• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.105-123
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• 2016

This study analyzes the spectrum of recommended books for adults included in the bibliotherapy book lists commonly used in libraries and organizations in the UK, US, and Korea. While the recommended book lists in the UK and US retain a diverse range of books relevant to the practitioners' needs, the Korean bibliotherapy book lists are mostly made up of non-fiction self-help books regardless of where the bibliotherapy service is provided. In the subcategory of the bibliotherapy book lists in the UK and US, aside from fictions, books on "health, fitness, dieting" including medical books rank higher than any other kind, which shows that bibliotherapy claims to have therapeutic effects in those organizations. In Korean bibliotherapy book lists, on the other hand, so-called "psychology books impregnated with self-help ideology" take up more than 60%. With the prospect of bibliotherapy as an interdisciplinary practice in mind, I suggest that bibliotherapy should draw upon the insights from humanities in order to help participants have time for deep introspection and attain inner maturity rather than just try to restore their normal conditions before the crisis.