The Demand for Developmental Bibliotherapeutic Service in University Libraries: A Study of College Students in National Taiwan University
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Hung, Shin-Jou
Abstract
This study has the following aims: (1) exploring undergraduates’ psychological needs and emotional problems, (2) exploring the kind of emotional healing books that college students usually read and the emotional healing effectiveness of these books, (3) realizing the difficulties faced by college students in the process of looking for such emotional healing books in the university library, and (4) exploring the developmental bibliotherapeutic service needs of undergraduates at National Taiwan University. An intensive interview was conducted to investigate undergraduates’ needs for bibliotherapeutic service. The research target comprised twenty undergraduates from National Taiwan University who are deeply involved in reading emotional healing books. The conclusions acquired from this study can be summarized as follows. First, the psychological needs and emotional problems faced by undergraduates are usually related to schoolwork. Second, there are three kinds of “emotional healing” books that undergraduates usually read—fiction, non-fiction, and self-help books. Fiction and self-help books can be further divided according to their themes. Moreover, undergraduates prefer the books containing pictorial representations under non-fiction emotional healing books. Third, the emotional healing effectiveness of these books differs because of two factor: the undergraduates’ perspnal factors and the material factors. Fourth, “bookshelf-browsing” is the main manner in which undergraduates find the desired emotional healing books, and “it costs us time to wait for the requested books” is their main problem while seeking these books in the university library. When undergraduates are unable to find their desired books, they tend to borrow from their friends or borrow books having similar themes. Lastly, they prefer the “Reading Bibliotherapeutic Services”, which include “the provision of the emotional healing annotated bibliography or book list,” “the setting up of the bibliotherapeutic service section,” “the setting up of a display of the emotional healing books,” and “the provision of an e-paper or other information on these books.” Furthermore, undergraduates consider promotion of the bibliotherapeutic services is important. Thus, the library should work in cooperation with other departments on campus or other social institutions, and the service provider must consider the cost and human resources required in the library. At the same time, librarians must be careful when they have to indirectly introduce undergraduates to psychology professionals. On the other hand, undergraduates believe that the librarian who serves for the purpose of bibliotherapy should be empathetic and should connect the “right book” with the “right person”; they also responded that librarians should possess good communication skills. According to the above conclusions, the following suggestions were proposed to university libraries: (1) setting up a bibliotherapeutic service section, (2) creating an annotated bibliography and book list of emotional healing books, (3) organizing an exhibition for emotional healing books, (4) establishing a bibliotherapeutic service blog or web site, (5) training the librarians for future bibliotherapeutic services, and (6) cooperating with other departments within and outside campus for providing effective bibliotherapeutic services
Subjects
bibliotherapy
bibliotherapeutic service
university library
emotional healing
Type
thesis
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