The Importance of Story
In the article, “The Power of Story,” the authors found that in situations of natural disaster and community crisis that the librarian was able to provide much needed informal “crisis bibliotherapy” to patrons, especially young children. Through the telling and discussion of stories, children were better able to articulate their own experiences and feelings because through story one is offered alternative understandings and the ability to look at situations from a different perspective (Allen 2012, 47). The article also mentions, “we live in a storied world. Hearing or seeing stories provides children with models of how experience can be shaped into meaningful patterns” (Allen 2012, 46). Sometimes those meaningful patterns can get jumbled in the midst of an emergency. For example, research states “some posttraumatic symptoms seem to result from problems in integrating the trauma into one’s life story as an unfortunate event belonging to the past.” Meaning, the sufferer either experiences the trauma too acutely or not at all. Either way, the polarized experience of the trauma can overwhelm the sufferer, but “through storytelling and the discussion of stories, the librarian can offer models of more useful and less pathogenic story structures” (Allen 2012, 46).
The selection of the story is imperative in this healing process. A study was done on the observations of five adult readers of William Faulkner. It was found that “each reader’s comments reflected his or her personal psychological preoccupations. This highlights how important it is to consider children’s responses in terms of their development age and immediate concerns” (Allen 2012, 47). This attention to detail, especially in regards to matching the right story with the right person or the person that needs it most, sounds like what most librarians do every day with reference and readers’ advisory services. However, the depth and thoughtfulness that goes into providing this level of service and profound understanding of the components of story cannot be overlooked. Beyond distraction and escapism, stories offer the reader a “sense that they are not alone—others have faced similar problems and survived. For others, story may offer a way of making sense of their experience, a model for future behavior, and the groundwork for problem solving” (Allen 2012, 48). Also, the mere fact that someone else is trying to figure you out can prove to be therapeutic. The personal contact and interaction with the librarian further reinforces the idea that “you are not alone.”
The selection of the story is imperative in this healing process. A study was done on the observations of five adult readers of William Faulkner. It was found that “each reader’s comments reflected his or her personal psychological preoccupations. This highlights how important it is to consider children’s responses in terms of their development age and immediate concerns” (Allen 2012, 47). This attention to detail, especially in regards to matching the right story with the right person or the person that needs it most, sounds like what most librarians do every day with reference and readers’ advisory services. However, the depth and thoughtfulness that goes into providing this level of service and profound understanding of the components of story cannot be overlooked. Beyond distraction and escapism, stories offer the reader a “sense that they are not alone—others have faced similar problems and survived. For others, story may offer a way of making sense of their experience, a model for future behavior, and the groundwork for problem solving” (Allen 2012, 48). Also, the mere fact that someone else is trying to figure you out can prove to be therapeutic. The personal contact and interaction with the librarian further reinforces the idea that “you are not alone.”