Abstract:

In the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, people started talking more and more about alternative forms of dealing with stress, loneliness, etc. According to the results of a number of world studies, reading is indicated as an opportunity to go through this atypical situation. Many people have used reading to avoid feeling lonely, isolated and scared.

The interest in the therapeutic potential of reading has been explored for millennia, and more and more people have intuitively been using fiction to go through different moments in life more easily. Some seek support, others a stimulus, but all are aware of the power of words and the ability to help in difficult times.

The therapeutic potential of reading and its impact on individuals has been studied for decades at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT). The pandemic provoked new discussions and gave rise to the need for a larger study of attitudes, the possibility of using reading as a means of coping in atypical situations.
The report presents the results of a survey conducted among students doing Library Studies and is part of a project funded by the National Science Fund of the Ministry of Education and Science. The survey was conducted in the period between 2nd and 30th July in an online environment and it involved 58.91% of students studying these specialties in the bachelor's degree programs.

The report presents conclusions about the following: the knowledge level of the possibilities of bibliotherapy; the need to study more alternative forms of working with readers; their awareness of the development and use of bibliotherapy in Bulgaria; the attitude of students to the application of bibliotherapy in the library environment in Bulgaria, etc. The obtained results highlight a major trend related to the need to obtain more information about alternative practices for working in a library environment. The interest that students show in new forms of work is determined by the ever-changing needs of modern society.

Keywords:

Library and Information Studies, Bulgaria, bibliotherapy, students, survey.