Accommodating Children’s Social Wellbeing through Library Therapeutic Landscape

Abstract:

Reading has been essential for personal growth, whereby an information-equipped individual will greatly contribute to his nation’s well-being.  Realizing this fact, bibliotherapy and therapeutic landscapes elements has started being emphasized in public and school libraries, while rehabilitation centers work hand-in-hand with libraries and counselors to ensure that it is being implemented in order for its benefits to be shared with many. This paper aims to study the library therapeutic elements being applied in Malaysian public libraries and how it stimulates and foster children’s well-being in a conceptual research framework. In this study, data collection is carried out in a mixed-method approach within two separate phases. The initial phase of the study qualitatively approached the study via interviews while the latter stage of the research involved questionnaire distribution as a quantitative method in data collection. For the qualitative approach, a series of interviews is conducted in a semi structural method within a focus group. This is later represented in a conceptual research framework as to capture the essence of library therapeutic concepts in stimulating children’s well-being.