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Leah Snyder was also a first timer. She heard about the event via the War Museum’s Facebook.

“Unlike other human libraries, this one is very intense,” she said. “So there’s a little bit of hesitancy to start asking people questions because it’s quite intimate, some of the things you may be asking.”

There were 19 women to choose from in total, 12 of them available Saturday and 15 available Sunday. The talks took place in the Military History Research Centre within the museum. It was the fourth human library the War Museum has hosted since 2011.

Visitor Laurie Allen was most looking forward to seeing Major Jamie Phillips, the first female Artillery Troop Commander deployed overseas.

“I haven’t had a chance to meet her before,” said Allen, whose husband was in the army for 35 years. “It’s nice to see these women doing some really cool stuff. I thought, ‘this is a perfect opportunity to really meet some interesting people.’”

Avra Gibbs-Lamey, the senior communication and media relations officer for the museum, says she is sure there will be more human libraries in the future.  

“The way the exhibition captivated the public really reinforced how important it is to explore and share the stories of women more comprehensively,” she said in an email.

The exhibition also aided in the creation of Women and Conflict, a new research initiative looking at the roles and impact of women during conflict. The initiative will begin in 2017.

Sgt. Williamson says she hopes her talks today inspired young women, “It’s important to empower others, and to be able to show that mountains are achievable. You can climb them, and you can pass them, and you can help others along the way. I think this is a powerful form and opportunity for that,” she said.

The World War Women exhibit had over 51,000 visitors in its six months.

The next exhibit, Deadly Skies WWI, will open June 3. Deadly Skies will tell the stories of nine people who experienced the First World War using a graphic novel format.