lecture presented by Zarah C. Gagatiga at PAARL Academy’s 2-day Modular Training Program on Bibliotherapy Services through Book Prescription Shops in Libraries & Information Centers, held on 19-20 May 2011, at the Librarians’Center of the National Bookstore Superbranch, Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines

1. PAARL Academy: Modular Training
on Bibliotherapy
Librarians and Information Professionals as
Bibliotherapists
Acquisition and Technical Preparations
Librarians Center, National Bookstore
20 May 2011 9:00 AM – 3PM
Zarah C. Gagatiga
http://lovealibrarian.blogspot.com

2. Librarians as Bibliotherapists
Ang buhay ng librarian ay What’s your color!
masayang tunay! – Group dynamics
Masayang tunay! Group name
Masayang tunay! Group cheer/chant
Ang buhay ng librarian ay Role assignments –
masayang tunay! facilitator, scribe,
reporter, time keeper,
Masayang tunay! DA

3. Librarians as Bibliotherapists
 Group work
– Answer the following questions
 Why am I here
 What did I bring with me?
 What did I leave behind?
 What have I learned so far?
 What will I bring home or take back to my library?
 Buzz group
 Bigger buzz group (one group, one question to answer)

4. Librarians as Bibliotherapist
 Bibliotherapy is a treatment used by
information professionals to make
therapeutic use of selected reading materials
for clients and patrons (Weaver, 1999)
 Bibliotherapy is the provision of health
information and support through books
(Brewster, 2008)
 Bibliotherapy has two kinds: Clinical and
Developmental

5. Librarians as Bibliotherapists
 The role of the librarian is an
intermediary…seeking to resolve patron’s
informational needs and wants (Ettinger,
2008 Library Journal).
 …a dedicated librarian can act as a
bibliotherapist and suggest some good books
for people suffering from depression, blood
pressure or cardiac problems
(Vyasamoorthy, 2009).

6. Librarians as Bibliotherapists
 Librarians shall render impartial service to all
library users, regardless of their race, beliefs,
age, gender, or social status.
 Code of Ethics for Registered Librarians, Philippine
Librarianship Act of 2003
– The literacy influences of Gaiman (movie) and Gourlay
(blog)

7. Librarians as Bibliotherapists
 Candy Gourlay’s blog  Neil Gaiman’s speech
post – What does a in accepting the
librarian make? Carnegie Award 2011
  Libraries are the Future
http://candygourlay.blog
spot.com/2010/11/i-  http://www.carnegiegre
was-librarians-pet-and- enaway.org.uk/2010aw
other.html ards/media_ceremony.
php?file=1

8. Bibliotherapy & Book Prescription
Shop Models
 Book Break – The Royal – Mental health professionals
Borough of Kensington & issue a prescription of
Chelsea books
– Patient goes to the library
 Book Prescription Shop in
Essex – Arts Council, UK – Librarian provides the
books
2006
 Patients profile – anxiety
– Mental health professionals
disorder and mild
select titles
depression
– Librarian acquires titles and
 Partnership between the
make them accessible
National Health Service and
the public library.

9. Bibliotherapy & Book Prescription
Shop Models
 Kirklees Council – Well - SOCIAL – generic and
Into Words covers a wider range of
– MEDICAL – counselor or reading materials for
therapist play major role different kinds of
in the implementation of users/clients
a bibliotherapy session
- - bibliotherapy sessions
– Motivation – Reading may take place in
and Engagement – libraries and community
Discussion – Follow up - centers
Feedback

10. Librarians as Bibliotherapists
 Requirements  Areas of Concentration
 Personal stability  Collaborative not
 Genuine interest to help competitive
others
 Careful planning
 Ability to empathize
without being  Deliberate provision
judgmental, moralizing, and access of books
didactic and information
 Salup and Salup, 1978
 Literary merit of the
literature
 Salup and Salup, 1978

11. Acquisitions and Technical
Preparations
 Personal Timeline
Grade school years High school years College to adulthood
Highlights
Lowlights
Can you see patterns and cycles?
What are these patterns and cycles?
How often did these pattern and cycle appear?
What does the highlights and lowlights of your life tell you?

