Challenge your stereotypes! Human Library and its impact on prejudice in Poland

Human Library is a public event aimed at reducing stereo-types and prejudices, in the form of an interactive,contact‐based intervention. It employs the logic of a regularlibrary yet with readers“borrowing”Living Books, which arereal people representing various minority groups. Readersengage in 30‐min conversations, during which they canchallenge their stereotypes and widen their scope of knowl-edge and understanding. This pre‐post intervention studyexamined the effectiveness of the Human Library (held inWrocław, Poland) in reducing social distance towards Roma,Muslims, dark‐skinned, and transgender people, as well as indecreasing homonegativity. Also, we measured whetherparticipation in the Human Library changes individual atti-tudes towards diverse workgroups. We found that theHuman Library decreased social distance towards Muslims.Also, the more Living Books that the participants“read,”the bigger the shift in their social distance towards Muslims.Furthermore, we observed an increase in positive affectiveattitude towards working in diversified groups, as a resultof participation in the event. The study serves as partialsupport for the effectiveness of the Human Library in alter-ing one's attitude towards minority groups and diversity.The intervention is discussed as a promising but not yetentirely understood tool to improve intergroup relations.