Another interesting event took place on the campus of Varna University of Management in Dobrich. Participants read books, but in an extremely unconventional and still less popular method – the so-called “living library”. The “books” in it are living human beings who are willing to share stories from their personal life and / or professional archives. The “readers” take the books within 15 minutes, and the reading is actually a dialogue, a discussion between the book and the reader. In this format, a book could be read by several readers at the same time, which expands the possibilities for interpretation of each topic, creating a new one. The catalog of our library included 10 titles, some of which readers could read in several languages ​​- Bulgarian, English, Russian and French:

“Meetings in Life and Good for People: A Librarian’s Thoughts”
“How to find a boyfriend?”
“Will to Succeed”
“A Handbook for a Conflict-Free Life”
“Your Magnet-ic Travelog”
“Heritage, memory, future”
“The road to work that makes us happy”
“Relationship for me”
“Teacher profession”
“The Secret of Adoption: Benefits and Harms”

However different the “books” and “titles” in this unique library were, they shared a common message: Don’t judge a book by its cover!

The interest of young people in this format and the proposed topics was sought after, but still surprising. 37 people took part in the reading, most of them expressing their desire to be informed about future events of this kind and even to be in the role of books themselves. Undisputed favorites were the topics “How to find a boyfriend?”, inspired by the behavior of participants in a popular television format; “A Guide to a Conflict-Free Life”, provoked by the busy daily lives of all of us and the opportunities to overcome obstacles of this kind, and “The Road to Work That Makes Us Happy”, which sparked a wide-ranging discussion on self-knowledge and personal satisfaction for professional realization.

The event was open and lasted more than scheduled for about two hours. It is implemented within the IDEA project: Intergenerational Dialogue for Europe Awareness, co-financed by the EU’s Erasmus + program.

* The idea of ​​a “living” or “human” library dates back to 2003 and since then this type of reading meetings are held around the world – in universities, city libraries, festivals, etc. Living Libraries are held on various topics, and the focus of the Living Library in VUM was the continuity between generations and the opportunity to turn reading into a dialogue between the book and the reader. It is a process that enriches both countries and has its many positive messages.

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