What is Bibliotherapy?

The basic premise of bibliotherapy is that information,
guidance and solace can be found through reading.
Sarah McNicol & Liz Brewster in their Introduction to Bibliotherapy

If you work in a library, you have most certainly heard the phrase “Oh! You must love books.” To which, we often feel slightly annoyed that the common thought is that a) we have the time to read all day (wouldn’t that be nice?) or b) libraries still are entirely composed of physical stacks.

But chances are, if you are working in a library, you believe in the power of reading. If you choose to become a librarian or take a job within a library, reading has likely had a positive influence on your life. Librarians don’t tend to join the profession because they love negotiating with vendors or dealing with printer jams.

When we spend the majority of our days working and interacting online, it can feel decidedly old-fashioned to curl up with a novel. There is, however, something deeply meaningful about the practice of reading that appeals to all ages; many of the younger university students that I meet will express their love for tangible books that they can hold and keep. For many, reading books is a change of pace from the gruelling readings they need to do for courses and a way to relieve some of the stress and isolation that they are dealing with.

Over the last year, I’ve offered a “Wellness Book Club” for students at Brock University. The project began in the fall of 2021, ran again in the winter term, and will kick off again later this term. You can read more about the logistics of the book club here, but I’d really like to explore the concept of bibliotherapy and how reading (for fun!) can benefit students on campus.

In many ways, academic libraries have always facilitated bibliotherapy to some degree. Students can find novels in the stacks, even if the collection is limited to the canon and/or the focus of the university’s English Literature department. Many academic libraries also offer “popular reading” collections to provide students with lighter reading materials such as science fiction and self-help titles. A 2018 article notes that the number of libraries with recreational reading collections appears to be increasing though it also points to survey responses that indicate some resistance (unspoken or otherwise) to including “fun” collections in an academic library (Brookbank et al. 36). Within academic libraries, there may be concerns that collecting books for leisure reading is out of scope or difficult to reconcile with strained collections budgets.

Many academic libraries partner with local public libraries to assist students in obtaining a public library card, which opens up a vast array of recreational reading materials. Academic libraries may also highlight curated collections based on themes or events.

Read Graphic Novels by college.library, on Flickr

"Read Graphic Novels" (CC BY 2.0) by college.library

The term “bibliotherapy” emerged in the early 20th century and may have different meanings and purposes, depending on the time period and the setting. During and after the World Wars, bibliotherapy was used to aid traumatized veterans with developing new skills and interests. (Brewster 5). Over time, bibliotherapy could mean providing self-help books to library patrons who may be suffering with depression or lists of novels aimed at helping children through difficult experiences such as bullying or a parent’s illness. Bibliotherapy encompasses various formats of books (nonfiction & fiction), different champions and curators (health professionals and/or librarians) and may be hands off (e.g. here’s a list of books!) or include discussion meetings.

The variety of methods coupled with the difficulty of assessing exactly how reading can help mean that quality research on bibliotherapy is limited. The available research does show that:

bibliotherapy is cost-effective
has good outcomes
allows the individual to take an active role in their ‘wellness’

The majority of the research is focused on public libraries but there are a handful of articles that examine bibliotherapy interventions in academic libraries (I’ve listed two below).

Where does this leave those of us who work in academic libraries? Knowing that student wellness is a growing concern on college and university campuses, bibliotherapy may be the perfect opportunity for libraries to contribute to student wellbeing.

As with any wellness initiative, it’s best to be thoughtful and strategic in how we incorporate programming, collections and services around wellbeing. We may already be providing the opportunity for students to use bibliotherapy for ‘solace’ and could simply introduce students to the benefits of reading throughout the term (with reminders at stressful times!)

Academic libraries may also consider:

sharing research on reading and bibliotherapy (could be done through a fun infographic or “did you know?” type initiative)
promoting the discovery of bibliotherapy materials through displays
asking students if there are books that helped them through periods of stress, sadness, or anxiety and use the suggestions to make a list or display for other students to explore
having campus leaders share books that mean a great deal to them (e.g. Deans, the Director of Athletics, etc.)
(just for fun!) providing magnetic poetry kits so students could create poems in a library gathering place!

Do you have thoughts on bibliotherapy? Please get in touch or add your comments below!

Barre with Justine