Abstract:
The study examines and contextualizes professional practices of school social workers, their use of bibliotherapy as a counseling technique, and the use of school libraries and school librarians as an information resource. This research is also an effort to add to the understanding of school social workers as social scientist information seekers. A survey was used to establish how this sample of school social workers, recruited through the American Council for School Social Work e-newsletter, seek information regarding bibliotherapy materials, to assess these school social workers’ view of bibliotherapy as a counseling technique, and to determine the extent of collaboration between school social workers and school librarians. Findings indicate school social workers locate information through informal and readily available channels (similar to other social scientists), hold positive perceptions of bibliotherapy as a counseling technique, and have a complex understanding of the role of the librarian and their expertise. This last finding offers a compelling reason for librarians to actively engage school social workers in information-seeking collaborations through outreach and targeted advisory practices.
A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science.
