ASK Salt Spring: Answered - Ep. 59 Sophia vom Bauer Jackson, the Living Library project

Episode Date: March 28, 2025

Ask Salt Spring Answered talks to Sophia mom Bauer Jackson, adult services co-ordinator for Salt Spring Island Public Library about the Living Library project, where people share their life experiences as "living books."

You're listening to episode 59 of Ask Salt Spring Answered, in which we talk to Sophia VonBauer Jackson, who is the Adult Services Coordinator at Salt Spring Public Library, about the Living Library Project. Hi, you're listening to at Salt Spring Public Library about the Living Library project. Hi, you're listening to Ask Salt Spring Answered with me Damian Inwood. I'm here with Sophia von Bauer-Jackson who is in charge of Adult Services at the Salt Spring Island Public Library. Welcome Sophia. Thank you Damian. We were in Ask Salt Spring, and we were talking about the new project, quite an exciting one, I think, called the Living Library Book.

Now tell me a little bit about that. The Living Library Project is something we are really excited about. It's to bring the community together. The idea is to get people talking to each other who would otherwise never meet or talk to each other. So the books are people and that's why the Living Library. Okay, and I gather that this started out in Denmark some time ago in Copenhagen where it was called the Human Library. That's correct, I think.

That is correct. But they copyrighted that and so we can't call ourselves the Human Library. That's correct I think. But they copyrighted that and so we can't call ourselves the Human Library. But it's the same idea isn't it, where people will talk about their life experiences with other people and they will have a specific kind of title to their book based on some of their own experiences. That's right. I did actually talk to the organization, there's humanlibrary.org, they're in Copenhagen, and about 20 years ago they developed this idea of getting people to talk to each other and their logo was to unjudge someone, to get people to understand each other better, to fight prejudice and separation.

And they have a very specific concept and that's why we name it differently. We cannot use their trademark name human library because we do it in a different format. So we agreed with them. we use a different name, Living Library, which expresses the same idea. And instead of having one big event, we want to do it as a continue, we have a vision of a continuous event in smaller increments. Right. Now, I think people from all walks of life came to this project in Denmark, right? You said, I think, policemen, graffiti artists, disabled people, all kinds of people,

to talk about their experience. And that's, you want people from all walks of life to come forward on Salt Spring Island, right? And to talk about their lived experiences. And as I understand it, the idea is you check out a living book, which sounds kind of weird, and you have 20 minutes to talk to the person if you're a reader.

And the idea is to see each other as human beings, right? That's right. We are not that different from each other, even if we have completely different lives and experiences. We are all humans and that connects us. And the living books will be presented in some form of catalog and the title of the book already indicates the topic and the story

that living book is prepared to share. And the readers check out a book, sit down for 15 to 20 minutes for a conversation about that topic. Right. Now I gather that this is sort of a pilot project that's going to happen in May, right? And you want to start off being fairly gentle in terms of the topics, but as time goes on, if this works, you'd like to get into more difficult areas of discussion, like I guess, you know, social issues, polarization, perhaps mental health, all kinds of things that are maybe more difficult to discuss. That's right, because this is a really new

project for this island and in this format it is a new project because many other libraries or other institutions, organizations around the world did create those events but they were one massive event where everything happens on one or two days. We wanted a continuous viable event which we can annually or twice a year create and it requires experience. Hard life experience can be triggering and there is trauma experience and we do not want to start there. We want to start with gentle topics. It can be on beekeeping, it can be on sailing around the world, it can be many many things,

but we want to first to introduce this to the community, let the community see how it works and experience it and see that it is actually a beautiful experience to talk to someone about something they are passionate about, what they experience in their lives. And yes, for the first pilot project in May, we want to start gentle and gain experience first. Okay, so now I gather that you will have four tables set up in the library, in the programming room. And on one side of a table will be the living book and the other side will be the reader, right?

And you will have a 20-minute chat about whatever the topic of the book is. That sounds like quite an interesting process and there will also be librarians on hand in case there are any difficulties or problems to police what's happening in the room. Yes, just as a safety net and as an organizational person to get everybody settled in, seated and indicated and keep the time as well because those conversations are not endless. They're 15 to 20 minutes and then it has to be concluded and to give everybody a break. There are a few refreshments so that we call them librarians. They will be in the background. They are not part of

the conversation. They don't listen in. They're just there to help out and organize. Okay, and these book titles will be posted on your website, I think you said next month sometime. Yes. And then people can sign up for a particular time slot to come in and take the book out, so to speak. That's right.

