Whether we recognize it or not, librarians often become “accidental bibliotherapists” when providing book recommendations and readers’ advisory or running book discussions, either in person or online. You are invited to explore avenues turning a library collection into an infinite supply of resources to inspire users and harness the power of reading and reflecting.

Based on the recently published The Librarian’s Guide to Bibliotherapy co-authored by librarian Judit H. Ward and English literature professor Nicholas Allred, this presentation will help librarians understand bibliotherapy––the practice of guided reading for therapeutic purposes––and how they can facilitate it in their libraries. Although not licensed mental health professionals, librarians can—and do, even without knowing it—support mental health and personal growth by connecting patrons to books that heal.

Judit H. Ward, Science Reference/Instruction Librarian & Liaison To Center Of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers University Libraries, is a research librarian with demonstrated interest in multidisciplinary and cross-cultural topics throughout her entire career. Her current scholarly activities cover broad but related fields with the main focus of facilitating research, publication, and education in addiction science. Her practice and research are directed to key areas of information science, providing a crucial part of the research infrastructure and assisting researchers with interpreting trends and identifying evolving needs. She has been instrumental in discovering and recommending resources and tools emerging in technology and scholarly communication, such as the latest opportunities scholarly social media provides. Currently Judit focuses on on promoting reading in various settings.

Judit H. Ward earned her doctoral degree in linguistics at the University of Debrecen, Hungary, after completing her master level studies in English and Hungarian literature and linguistics. She received her MLIS at Rutgers. She is senior member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals.

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