Check out a 'human book' at Stittsville library

Posted Jan 26, 2012 By John Curry

EMC News - You've heard , we are sure, of books. Now there are e-books. And coming to the Stittsville branch of the Ottawa Public Library this Saturday, Jan. 28 are "human books."

It is one of five branches of the Ottawa Public Library that, along with the Canadian War Museum, are hosting a Human Library event.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., members of the public will be able to have one-on-one opportunities with individuals who have volunteered to be "human books."

Just like borrowing a traditional book from a library branch, this Saturday, Jan. 28 library patrons will be able to "check out" a human book and have a conversation with the person for about 20 minutes.

These "human books" will be sharing their stories with their "borrowers."

And just who will be these Human Library participants at the Stittsville library branch this Saturday, Jan. 28.

Well, they will range from a heritage farmer to a paramedic to a transgender advocate to a video journalist. Quite a range there!

One of the "human books" at the Stittsville library will be Lynda Brown, an Inuk activist who teaches children and families at the Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre. She will have much to tell about her Inuk identity and what it means to her.

Another "human book" will be Kylah Dobson, a farmer who grows heritage fruits and vegetables on land that her family has farmed for six generations.

Her Rainbow Heritage Garden farm runs on solar power, another interesting aspect of her story.

Jim Smith has been an OC Transpo bus driver for over three decades and is now preparing for retirement. With all of the news stories of late involving bus drivers, a chat with such a longtime driver who undoubtedly has seen it all should prove most informative and revealing.

Benoit Jolicoeur is a paramedic but not just any paramedic. He is a tactical paramedic which means that he joins the police on high risk calls such as drug raids, hostage takings and suspect stand-offs. He is used to wearing a bullet proof vest and police helmet. Some of his stories will not doubt be as riveting as some of the police shows on TV.

Benoit is also bilingual so his "borrower" can "read" him in either French or English.

Another "human book" at the Stittsville library will be Mark Ertel who has been a criminal defense lawyer for 20 years.

He has defended clients charged with everything from shoplifting to murder. "Reading" him will give you an idea of what the life of a lawyer is really like.

Catherine Purdie will be offering a unique perspective to those who "borrow" her in this Human Library project. She is an advocate for transgender rights, having been born male but always feeling like a woman. She underwent hormone therapy and gender re-assignment surgery which adapted her male body to match her female mind. She now lives as a woman and a lesbian. The pages of her "human book" should be fascinating.

Ottawa Police Service staff sergeant Kal Ghadban will be able to tell any "borrower" all about his years on the force where he has worked as a homicide detective. He is now the Staff Sergeant of the street crime unit's break and enter team.

Another "human book" who will be "on the shelf", as it were, at the Stittsville library branch this Saturday, Jan. 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. is Omar Debaghi-Pacheco who is well know to viewers of CBC TV news where he appears as a video journalist.

He has been a morning traffic reporter for CBC Radio in Ottawa.

His borrowers can speak either English, French or Spanish - he knows them all. Imagine, a trilingual book!

The Ottawa Public Library has partnered with the Canadian War Museum and CBC Ottawa to host this Human Library event this Saturday, Jan. 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Other library branches besides the Stittsville branch which are participating in this Human Library event are the Cumberland branch, the Greenboro District library, the main library and the Nepean Centrepointe branch. The Canadian War Museum is also a participating site.

Launched in Denmark in 2000, the Human Library is seen as a way to focus on anti-violence, encourage dialogue and build relations. It has grown in popularity with 27 countries taking part by 2008 including Brazil, China, South Africa and Columbia.

The Human Library is designed to promote dialogue, reduce prejudice and encourage understanding.

Visitors to a Human Library event are given the opportunity to speak informally with "people on loan." These "human books" are usually extremely varied in age, sex and cultural background.

The Human Library is meant to enable groups to break stereotypes by challenging the most common prejudices in a positive and humourous manner. It is meant to engender tolerance and understanding.

Human Library events are always free.

For more information about this Saturday's Human Library event at the Stittsville library branch or the other five venues involved, please visit BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca/Human Library.

Besides the eight "human books," the Human Library event at the Stittsville branch of the Ottawa Public Library this Saturday will feature displays from the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library, the Ottawa Public Library Foundation and the Goulbourn Museum.

john.curry@metroland.com