And read it or talk to the person. We will have a catalogue with those book titles and maybe a sentence of explanation what that entails and then it's a very easy sign-up system on the library website with time slots. It will be two mornings and two afternoons in the middle of May and those can be easily booked. Just enter your name and the contact information and there is your time available with the living book. And those specific dates are

Wednesday the 14th of May and Thursday the 15th and Wednesday the 21st and Thursday the 22nd. That's correct. On Wednesdays it will be in the morning from 10 to noon, the Thursdays the first one from 1 to 3 p.m. and the second one the 22nd 3 to 5 p.m. Right. Now you're looking for more people to B-books, right? That's right, because everybody's a little bit afraid to tell their story because they don't really know how that will turn out. So we talked, those who volunteer with me,

there's Fig, there's Jessica from Restorative Justice, they are working with me on this project and we all talk to people and everybody is interested and they're, oh yeah, that sounds good. But I look how the first one goes and then I might sign up for the next one as a book. So right now we would like to let people know this it's easy. It can be a really lovely fun experience and everybody has more than one story to tell. So we are looking for more books who are willing to share their stories.

And do you have an idea about the kind of stories that you would like them to tell? We don't want to limit it. We want to start gentle, so truly traumatic experiences, social injustice or any survival stories we want to bring in at a later point. We want to start gentle. We want to first be known and have the community experience what it is like to have a conversation with someone you do not know. We want everybody to feel comfortable and we want to earn the respect of everyone. So for the first one in May, we want to start with topics that are easier to talk about. Okay, now if people want to volunteer for this,

how do they get in touch with you? Through the library, I guess? Yes, come to me. Sophia, it's a library. You can talk to me. You're easy to find. It's very easy to find. If I'm not there, leave a message for me and I have forms on my desk that can be handed out. So even if I'm not there, everybody can pick up a form and we really invite everybody in the community. I don't want to limit it to any topic. Everybody has interesting stories to tell. Right and there are sort of rules, I mean loosely, about if you're a book you have the, you make the decision yourself what you want to share. You don't have to share anything you don't want to. Absolutely. There are clear boundaries. The book sets their own

boundary, what they do not want to talk about, and they will absolutely be respected. Each reader agrees beforehand to respect, be respectful, to be open and listen and of course is invited to ask questions, but it's very clear you do not over share things you do not want to share and it's a very clear defined topic which is indicated in the title. Right. Now this hopefully will be successful and you have plans to repeat it in November, right? That's right. As the pilot project, if that is successful, we want to make it an event that happens in the spring and in the fall. And we want to build bridges. And we hope to go deeper and deeper into topics that the community is passionate about, the community members are interested in and share with each other.

But as you said, it should be a fun and enlightening experience as well, right? Yes, it is fun. Imagine somebody sailed around the world and shares their story. All of a well, right? Yes, it is fun. Imagine somebody sailed around the world and shares their story. All of a sudden, it's something, oh, I might do that too. Or if somebody lives a completely different life

off-grid without a car. Have you ever considered that? All of a sudden, it becomes tangible. It's something that you can actually do. It's not just a fantasy. So you learn something, and it's also an enjoyable conversation. That's not just a fantasy. So you learn something and it's also an enjoyable conversation. That's the other thing, right? Yes. And you might

meet each other again. All of a sudden you're not strangers anymore when you encounter each other in the grocery aisle. Right. Okay, well it's a great project. And you said you've got other things on the go too and one of them that you mentioned was the Repair Cafe coming up at the library on April 5th right? That's right. Which is what next weekend? Next week Saturday April 5th at 1030 everybody can come and you might already know the repair cafe events where everything can get fixed this is a focus one it's just a repair cafe pop-up event for textiles and leather where we will have about six fixing stations where you can bring your garments, your home textiles, some leather

like a bag or some slippers. No, not cobbler work. And the wonderful thing is again it's community members helping community members because those are volunteers who come with their skills, they bring their own tools and you come into the library register at the special desk we will put up in the foyer and then you will be assigned to a person who is specialized on whatever repair you need. Okay, exciting times at the library. Well thanks Sophia for coming in and you've been listening to Ask Salt Spring Answered on CHIRFM, the sound of the Gulf Islands, and my name is Damian Inwood.