Eureka! Institutional Repository

Hospitals, like any other institution that bases its work on valid and updated information and the production of new knowledge, have libraries. Their special characteristics and operating conditions include them in the category of special libraries. Traditional or digitized hospital libraries focus on serving medical, nursing and research staff. Many times, their services also include the service of their patients and their escorts. Such a service is bibliotherapy. Already known since ancient times, this technique has resulted in the healing of the soul of man through reading. Today, bibliotherapy is practiced in various hospitals abroad. It can be used either in combination with medical treatment, in cases of illness, or independently for the reader’s mental well-being. In Greece, bibliotherapy is not particularly well known, nor is it offered as a service in hospital libraries, according to the present research. This may be due to the general situation of libraries in hospitals and the difficulties they face. A number of changes should be made, both in the treatment that hospital libraries need and in the training of librarians, in order to integrate bibliotherapy into their services. Keywords Bibliotherapy, Hospital