⋆ ⋆
]]
AIS3703: Serving the User in Li-
brary and Information Practice
Combined Exam Revision — May/June 2024 & May/June 2025
⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆
• Library & Information Science •
Exam Revision Guide
AIS3703
Module Code:
Serving the User in Library and Information Practice
Module Name:
May/June 2024 & May/June 2025
Papers Covered:
Information Science, UNISA
Department:
100 marks per paper
Total Marks:
Use this guide to revise thoroughly. Focus on understanding, not memorisation. Ev-
ery question is answered in full.
⋆ Exam Revision Notes | AIS3703 | 2024 & 2025
,AIS3703 | Exam Revision Serving the User in Library & Info Practice
PART ONE: MAY/JUNE 2024 EXAMINATION
AIS3703 — 100 Marks — Duration: 2 Hours
Examination Instructions (2024):
• Answer ONE question from Section A (40 marks) and THREE questions from
Section B (60 marks total — 20 marks each).
• Number your answers correctly.
• Support answers with authoritative sources and provide in-text references plus a
reference list.
• Do not copy verbatim from any source without acknowledgement.
SECTION A (40 MARKS) — Answer ONE question
Page 2 of 38 ⋆
,AIS3703 | Exam Revision Serving the User in Library & Info Practice
Question 1 [40 marks]
1.1 [5 marks]
Question: Explain the term bibliotherapy to the stakeholders of an orphanage using
relevant sources. (5)
Answer: Definition of Bibliotherapy:
Bibliotherapy is a therapeutic practice that uses books, stories, and other reading ma-
terials as tools to help individuals understand, process, and resolve personal, emotional,
social, or psychological challenges. The term derives from the Greek words biblion (book)
and therapeia (healing).
Key features of bibliotherapy include:
• It uses fiction, poetry, self-help books, and narratives to help readers identify
with characters experiencing similar challenges.
• It facilitates identification, catharsis, and insight — readers recognise their own
situation, release suppressed emotions, and gain new perspectives.
• It is practised in libraries, schools, hospitals, and correctional facilities.
• In the context of an orphanage, bibliotherapy helps children process grief, loss, iden-
tity issues, and foster resilience through literature.
[+] Example
A librarian working with orphaned children might use a picture book about a
child who loses a parent. As the child reads or listens, they identify with the char-
acter (identification), experience emotional release (catharsis), and arrive at a
healthier understanding of their situation (insight).
1.2 [20 marks]
Question: List the steps used in bibliotherapy and discuss them using examples
relevant to children in an orphanage. (20)
Answer: Steps in the Bibliotherapy Process:
1. Identification / Selection of Appropriate Material
Page 3 of 38 ⋆
, AIS3703 | Exam Revision Serving the User in Library & Info Practice
The information professional carefully selects reading material suited to the emo-
tional age, reading level, and presenting issues of the participants. For orphaned
children, age-appropriate books about loss, belonging, or family are chosen.
Example: Choosing a storybook where the main character finds a new loving home,
mirroring the child’s own hope for adoption.
2. Identification (Reader–Character Connection)
The child begins reading and identifies with a character who faces similar circum-
stances. This connection is the foundation of therapeutic change. It reduces feelings
of isolation by showing the child they are not alone.
Example: A child who feels unwanted finds a character who also struggles with
belonging but ultimately finds acceptance.
3. Catharsis (Emotional Release)
Through identification with the character’s emotional journey, the child experiences
a release of suppressed emotions such as grief, anger, or sadness. This emotional
purging is healthy and necessary.
Example: A child cries while reading about a character who loses a parent, releasing
emotions the child may have held back.
4. Insight (Gaining New Understanding)
After catharsis, the child gains insight into their own situation. They begin to see
new ways of coping or new perspectives on their circumstances.
Example: The child realises that grief is normal, that it is possible to heal, and that
loving relationships can be rebuilt.
5. Discussion and Reflection
The librarian or facilitator leads a guided discussion about the story and its themes,
drawing the child out to speak about their own experiences in a safe environment.
Example: After reading, the facilitator asks: “How do you think the character felt
when they found a new family? Has anything like that ever happened to you?”
6. Universalisation
Children come to understand that others share their experiences and that their
feelings are universally human. This reduces shame and stigma.
Example: The librarian explains that many children have gone through loss, and
that the feelings the character – and the child – experienced are normal and valid.
7. Evaluation / Follow-up
The facilitator monitors the child’s emotional progress over subsequent sessions and
adjusts the reading material as needed.
