Introduction. This empirical study investigates the attitudes of Swedish public librarians who work in the children’s and/or young adult departments, towards children’s literary classics. This is achieved by examining work with the Classics shelf, a genre classification located in the children’s or young adult section. Method. The empirical material consists of transcripts from interviews with seven children’s and young adult public librarians in four Swedish municipalities, the Classics shelves and the libraries’ policy documents. Analysis. The Classics shelves’ genre definition, target group and location were investigated and compared to the libraries’ policy documents. Interview transcripts were examined in regard to the explicit contents of the participants’ statements and divided in themes by perceptions of value, function and use of the literature in a library context. Magnus Persson’s concept of myths describing naturalised perceptions of literature was used to interpret attitudes. A concluding analysis was conducted using the discourse theories of Michel Foucault, Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. Results. The analysis indicated both shared and conflicting attitudes to children’s and young adult literary classics, with perceptions predominantly taken for granted. Three coexisting discourses were identified: the Reading experience discourse, the Durability discourse and the Fresh discourse. These are mainly tied to different tasks and influenced by the librarians’ preconceived notions, workplace management and external influences such as media debates, with the user perspective as a prerequisite. Conclusion. The results show that the librarian accommodates contradictory and ambivalent views of children’s and young adult literary classics in the library. Literature is mediated indirectly and directly, and expresses the librarian’s personal experience rather than a professional identity. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Uppsatsen syftar till att synliggöra folkbiblioteksutvecklingen i Luleå, samt att lyfta fram fler kvinnor som bidragit till folkbiblioteksutvecklingen i Sverige. Studien undersöker vilka faktorer som påverkat progressionen av Luleå kommuns folkbibliotek, samtidigt som dessa sätts i relation till Sveriges biblioteksutveckling. Trots att Valfrid Palmgren beundrade och framhävde Luleås folkbibliotek i sin skrift år 1911, är Norrbottens bibliotekshistoria tämligen dold för omvärlden. Luleås bibliotek var bland de första biblioteken i Sverige som utsågs till centralbibliotek, där bibliotekarien Olga Bardh anställdes som chef. Olga Bardh var en välutbildad kvinna med stora visioner om att skapa ett modernt och framstående bibliotek i Luleå och Norrbotten. Denna studie ämnar undersöka vilken betydelse hennes arbete hade för biblioteksutvecklingen, och på vilket sätt detta i så fall yttrade sig. Uppsatsens teoretiska utgångspunkter utgår från Christina Florins (1987) teorier om den svenska folkskolans feminiserings- och professionaliseringsprocess i början på 1900-talet, Yvonne Hirdmans (2004) teorier om genussystemet, samt Hanna Westberg-Wohlgemuths (1996) teorier om könsmärkning. Med hjälp av kritisk diskursanalys har det empiriska materialet analyserats i hopp om att verka för social förändring, där undertryckta samhällsgrupper synliggörs.

This paper explores whether librarians have the tools to fulfil the requirements of the library law concerning patrons with ADHD and if there are any obstacles for librarians regarding this work; this is made possible by a survey sent to 38 libraries, resulting in 138 respondents. For data processing, evaluation and discussion, the study used a theoretical framework based on Säljö’s theory of the necessity of tools for human understanding and development, along with requirements listed by the Health and Human Services Department and IFLA for successfully working with people with ADHD. The results show that librarians do not have the required tools to work with patrons with ADHD and that the primary obstacles hindering them are a lack of knowledge, as well as the existence of misunderstandings regarding ADHD and the work with patrons with this diagnosis. The primary cause of these issues is an inadequate legal framework, which impacts all aspects connected to this work, from the education of librarians to their work with individual patrons within the daily operation of the libraries, adding to the stress that librarians are already experiencing in relation to their occupation.

