Living Library Lends New Way of Learning

By definition, a library is “a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for people to read, borrow, or refer to.” Today, however, students visiting the Dr. C.R. Barrett Library at the Fisheries and Marine Institute were collecting stories and knowledge from the real-life chapters of alumni and industry partners

As part of MI MUNdays, students took part in the second annual ‘Living Library’ – a two-hour event that made a collection of human “books” from various career backgrounds available on “loan” to students who could “borrow” a human book for up to 30 minutes for an open conversation.

The interaction offered current students an opportunity to meet with alumni and those in their fields of interest, to explore potential career paths and get insight into the day-to-day aspects of a “book’s” working life. Amongst those in attendance were representatives from organizations such as the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Genoa Design, Rolls-Royce, Atlantic Towing, SNC-Lavalin, Maersk Supply, the Canadian Coast Guard and Kraken Sonar. More than 35 students took part in the event.

The ‘Living Library’ was organized by MI’s Student Affairs team as part of MUNdays. MUNdays is Memorial University's flagship event and is designed to invigorate, stimulate and inspire. From October 15-19, 2015, the Memorial University community is celebrating its diverse accomplishments, amazing spirit and atmosphere.