Example: After noticing improvement in a child’s mood and willingness to talk, the
Page 4 of 38 ⋆
]]
AIS3703: Serving the User in Li-
brary and Information Practice
Combined Exam Revision — May/June 2024 & May/June 2025
⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆
• Library & Information Science •
Exam Revision Guide
AIS3703
Module Code:
Serving the User in Library and Information Practice
Module Name:
May/June 2024 & May/June 2025
Papers Covered:
Information Science, UNISA
Department:
100 marks per paper
Total Marks:
Use this guide to revise thoroughly. Focus on understanding, not memorisation. Ev-
ery question is answered in full.
⋆ Exam Revision Notes | AIS3703 | 2024 & 2025
,AIS3703 | Exam Revision Serving the User in Library & Info Practice
PART ONE: MAY/JUNE 2024 EXAMINATION
AIS3703 — 100 Marks — Duration: 2 Hours
Examination Instructions (2024):
• Answer ONE question from Section A (40 marks) and THREE questions from
Section B (60 marks total — 20 marks each).
• Number your answers correctly.
• Support answers with authoritative sources and provide in-text references plus a
reference list.
• Do not copy verbatim from any source without acknowledgement.
SECTION A (40 MARKS) — Answer ONE question
Page 2 of 38 ⋆
,AIS3703 | Exam Revision Serving the User in Library & Info Practice
Question 1 [40 marks]
1.1 [5 marks]
Question: Explain the term bibliotherapy to the stakeholders of an orphanage using
relevant sources. (5)
Answer: Definition of Bibliotherapy:
Bibliotherapy is a therapeutic practice that uses books, stories, and other reading ma-
terials as tools to help individuals understand, process, and resolve personal, emotional,
social, or psychological challenges. The term derives from the Greek words biblion (book)
and therapeia (healing).
Key features of bibliotherapy include:
• It uses fiction, poetry, self-help books, and narratives to help readers identify
with characters experiencing similar challenges.
• It facilitates identification, catharsis, and insight — readers recognise their own
situation, release suppressed emotions, and gain new perspectives.
• It is practised in libraries, schools, hospitals, and correctional facilities.
• In the context of an orphanage, bibliotherapy helps children process grief, loss, iden-
tity issues, and foster resilience through literature.
[+] Example
A librarian working with orphaned children might use a picture book about a
child who loses a parent. As the child reads or listens, they identify with the char-
acter (identification), experience emotional release (catharsis), and arrive at a
healthier understanding of their situation (insight).
1.2 [20 marks]
Question: List the steps used in bibliotherapy and discuss them using examples
relevant to children in an orphanage. (20)
Answer: Steps in the Bibliotherapy Process:
1. Identification / Selection of Appropriate Material
Page 3 of 38 ⋆
, AIS3703 | Exam Revision Serving the User in Library & Info Practice
The information professional carefully selects reading material suited to the emo-
tional age, reading level, and presenting issues of the participants. For orphaned
children, age-appropriate books about loss, belonging, or family are chosen.
Example: Choosing a storybook where the main character finds a new loving home,
mirroring the child’s own hope for adoption.
2. Identification (Reader–Character Connection)
The child begins reading and identifies with a character who faces similar circum-
stances. This connection is the foundation of therapeutic change. It reduces feelings
of isolation by showing the child they are not alone.
Example: A child who feels unwanted finds a character who also struggles with
belonging but ultimately finds acceptance.
3. Catharsis (Emotional Release)
Through identification with the character’s emotional journey, the child experiences
a release of suppressed emotions such as grief, anger, or sadness. This emotional
purging is healthy and necessary.
Example: A child cries while reading about a character who loses a parent, releasing
emotions the child may have held back.
4. Insight (Gaining New Understanding)
After catharsis, the child gains insight into their own situation. They begin to see
new ways of coping or new perspectives on their circumstances.
Example: The child realises that grief is normal, that it is possible to heal, and that
loving relationships can be rebuilt.
5. Discussion and Reflection
The librarian or facilitator leads a guided discussion about the story and its themes,
drawing the child out to speak about their own experiences in a safe environment.
Example: After reading, the facilitator asks: “How do you think the character felt
when they found a new family? Has anything like that ever happened to you?”
6. Universalisation
Children come to understand that others share their experiences and that their
feelings are universally human. This reduces shame and stigma.
Example: The librarian explains that many children have gone through loss, and
that the feelings the character – and the child – experienced are normal and valid.
7. Evaluation / Follow-up
The facilitator monitors the child’s emotional progress over subsequent sessions and
adjusts the reading material as needed.
Example: After noticing improvement in a child’s mood and willingness to talk, the
Page 4 of 38 ⋆
