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    Universities honour veterans and highlight the importance of peace

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    Portraits of a human library

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The University Affairs Newsletter

Keeping Canada’s university community informed, inspired and connected

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Features Campus news

Portraits of a human library

At the University of Ottawa's human library, stereotypes melt away in conversation with people from unfamiliar backgrounds and life experiences.

By

Melody Maloney, with Marie-Lou Bernatchez

November 12, 2026

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In a fragmented world of digital information, the human library offers a necessary resistance to slow down and let oneself be transformed by another person’s story.

A bond forms between the ‘reader’ and the human book, that extends far beyond their brief encounter. 

Melody Maloney, with Marie-Lou Bernatchez

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