In the past, the library played an educational institution, providing information and knowledge needed in life. For the trend of emotional healing in contemporary society, libraries can't stay out of it. In reading therapy, the library plays a bridge between reading materials and readers. In addition to providing value-added knowledge services, it also provides leisure and entertainment to help readers ease their emotional and psychological pressures and enrich their lives. Professional librarians provide readers with various and appropriate materials in a planned way to help readers alleviate their personal emotional problems or meet their development needs.
Material selection mode
1. Book review bibliography of newspapers and periodicals: China Reading Newspaper, Golden Book Award of National Library, China Times Good Book Award, etc.
2. Major book websites
Value of materials
Reading materials are media tools and catalysts for reading therapy, as well as psychotropic prescriptions and vitamins, which have been paid more and more attention since the beginning of18th century. During the 1930 s, some scholars even advocated taking the library as a part of the treatment prescription, thinking that the effectiveness of various reading materials was better than that of general prescription drugs. Then in modern society, the material civilization and spiritual civilization of human life conflict, and the number of patients with mental disorders increases, so people need "specific drugs to relieve boredom." Contemporary medicine also attaches importance to mental health care and treatment, and reading materials can help readers to be their own psychologists. The value of reading materials lies in whether it can stimulate readers to produce therapeutic response.
Interaction between readers and materials
Reading materials as a medium, readers do not directly face up to their own problems when reading, but respond to reading materials. Readers can easily identify with the roles similar to individuals in reading materials, and interact with the author through reading materials, so that the author can feel, perceive, remember, think and feel. When reading, the reader can interact with the content of the material, and then talk to the author, so that the world of others other than the individual can be lifted from the author's point of view. When readers feel the stimulation brought by words and the emotions displayed by literature, it is the material that produces purification. This is what Cicero said, "the emotional state of literature is the emotional purification of readers." "A series of self-realization processes are formed through reading materials, and understanding (epiphany) is achieved through identification and purification (catharsis). Reading materials can change readers' cognition, attitudes and emotions, and depressed emotions can be projected into reading materials to realize release. However, sensitive issues are expressed in literary form, which is less likely to cause anxiety or negative reactions in the real world. The role-based problem-solving methods in the reference materials also provide readers with suitable solutions to help readers solve problems effectively and develop themselves. However, readers may project, misunderstand and avoid problems in this process.
Material selection
Reading therapy uses "selected" materials as supplementary medicine and psychotherapy. The choice of reading materials is a very important determinant in reading therapy service. After understanding the contents of reading materials, trained professional librarians make bibliographies according to the individual needs of individual readers, and use their works to improve readers' self-awareness or solve personal problems. Rubin pointed out that before19th century, religious books were the main types of books and information resources used in reading therapy. At the beginning of the 20th century, books of knowledge and instruction were often used as materials, and then they were extended to imaginative materials such as poems, short stories, novels, plays, movies and music. Limitations: improper reading materials are likely to have a negative impact on readers, such as not being suitable for listening to sad songs when you are sad. Every reader has a different background and may not be able to relate his experience to the context of the material content. If inappropriate books and information resources are provided, not only can it not affect readers to change their behaviors and attitudes, but it may even have a negative impact on readers. For example, some readers believe that the emotional problems of the protagonist are all there, so it is easy to rationalize personal problems, which will strengthen their defensive psychology and lead readers to be unwilling to face real problems. Therefore, how to choose suitable books and information resources is actually an important topic in reading therapy.
selection principle
(A) the reader's personal background
Attention should be paid to the individual differences of readers, such as personal physical and mental development and thinking ability at different stages, the correlation between materials and readers' personal problems, readers' personal life experiences and interests, etc. Attention should also be paid to readers' emotional reactions to sensitive issues.
(2) Content characteristics of materials
It is advisable to choose those materials that are positive, warm and inspiring, can relieve readers' emotional pressure and solve their psychological troubles, and use more novel and correct information, as well as stories, interesting and instructive materials. In addition, in the process of implementation, we should also pay attention to the cohesion of materials to arouse readers' interest and sense of identity. At the same time, because the value of book information resources lies in whether it can stimulate readers to react with emotional healing effect, and in literary works, some sensitive problems are expressed in the form of literature, which can make readers cry out for characters similar to their personal experiences in the materials, and it is less likely to cause readers anxiety or negative emotional effects in real life, so many scholars agree that literary works can be used as materials for reading therapy.
(3) Selection method
Librarian selection, readers' independent choice and readers' creative writing.
Material type
In the digital age, information carriers are rich and diverse, and the materials are not limited to narrow paper books, but also include printed and non-printed materials.
(1) print media: books, newspapers, magazines and other reading media composed of written paper. Among them, books can be divided into educational books (such as the Bible) and imaginative books (such as novels).
(2) Non-print media: audio tapes, video tapes, CDs and other video resources. Use images and sounds to carry information content. Because non-printed materials have the characteristics of sound and image, they are more attractive to readers and more easily accepted, so they are often used in bibliotherapy.
However, most libraries still use printed materials, and books are mostly used for related research and cases of reading therapy at home and abroad.