Reading Well in Worcestershire Libraries
Reading Well is a dedicated collection of books that provides information and support for managing mental health and wellbeing for children, young people and adults.
Books within the Reading Well collections are recommended and endorsed by health experts, as well as by people living with the conditions, and the relatives and carers supporting them.
Health professionals may recommend titles from the Reading Well collections to support wider treatment.
Reading Well books are available to borrow from all Worcestershire libraries. Customers can browse the full collection using the online library catalogue Reading Well in Worcestershire (opens in a new window)
Customers can browse and download Reading Well titles available in eBook and eAudio from the Borrowbox digital library (opens in a new window)
Libraries support health and wellbeing by providing opportunities for people to read, talk and share.
Reading Well is delivered by The Reading Agency in partnership with Libraries Connected as part of the Universal Health Offer. It is available in all public library authorities in England. For more information visit the Reading Well website (opens in a new window)
Reading Well for mental health
Reading Well for mental health provides helpful information and support for managing common mental health conditions, or dealing with difficult feelings and experiences. Some books also include personal stories from people who are living with or caring for someone with mental health needs.
Reading Well for young people (Shelf Help)
Reading Well for young people recommends expert endorsed books about mental health, providing 12 to 18 year olds with advice and information about issues like anxiety, stress and OCD, and difficult experiences like bullying and exams.
Reading Well for children
Reading Well for children provides quality-assured information, stories and advice to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. It covers general information and advice about understanding and managing feelings, school and online pressures, bereavement, parental mental health needs, and living well with specific diagnosed conditions and physical disabilities.
The booklist is targeted at children in Key Stage 2 (aged 7 to 11), but includes titles aimed at a wide range of reading levels to support less confident readers, and to encourage children to read together with their siblings and carers.
Reading Well for long term conditions
Reading Well for long term conditions provides information and support for people living with a long term health condition and their carers. The booklist covers general advice and information about living with a long term condition, common symptoms and titles focused on specific conditions such as arthritis, bowel conditions, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Reading Well for dementia
Reading Well for dementia provides information and advice for people living with dementia, support for living well, advice for relatives and carers, as well as fiction, memoir and photographic books used in reminiscence therapy.
Reading for Health - Carers Collection
The Reading for Health ‘Carers Collection’ is exclusive to Worcestershire libraries. It is a dedicated collection of titles that provide advice and self-help support for carers.