Samverkan mellan bibliotek och öppenvård: En fallstudie av biblioterapi i Norrköping

Sammanfattning: The aim of this bachelor-thesis is to study how the City Library in Norrköping, in collaboration with the outpatient centre, Gränden, has assisted people with substance abuse problems through a bibliotherapeutic reading circle known as, Människor mellan raderna (People between the lines). My theoretical framework is based upon Ruth M. Tews and Berth Danermark’s theories. Tew states that in order to create a well-functioning team consisting of various professional competences, each individual needs to possess certain character traits including the ability to contribute with their unique competence and an openness to receive and absorb the other participants’ contributions. According to Danermark, a collaborative project can be a stimulating and enriching process provided that the right conditions are created and adequate resources are made available. In order to answer the research questions, I conducted interviews with the librarian and the two therapy assistants who collaborated in hosting and facilitating ‘Människor mellan raderna’, as well as the chief librarian and the director of social services. I identified a common positive attitude towards collaboration among the informants/participants. One explanation for this may well lie in the fact that the different professional competencies found within the group complemented one another. The statements of the interviewees were found to be consistent with the theories postulated by Tew and Danermark concerning collaboratives of well-functioning teams. In conclusion, I can confidently recommend bibliotherapy as a way of improving and fortifying collaboration between different professional groups - provided that adequate resources are received, including the funding of research and development of bibliotherapeutic methods.