Folkbiblioteken är ett av de få rum idag som är öppna för alla och som inte kräver inträde eller medlemskap. Många söker sig dit för att ta del av bibliotekets serviceutbud, men många söker sig också dit för att de inte har någon annanstans att gå och biblioteket tillhandahåller tak över huvudet, rinnande vatten, toaletter och personal som kan hjälpa till på olika sätt. Många gånger står bibliotekarien inför svåra sociala problem och situationer uppstår som de måste hantera oavsett om det ingår i deras yrkesroll eller är något de är utbildade för. Folkbiblioteken har sen begynnelsen tagit ett socialt ansvar och gör det än idag men det har aldrig varit riktigt uttalat eller tydligt hur detta ansvar ska se ut och var gränsen för bibliotekarierollen går.  Studiens syfte är att titta närmare på hur folkbibliotekarier i Sverige upplever och hanterar sin yrkesroll och sitt uppdrag i relation till de sociala problem de möter i sin vardag. Genom kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med folkbibliotekarier i Stockholms län har jag försökt skapa en bild av bibliotekariens kompetens och synsätt. Jag har använt Ervin Goffmans begrepp om intrycksstyrning som en lins att betrakta den sociala interaktionen och jag använder mig av ett praktiskt kunskapsteoretiskt perspektiv som svarar på frågor om varför vi gör som vi gör och ofta har sin utgångspunkt i ett dilemma. Jag har sedan analyserat intervjumaterialet med hjälp av Cusanus begrepp ratio, intellectus och ickevetande.  Bibliotekets förändrade roll blir i förlängningen ett problem för bibliotekarierna som inte upplever att de är rustade för att möta den svåra problematik de har framför sig. Att respondenternas har så olika strategier för att lösa detta dilemma talar för att det blir upp till individen att lösa det. Eftersom det inte finns några tydliga ramar eller riktlinjer för hur de ska gå till väga har de ingen annanstans att vända sig en till sitt eget förnuft och subjektiva erfarenhet. Flera respondenter beskriver hur försök till samverkan med andra aktörer inte alltid fungerar och att det är otydligt hur denna samverkan ska se ut och även inom den egna arbetsgruppen råder skilda meningar om hur bibliotekarierna ska gå till väga. Det finns också exempel på hur samverkan kan bidra till lyckad problemlösning som gagnar både bibliotekarierna och besökarna. Men trots bibliotekariernas uttryckta osäkerhet är det tydligt att det finns en stor kompetens hos personalen vad gäller bemötande av olika människor med olika sociala behov. Detta ser jag som en kompetens att lyfta, en möjlighet och en öppning för hur bibliotek skulle kunna jobba med sociala problem. Men för att detta inte ska bli på bekostnad av bibliotekarierollens särart krävs det en fungerande samverkan med utomstående resurser och personal i verksamheten med kompetens inom socialt arbete som kan stötta, vägleda och arbeta med samverkan.

Introduction: The aim of this thesis is to explore library staff’s experiences of participation in a time of change, in this case, a move to new facilities. Using interviews and grounded theory, this qualitative study focuses on how such a change is planned, presented to the staff, and implemented. Method: In this study, twelve library employees from Swedish public libraries were interviewed about their experiences of participation during a move of the library to a new building or recently renovated building. The interviews have been analyzed using grounded theory and terms from organizational theory in order to categorize them and find differences and similarities in the experiences they describe. The organizational terms used for categorizing and analysis were participation, motivation, competence, communication, and information.Recent literature on the subject is scarce, and as a result the literature overview consists of texts from different areas, such as architecture, library and information science and organizational theory, in order to capture the interest of this study. Findings: The study found that library staff feel motivated to participate in workplace changes and want to be part of the planning process, preferably from beginning to end, but to engage properly they need both time and information. The results also suggest that library employees and architects need to find better strategies for collaboration. The library staff think that the architects do not have enough knowledge about the work tasks of library personnel and therefore cannot plan an effective library building. The library employees need more knowledge about the building process in order to explain why and how their workplace is to be built to accommodate the staff and their library users. This is a two-year master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

In this master's thesis, we investigate the meaning and significance of professional networking to Swedish librarians in their everyday professional practices. In addition, we explore the relationship between librarians' networking needs and the needs or expectations presented by their institutional context (i.e. the workings of their specific library organization or, more broadly, the library sector and work life). The study consisted of 1) a pre-study through an online survey directed to librarians at seven public libraries and four research libraries in Sweden 2) qualitative interviews with 21 public and research librarians recruited through the pre-study survey and 3) an additional interview with the chair of the Swedish national library association (Svensk Biblioteksförening). Overall, participants in the study rated the importance of their professional networks highly. When asked the significance of professional networks to everyday professional practice, the responses given by the interviewed librarians favored explanations in terms of 1) knowledge provision and learning, 2) interlinkage of library organizations with the goal of raising the standards of library service and 3) as a means of providing both professional and organisational support. Many of the study's participants also reported an expectation that they should network, citing either a direct expectation from library management or general trends in contemporary Swedish work life. Librarians' professional networking needs were related by respondents to characteristics of their institutional context, where some librarians pointed to factors such as sparse staffing or budget constraints as creating a need for professional support networks. This is a two years master's thesis in Library and information science.

