Ms. Liz Brewster
MA Librarianship (distinction), University of Sheffield (2007); MA Eighteenth-century Studies, University of York (2005); BA (Hons.) History, University of Sheffield (2004)
Contact Details
Email address: l.brewster@sheffield.ac.uk
Room location: Michael Lynch research laboratory, Information School, Regent Court
Research interests
Liz's research focuses on bibliotherapy (using fiction or self-help books to help people with mental health problems) in the public library. She is also interested in social inclusion and diversity within the library sector, health sector and library partnerships, and health information seeking behaviour.
Liz's PhD thesis has three aspects:
(i) an Actor-Network Theory analysis of the three current models of bibliotherapy in the UK
(ii) a qualitative analysis of the experience of using bibliotherapy schemes in the public library
(iii) a qualitative exploration of the experience of therapeutic reading for mental health and well-being.
Background
Liz completed her MA in librarianship, awarded with distinction, in September 2007. Her MA dissertation on bibliotherapy won the SINTO Bob Usherwood prize for 'research making a significant contribution to improving professional practice.´ She has previously worked as a social inclusion librarian in Nottingham, and in the John Rylands University Library, University of Manchester and J.B. Morrell Library, University of York.
Liz's PhD candidature is fully funded by a University of Sheffield studentship. Liz has been the recipient of a CILIP John Campbell Trust conference bursary (2009), a CILIP Health Libraries Group Career Development Group bursary (2009) and an EAHIL scholarship (2010). She is currently a postgraduate research student representative for the Information School Research Staff-Student Committee and Library Committee.
Publications
- Brewster, L., Sen, B., and Cox, A. (forthcoming). 'Legitimising bibliotherapy: evidence-based discourses in healthcare.' Journal of Documentation
- Brewster, L and Sen, B (2011) ‘Quality signposting’: the role of online information prescription in providing patient information. Health Information and Libraries Journal. 28(1), 59-67.
- Brewster, L (2009) 'Books on Prescription: bibliotherapy in the UK.' Journal of Hospital Librarianship. 9(4)399-407.
- Brewster, L and Chapman, L (2009) 'LIS education: what´s changed since the 1960s?' Library and Information Update. (April 2009), 44-46.
- Brewster, L (2008) 'Medicine for the Soul.' Public Library Journal. 23(2).
- Brewster, L (2008) 'The Reading Remedy.'Public Library Journal. 23(3).
- Brewster, L. 'The Accidental Bibliotherapist.' Public Library Journal. 23(4).
- Also published in:
Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services. 21(3); 21(4); 22(1)
Conferences and workshops
There were the libraries, there were the GPs and there were the books…" Health and public library partnerships in bibliotherapy schemes. CILIP Health Libraries Group Conference, Salford, July 2010
Joint winner of 'best poster' award for "Read this, it´s good for you…" Research2 PhD Forum on Research Methods in Information Science, Loughborough University, July 2010.
"Read this, it´s good for you" Using qualitative methodologies to explore service user needs and strategic aims. Plenary session, 12th European Conference of Medical and Health Libraries, Estoril, Portugal, June 2010
Winner of `best poster´award for:
An Evaluation of Information Prescriptions (with Barbara Sen) 14th International Symposium for Health Information Management Research, Kalmar, Sweden, October 2009
Bibliotherapy: Implementation and Analysis (with Barbara Sen) 11th European Conference of Medical and Health Libraries, Dublin, June 2009
The treatment and the cure
Well Into Words conference, Huddersfield, May 2009
Medicine for the Soul
SINTO: the Information Partnership for South Yorkshire and north Derbyshire Annual General Meeting, June 2008