Posted: February 26, 2025Written by: Ritchie Bermudez

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cuesta College, in collaboration with the Cuesta College Library, Cuesta College Student Health Services, and San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health, is proud to announce the return of The Human Library® to its San Luis Obispo campus on March 5.

“The Cuesta Library is honored to host The Human Library® Project again,” said Cuesta College Instructor and Reference Librarian Carina Love. “It is so rewarding for the whole team to see our community members engaging in positive, open-minded discussions. Last year’s event was a tremendous success, and we are pleased to bring it back to campus.”

Originating in Denmark over two decades ago, The Human Library® is a global movement designed to challenge stereotypes and biases through open and meaningful conversations. The event creates a safe and inclusive space where topics are discussed openly between the human books and their readers, providing an opportunity to connect, share experiences, and foster deeper understanding. 

Participants can engage in conversations with human books (volunteers with personal experience in their topic), including individuals with diverse experiences in being a first-generation college student, adopting a plant-based diet, surviving PTSD, being in foster care, navigating intersex identity, overcoming addiction, surviving a loss from suicide, going through a psychotic episode, being an elderly gay college professor, struggling with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and going from disabled child to adulthood.

The free event will be held at the Charles & Leeta Dovica Learning Resource Center & Library (Building 3200) on the SLO campus on Wednesday, Mar. 5, from 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., featuring 30-minute conversation sessions. Attendees are welcome to participate in one or multiple conversations throughout the day. Free food will be provided.

“We are excited to be partnering with Cuesta College to bring The Human Library® to our community for the second year in a row,” said SLO County Behavioral Health Specialist Annie Jankovitz. “Last year's event connected over 200 participants with 13 books who shared diverse stories of hope and resilience. With a mixture of new and returning Human Books, we hope to continue challenging prejudice and implicit bias through the sharing of personal stories.”

For further details regarding The Human Library® event at Cuesta College, please reach out to Carina Love at clove@cuesta.edu or Annie Jankovitz at ajankovitz@co.slo.ca.us.