Document Type : Systematic Review
Authors
1 M.Sc, Medical Library and Information Sciences, School of Management and Medical Information Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, Librarian, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Central Library, Books and Publications Bran
2 PhD, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Health Information Technology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
A human library is a place where people borrow a living or human book instead of borrowing regular books. The purpose of the present study is to investigate what and why a human library is good, including its definitions, goals, effectiveness, benefits, and applications. The present study is a scoping review in which 2570 articles were retrieved using relevant keywords in various Persian and English databases. After screening the sources based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final 44 articles were combined in a narrative form and presented in the form of tables. The findings showed that a human library is a safe place for interaction, education, and learning, as well as promoting dialogue with others. It is also a way to reduce prejudices, stereotypes, create understanding, and strengthen social relationships. The main goal of creating a human library is empathy, understanding, and mutual understanding in society. The effectiveness, benefits, and numerous applications, including "increasing empathy and understanding," "correcting attitudes and misconceptions," and "strengthening communication skills to create connections (interpersonal and social)," were mentioned for the human library. The topics discussed in the human library are often dedicated to the three main topics of "minority groups," "social issues," and "individual issues" in the context of psychological issues and social psychology. Understanding what and why a human health library is can provide a mechanism for health policymakers and medical librarians to appropriately implement and implement a human health library and improve the mental health of the individual and society.
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Main Subjects
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