INTERVIEW
Towards a Library of Grief
Grief is something that almost everyone will experience at some moment in their lives. Retired Librarian Antony Porter asks whether a Grief Studies Library could provide a valuable resource and shares his ideas of how it might work.
ANTONY Porter has worked as a librarian in a number of settings where end-of-life care has been at the fore. Working in hospice libraries, which he describes as “medical or nursing libraries with religious or spiritual dimen- sions”, gave Antony an insight into the benefit access to information about grief could have. He says: “Following my work in hospice libraries I became interested in the management of their associ- ated literature, which is not confined to palliative care but also to fiction such as picture books for bereaved children.
“Although in no way a counsellor, I had become familiar with the issues involved through studying not only information management but also health and social welfare plus courses in cancer and AIDS. It soon appeared there was scope for a central resource centre concerned with the broad topics of dying, death and bereavement.”
The notion that there could be a resource to help those going through loss led Antony to consider how a library of might work – after all, grief is an almost universal experience.
“Most of us will have experienced grief at some time in our lives,” says Antony. “This may relate to a family member, a friend, a workmate or even a pet. Occasion- ally the grief is associated with an inanimate object like a broken ornament or with a simple memory such as a childhood holiday.”
He goes on to point out that death can be seen as fall- ing into set categories, but reminds us that each of these would likely have different responses, saying: “I had identified three scenarios, namely predictable deaths (e.g. terminal illnesses), intentional deaths (e.g. abor- tion and euthanasia) and sudden deaths (e.g. road and other accidents). Some of these overlap, as any pet-lover will know. Complicating matters even more are cultural and ethnic differences and other belief systems.” And while we may all experience grief, individuals do not experience it in the same way. Family and friends may offer support, but some seek out professional help and Antony says a grief library would provide a source
December 2023
Rob Green (
rob.green@
cilip.org.uk) is Editor of Information Professional
of information that could assist these professionals. “A Grief Library could become a focal point for coun- sellors and other workers within the fields of bereave- ment and spirituality,” says Antony. “Currently, there are many unrelated, unlinked information services around the country, including those for people affected by disease, disability, limb surgery, tragic pregnancies, transport crashes and so on. “Grieving can lead to strong emotions and feelings and one could include all those organisations dealing with mental problems. Next come the issues surround- ing animal welfare and pet loss. Further confusion occurs when such groups change their names or get discontinued. I’m remembering here LABS, NABS, SPOD and others!
“In recent years there have been huge developments in new materials concerned with dying, death and bereavement, including professional journals, children’s books, fictional works, multi-faith materials, DVDs, memory boxes, shrines or at least pictures of them, photographs, paintings and the many kinds of artwork. “A challenge for librarians is how to classify and cate- gorise these various kinds of loss, especially when facing the problems caused by definitions and redefinitions, cultural and generational differences and changing atti- tudes such as the bringing out into the open previously taboo topics such as ‘how do we grieve over this?’.” IP
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