Prague’s first 'Human Library' lets you borrow a person, not a book

Prague residents will have the opportunity to "borrow" a person instead of a book next week as part of an initiative aimed at breaking down social barriers and fostering empathy. The British Council is bringing its "Human Library of Kindness" to the capital, offering locals face-to-face conversations with individuals from diverse and often marginalized backgrounds.

The English-friendly event, scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., will take place at Kampus Hybernská. The evening is themed around the concept of public service, focusing on the lived experiences of those who work on the front lines of Czech society or exist on its fringes.

Under the Human Library format, visitors act as "readers" while volunteers serve as "books." These volunteers include health professionals, community organizers, social workers, and members of minority groups who have navigated specific social prejudices.

Participants can sit with a "book" for 20-minute sessions to hear their personal stories, ask questions, and share perspectives in a controlled, safe environment.

“The concept of a Human Library is to give the general public a chance to encounter people, in person, with lived experience outside of their day-to-day lives,” said Paul Wade, Country Director for the British Council in the Czech Republic.

Wade noted that the volunteers joining the event are specifically prepared to share insights into areas of life that many residents might not otherwise encounter. According to organizers, the goal is not just to confront personal prejudices, but to bridge the gap between different social and racial groups through direct dialogue.

The theme of "kindness" emerged from the British Council's 2025 trial run, Wade explained.

"We trialed an initial human library in 2025 and found that the most popular 'books,' along with response from our internal EDI sessions, revolved around people in public service," he said.

"Anyone choosing to enter public service—helping others either professionally or voluntarily—usually does so for reasons of kindness. They wish to help others in some way." The timing feels urgent, Wade added, given the current cultural climate. 

"We really wanted to shine a light on those who take a totally different approach to life. An approach to try to treat other humans as they would want to be treated themselves."

The event marks the first time the British Council’s equality, diversity, and inclusion program has hosted a fully public session of this scale in Prague.

Organizers emphasize that the atmosphere is designed to be interactive; readers can join sessions alone or with friends to simply listen or engage in a two-way conversation about the "book’s" life and views on the world.

Confirmed “books” include representatives from Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) and the Red Cross, as well as Czech volunteers from Cesta Ven (supporting single parents in remote regions), Život v kufříku (documenting the lives of abandoned children), a guide dog trainer, the regional head of Random Acts of Kindness, and a somatic coach working with LGBTQIA+ survivors of sexualized violence.

The Human Library movement started in Copenhagen in spring 2000, created as a project for the Roskilde Festival. The original event, called "Menneskebiblioteket" in Danish, ran eight hours a day for four consecutive days and featured over 50 human books. More than a thousand readers participated in those first days.

What began as a festival experiment has since grown into a global platform now active in over 85 countries across six continents. Wade hopes the Prague event leaves attendees just as inspired.

"We would like people to take some of their own kindness out into the world and put it somewhere that might make a difference; to their family, their friends, or maybe someone they have never met before," he said.

"If even one person enters the public service in some way, I think we will have succeeded."