Reader's Advisory and Bibliotherapy:Helping or Healing?

Abstract

Reader s advisory, helping library patrons find books to read based on their prior reading preferences, is a common endeavor for most librarians. Bibliotherapy, using books to promote healing, is a special kind of reader s advisory. This article traces the origins of these two concepts and examines their underlying assumptions. It addresses the process through which stories may aid in healing and the process librarians should follow if they decide to engage in bibliotherapy. It concludes that librarians must know the difference between advising and counseling on both a professional and personal level and that they should be wary of letting the power inherent in the readers advisory role endanger their professionalism.

Keywords

• Bibliotherapy
• Reader s advisory
• Stories
• Healing
• Power of reading