12. Pied Beauty by Gerard Manley
Hopkins, SJ
Glory be to God for And all trades, their gear
dappled things – and tackle trim
All things counter, original,
For skies of couple-colour spare, strange;
as a brinded cow Whatever is fickle,
For rose-moles all in freckled (who knows?)
stipple upon the trout With swift, slow, sweet,
that swim sour, a dazzle dim;
Fresh firecoal chestnut He father-forth whose
falls; finches wings; beauty is past change;
Landscape plotted and
pieced – fold, fallow Praise him.
and plough:

13. Batik-batik na Kariktan ni Paring Bert
Alejo SJ
Luwalhati sa Diyos sa Tanawing bukid na
mga batik-batik na pinatag at pinitak-
bagay – sa langit na pastulan, taniman, at
kambal kulay tulad ng parang;
bakang may balat; Ang tanang kalakal,
Sa bulaklaking kaliskis ng gulong nila’t mga
lapu-lapung lumalangoy kagamitan;
sa dagat Tanang bagay na iba,
Bagong-baga ng bukod, bihira’t di kilala;
kalalaglag na bunga;
pakpak ng langay-
langay

14. Batik-batik na Kariktan ni Paring Bert
Alejo SJ
Anumang pabagu-bago,  Ano ang iyong nakita?
pinaghalu-halo (sino’ng  Ano ang iyong narinig?
makatatanto?)  Ano ang iyong
Ng mabilis, mabagal; naramdaman?
matamis, mapait,  Ano sa buhay mo ang
maningning, madilim; batik-batik?
Bumubukal sa ama na  Ano ang iyong
ganda’y di mag-iiba: pakiramdam at kaisipan
Siya’s purihin. sa mga batik-batik ng
buhay mo?

15. Fireworks!
 Matapos sagutin ang  Sa iyong mga batik-
mga tanong, ibahagi sa batik na kariktan, alin
katabi ang mga sagot. dito ang, sa iyong
 Buzz Group palagay, magagamit
 Pakingan ang awit ni mo upang makatulong
Katy Perry na sa iba – pamilya,
Fireworks at namnamin kaibigan, komunidad?
ang bawat salita
 Take your time.

16. Acquisition and Technical
Preparations
 Know your READER  Know the library’s
– Readers’ profile COLLECTION
– User needs analysis – Review your acquisition
– Reading survey policy
– Focused Group Discussion – Align collection
development program to
– Circulation Statistics assessed needs of readers
– Understand current and
 Course Offering and available literature
Curriculum Outline – Know the basic literary
 Developmental Stages of types and genre
Reading (Chall, 1983) – Seek partnerships, linkages
and networks

17. Acquisition and Technical
Preparations
 Group Activity # 1
– Read the book assigned to your group
– Analyze the book following the book’s story
elements (theme; characters, problem-solution).
– Provide a short review of the book.
– Think of a client or a group of clients to whom you
can recommend the book.
– Give your reasons why they would “want” to read
the book.

18. Acquisition and Technical
Preparationsdo
 Group Activity # 2
– Look at the circulation statistics of your library
– What do the numbers tell you? Pay attention to
the peaks and valleys of the collection your library
has circulated.
– Make conclusions from these movements. What
is the cause of these movements?
– How can you test your hypothesis (course of
action)?

19. Acquisition and Technical
Preparations
 Group Activity #3
– Sample Annotated Bibliography
– http://lovealibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/03/annotated-
bibliography-of-filipiniana.html
– http://lovealibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/03/anotated-
bibliography-work-in-progress.html
– Choose five to ten books in the bookstore.
– Make an annotated bibliography of the books you chose on
a clean sheet of paper.
– As a group, post all of your annotated bibliographies on a
Manila Paper
– Get ready for a “gallery walk”.

20. Let’s process! Let’s talk!
Explain which of the three activities is most
appealing, if not, useful to you.
Go back to the question “What will you bring
home or take back to your library?”
Open Forum / Response / Comments