Introduction. We investigated how librarians viewed childhood, children’s participation and their own profes- sional role in relation to these two topics. Recently the Convention on the Rights of the Child became law in Sweden, and we explored the possible effects on the library professional’s role in comparison to a country where little has been done in regard to children’s rights during the past few years. Method. Qualitative interviews were conducted in Sweden and in England. The empirical data consisted of tran- scriptions and note-taking from four interviews conducted in each country. In total we interviewed eight librarians working with children. Analysis. We carried out a qualitative analysis of the empirical data by a basic thematic approach. The analysis consisted of two separate parts - based on the data from Sweden and England respectively - leading up to a final joint discussion and comparison of our results. Results. There was a pattern of viewing the child more often as “becoming” in England. When the child was viewed as “being” in England this was linked to a norm of children feeling safe, happy and playful. The analysis showed that formal training and awareness of children’s rights to participate were greater amongst the Swedish librarians. Still, children were not actively involved in the planning of events at the library. Conclusion. The views conveyed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child is now part of the Swedish librari- ans’ professional role with an emphasis on the right of participation. In the case of English librarians, certain aspects of the convention are important, although the need for children’s participation seems to have been set aside in favor of children’s feeling of safety. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

The aim of this thesis is to explore medical librarians information practice in a pedagogical context. The empirical material was produced by 6 semi-structured interviews at 5 different hospital libraries during April and March 2023. A practice-oriented approach was used by the theoretical lens of Social Practice by Shove, Pantzar and Watson. In the analysis it was thematised by the practice elements material, competences and meanings. The findings show that medical librarians informationpractice in a pedagogical context work with many different materials and have competences that are of importance for students, hospital staff and researchers. They adapt their teaching and guidance for the user and their level. The different meanings that the medical libraries user and organization put on the medical library and their services has an impact on their ability to reach more of their users and their development.

Introduction: Researcher support is often written in the perspective of researchers, and few examine it from the perspective of archivists and librarians, the aim of this study is to change that. In this study we examine how archivists and librarians within Data Access Units (DAU) use their knowledge and how said knowledge is used to achieve the requirements set for making research data available at higher education institutions in Sweden. Method: In this study we have chosen to interview librarians and archivists at DAU:s since their goal is to be there for researchers and create access to data. A qualitative method was used to generate deeper understanding about the subjects. Theories: By applying two theories, Wiig’s Knowledge Management Cycle and Patrick Wilson’s cognitive authority, we aim to show the cycle from beginning of knowledge to the use of knowledge and a deeper understanding of why DAU are to be trusted, both by themselves and by researchers. Analysis and results: Within DAU archivist are unseen next to librarians, often left out and are therefore not assigned cognitive authority compared to the librarians who are often the first that researchers contact when they need help with their data. Problems arise when librarians answer questions meant for archivists, further reducing the archivist’s cognitive authority and highlights the wedge between the professions. However, we have found that many trusts DAU, and that the colleagues trust each other. Conclusions: DAU:s builds and pools knowledge to combine and give a complete coverage in the support they provide for researchers. This allows the different professions in DAU to share their knowledge and their strengths, helping them overcome the increasing demands from the scientific world. This is aided by the fact that archivists and librarians respect each other and assign each other cognitive authority over their specific knowledge domains. However, archivists do not gain the same amount of it from researchers, as librarians do.

This master thesis explores Swedish public libraries and their practices in relation to welcoming Ukrainian refugees following the Russian invasion in 2022. A qualitative study drawing on semi-structured interviews with librarians (n=9) from various parts of Sweden forms the empirical foundation. A theory of practice framework influenced by Kemmis (2011) is then employed to analyze the material using qualitative content analysis, capturing the cultural-discursive, social, and economic-material dimensions of practice, as described by Pilerot and Hultgren (2017).   The results showed that the number of Ukrainian refugees visiting the libraries has been substantially lower than expected. Still, the libraries offered information and literature in Ukrainian alongside with language and children’s activities. The analysis showed that the activities and therefore the practice have been influenced by the dimensions of practice to a high degree The experiences of the refugee crisis in 2015 seem to greatly influence the activities of today, and it is likely that the combined experiences of the refugee crises in 2015 and 2022 will be of value for the future practice.   The importance of competences related to meeting individuals in socially exposed situations, and the importance of language- and cultural competence, are highlighted in the thesis. As is the need for both further research into and political recognition of the work being done by libraries in relation to refugees and social inclusion more general.     This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science. / PubLIB for Refugees: https://sites.google.com/view/publib-for-refugees/home