Saba Salman on a project showing why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover

Two teenagers listen in fascinated silence to a hijab-wearing Muslim as she describes her daily prayer ritual. Nearby, a college student grills a female vicar on sexual abstention. A few feet away, a blind woman politely but firmly shatters the preconceptions of a man who cannot believe she washes and dresses herself.

This is neither a social experiment nor a scene from the latest Big Brother household, but the burgeoning phenomenon of the living library. The three-hour session at Bournemouth central library aims to break stereotypes and tackle prejudice by giving direct access to someone else's experience. It allows people to "borrow" a person - or "living book" - for a conversation ("loan") to explore their experience or interests and to understand other backgrounds and cultures. The "books" - library users who volunteer in response to local advertisements, friends of library staff, or those recruited via local community organisations - are people who can share a significant personal experience or particular perspective on life. "Loans" can last for up to an hour.

Auliya Bouguerrache, 36, is the Muslim woman book, one of 10 living books available to borrowers for the three-hour event.....