The Calhoun County Public Library is planning to begin its ‘Human Library’ project by the end of May. So far, the library has over 200 patrons registered to “check out” interesting persons from the community who will sit and converse with patrons who might not otherwise have the opportunity to mingle with  people like them.

The volunteers available for check out come from all walks of life and include a wide variety of subjects; retired military personnel with a vast array of experiences, teachers, business leaders, construction workers, entertainers (with one being an almost famous singer), oil field workers, a doctor and other medical personnel, retired police officers and firemen, farmers, homemakers, religious leaders, successful self employed workers, stonemasons and bricklayers, former ‘Rosie the Riveters,’ morticians, over the road truckers, old hippies and many more, even a librarian.

A test conducted with ten county residents this January elicited positive comments from all involved. “I always wondered what it was like to drive all over this country on the open road, and now I know,” said one woman. One man said, “My grandmother was a ‘Riveter’ and I never thought about it very much. But now I have an idea of how difficult it was to leave her home here in Calhoun and go to Detroit to work in jobs which were thought to be hard for women to do. Listening to the person I had ‘checked out’ inspired me to call my grandmother and tell her I was proud of her and would love to hear her story.”

The only, somewhat, negative comment came from an area resident who said, “I haven’t gotten any good sleep in years. I have been to doctors and tried many sleeping aids, none of which worked. After ‘checking out’ the librarian,” he stated, “the last thing I remember is something about the Dewey Decimal System. I awoke four hours later, well rested, and I am anxiously awaiting the start of this project so I can get some more sleep!”

                                        April Fool’s