Living Books in Lancashire
Living Books in Lancashire- bringing books to life
Living books come to Lancashire's Libraries
A scheme to bring books to life was launched again across Lancashire.
The scheme, called "Living Books - bringing books to life in Lancashire", was rolled out again from July to December and meant that visitors to libraries at Rawtenstall, Leland, Clitheroe, Ormskirk, Fleetwood, Skelmersdale, Accrington and Burnley were able to borrow 'living books' (people).
The living books, who are volunteers from each area, give a fascinating insight into their lives sharing tales about Inspirational stories; local history and cultural knowledge; career achievements or interesting jobs; life changing experiences, unusual hobbies and much more.
Each book has a short bibliography to make it easier for people to decide which one they want to borrow. People are able to hire living books for 30 minutes a time at each living library event by booking ether beforehand or on the day if there are time slots available.
Run by Lancashire County Council, Living Books in Lancashire aims to encourage people to find out more about others from different backgrounds.
County Councillor David Smith, lead member for libraries, said: "People are used to reading about their community in their local library, but Living Libraries in Lancashire will literally bring the story of each area to life.
"Lancashire has one of the most diverse and unique communities in the country and we want people to listen to local stories and experiences to help them understand the rich diversity of our county.
"This project is a key part of our plans to raise awareness of other cultures and communities and we're grateful to Unison for supporting this scheme."
Gill Irvine, senior access to services manager for the library and Information service, said: "This is the first project of its kind to run across Lancashire and we'd like as many people as possible to come forward and borrow a living book.
"The idea of having living books came from Denmark 10 years ago and since then, they've started to become more popular throughout the world.
"People hire living books in a similar way to borrowing a conventional book. They need to reserve their books in advance, and will then be able to speak and listen to them for around half an hour per book."