get personal, and she said, ‘Yes, absolutely.’ So that was one of the pluses,” she said. 

Kris Campbell also wanted to spread awareness, so he shared his experience as a transgender man. He said events like the human library are great because people have a lot of questions about things they haven’t personally experienced and this format gives them that opportunity.

Campbell said transitioning was a journey of self-discovery. He said he realized he had been suppressing emotions throughout his life and was blocking connection with who he was.

During each step of his transition, Campbell said he would check in with how he was feeling.

“Am I wearing men's clothes because I want to be seen as a female wearing men's clothes, or because I want to be seen as a male wearing men's clothes? Am I my male inside, or do I just prefer that presentation, right?” he said. “So I think when we give ourselves the time and space to explore and understand ourselves, we can get to know us.”

Kay Harrison shared a similar sentiment about the value of being herself, which she said she learned after surviving a suicide attempt.

Harrison said she struggled with depression throughout her life, but things were especially bad when she was working in a toxic environment. At one point, she said, she started to believe that her husband, kids and grandchildren, would be better off without her. Harrison said she overdosed on pills but was found by her husband who revived her.

Harrison said she spent three days in the hospital and five more in a psychiatric unit. That’s where she said she started to heal.

“I was able to really dial down to who I really was. I could be myself, and that's where I started to heal,” Harrison said.

Harrison encouraged everyone to talk more about mental health and those who are struggling to get help; there are resources available.

“The more we talk about it, the more it becomes mainstream. Allow people to speak up and speak out. Give people a place to go to be safe. We need to allow people to be safe in their suffering,” she said.

This is the second time Summit County has hosted a human library event. About 50 people attended Saturday’s event.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, call or text 988 at any time to connect with a trained crisis counselor.