Living Library Project

The PBC Living Library, modeled after The Human Library, seeks to raise awareness to medical harm through oral storytelling practices. Unlike The Human Library model, The PBC Living Library is an anti-neutral space where individuals who experience health and healthcare disparities volunteer to be "Living Books". Living Books are "checked out" to "Readers", most of whom are current and future healthcare providers in Northern Arizona University's College of Health and Human Services. As an anti-neutral space, the PBC Living Library is designed to affirm and validate the lived realities of individuals subjected to medical and healthcare oppression. It also functions as a safe learning space where students can practice active empathy and develop the skills necessary to engage vulnerably with marginalized patients.

In this 90-minute webinar, participants will learn how the PBC Living Library was originally envisioned, how it was put into practice, and how it has changed over time. Participants will also learn how they can develop their own programs and strategies for success, including: marketing outreach, curriculum development, and quality assessment. Opportunities for questions and reflection will be provided.

Speaker Bio

catherine lockmiller (she/her) is a Health Science Librarian and Diversity Fellow at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, Arizona). She prioritizes her work by focusing on health information literacy, analyzing the intersections between critical theory and librarianship, and most of all, providing a platform to discuss health inequities faced by transgender and gender diverse populations in the United States.

By registering for this class, you are agreeing to the NNLM Code of Conduct