The purpose of this thesis is to examine which role public libraries play or could play within Bibliotherapy. The study is based on qualitative interviews with five librarians who, in one way or another have experienced Bibliotherapy activities. Further, we have interviewed two treatment assistants and one counsellor, who have cooperated with the librarians, to get their view. We have used the following research questions: Which bibliotherapeutic activities, if any, are pursued in public libraries in Sweden, and how do they look upon Bibliotherapy? What role do public libraries play/could play within Bibliotherapy? Ever since the term Bibliotherapy was coined in the beginning of the twentieth century, the definition has been under debate. We have identified four main subjects of discussion.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine which role public libraries play or could play within Bibliotherapy. The study is based on qualitative interviews with five librarians who, in one way or another have experienced Bibliotherapy activities. Further, we have interviewed two treatment assistants and one counsellor, who have cooperated with the librarians, to get their view. We have used the following research questions: Which bibliotherapeutic activities, if any, are pursued in public libraries in Sweden, and how do they look upon Bibliotherapy? What role do public libraries play/could play within Bibliotherapy? Ever since the term Bibliotherapy was coined in the beginning of the twentieth century, the definition has been under debate. We have identified four main subjects of discussion.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the role of Bibliotherapy at hospitals and also what knowledge of and insights on Bibliotherapy a few Swedish hospital librarians have. Questions investigated are: What role do the hospital librarians think literature has in the treatment of a patient? What is their view on their role as a hospital librarian and do they believe that they can have a part in the treatment of a patient? Is the concept Bibliotherapy commonly used or is there another term in use? How important is the linkage between healing and literature? In this study, the view on Bibliotherapy is limited to a hospital perspective. The purpose of the study is therefore to investigate Bibliotherapy at the hospital. Six qualitative interviews with hospital librarians were performed at three general or combined general/medical hospital libraries.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine if and how Bibliotherapy can be part of ordinary work in Swedish libraries. Questions: what is Bibliotherapy and who can work with it? What are the conditions required? What does it mean to people taking part and to libraries? In this study Bibliotherapy is delimited to fiction and activities including discussions, excluded are self-help books and the individuals private reading. The study is based on four qualitative interviews with librarian and bibliotherapists in Kirklees, England, partaking in nine bibliotherapeutic sessions and a literary survey, together forming a case-study. Conclusions: There is not a single answer to the question what Bibliotherapy is, but if one puts stress on the biblio- part of the word, seeing reading as a normal activity it can be part of library work, whereas the therapy- part should be dealt with by professionals outside libraries.

The aim of this Master?s Thesis is to find out whether Bibliotherapy, in an unspokenform, is practiced in already existing group formations to be able to determine how practicalBibliotherapy can be seen in a Swedish context and thereby open the possibility for development.To fulfil this purpose I decided to do a case study on a nearby book reading circle for adultchildren of drug addicts. I made three qualitative interviews; two of the mentioned book readingcircle?s leaders and one participant/help leader. I used the following set of questions: What isincluded in the concept Bibliotherapy and how does that relate to practice? How has the bookreading circle examined in this case study proceeded, which methods were used and what kind ofliterature has been used and also what kind of effects did this reading circle have on itsparticipants.

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to find out how a number ofhospital librarians look at child and youth patients' reading and itspossible role in a mental and physical healing process. We alsoinvestigate the knowledge, strategies and thoughts the librarianshave on Bibliotherapy.Qualitative interviews have been used and seven librarians, at twodifferent hospital libraries with children's and youth activities, wereinterviewed during November and December 2011. The analysis isbased on one theory; we use Sten Furhammar?s model whichincludes four different categories of reading.We can see, according to the librarians? answers, that the mostcommon function of the patients? reading can be explained throughtwo of Furhammar?s categories. Our respondents believe that thepatients mostly read to relax from heavy thoughts and situationswhich can be connected to the category impersonal experiencereading.

The purpose of this two years master thesis is to examine the potential benefits of using Bibliotherapy on elderly Finnish immigrants residing in Sweden and living in geriatric care. The basis of the study is a four week long bibliotherapeutic project implemented at a nursing home for Finnish-speaking people in Stockholm County.Participants were men and women spanning in age from 70 to 90 years old. Common for all the participants was that they had lived their entire adult life in Sweden, their only language was Finnish, and they had the diagnosis of dementia. The study examines the bibliotherapeutic model of Arleen McCarty Hynes and Mary Hynes-Berry, as well as Inger Eriksson?s approach for the use of Bibliotherapy in nursing homes and hospices.The empirical analysis is based on field notes from the bibliotherapeutic sessions and from interviews with librarians and nurses involved in the project.

This is a study of the importance of culture for persons who are in their terminal stage of life. The purpose of my study is to find out if culture, particularly literature, can be a comfort for persons who are about to die. The study is based on interviews with people who are working in the palliative team at Norra Älvsborgs Länssjukhus (NÄL) in Trollhättan. It is also based on study of literature. It is literature about hospital library, culture in hospital treatment, palliative care, Bibliotherapy and ?own stories? from dying persons.

The purpose of this thesis was to examine reading groups inpublic libraries from a bibliotherapeutic perspective. Inorder to reach this purpose following questions needed to beanswered: What does the discussion in reading groups looklike? What does the reading groups fulfill for theirparticipants? What is the circle leaders? role? The study isbased on the observations of three reading groups and offive interviews of its participants. With the help of CarolineShrodes theory the study shows that there are few signs ofBibliotherapy in the reading groups. But on the other handthey show similarities with other bibliotherapeutic readinggroups, by being a social venue for its participants.

The aim of this bachelor-thesis is to study how the City Library in Norrköping, in collaboration with the outpatient centre, Gränden, has assisted people with substance abuse problems through a bibliotherapeutic reading circle known as, Människor mellan raderna (People between the lines). My theoretical framework is based upon Ruth M. Tews and Berth Danermark?s theories. Tew states that in order to create a well-functioning team consisting of various professional competences, each individual needs to possess certain character traits including the ability to contribute with their unique competence and an openness to receive and absorb the other participants? contributions.

This essay is about reading among patients in hospital. The aim of the essay is to find out what part reading and the library play for patients in hospital. An additional aim is to find out in what ways the collaboration between hospital librarians and hospital staff could be developed. The starting-point of the problem is one main question: What part does reading play for the patient during the stay at the hospital? On the basis of the answers to this question I have also looked for possibilities of enhanced co-operation between hospital libraries and hospital staff.The method for the essay is qualitative and fifteen persons in three different wards at University Hospital in Malm have been interviewed.

Sammanfattning: Nationella folkhälsokommittén menar att kultur är hälsofrämjande, och då i synnerhet för utsatta grupper. Folkhälsokommittén menar att kulturella aktiviteter så som läsning av böcker betyder mycket för den känslomässiga och den intellektuella utvecklingen. Barn som lever i dysfunktionella miljöer av olika slag behöver hjälp i sin bearbetning av svåra situationer på olika sätt. Kanske kan kultur och då främst litteratur här vara till hjälp för barnen. Syftet med studien är att studera vad barnböcker har för betydelse i socialt arbete med utsatta barn och hur olika verksamheter arbetar med barnboken som verktyg.