Abstract  Introduction. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of a relatively new genre in popular literature in Sweden called "feelgood". Feelgood, as literary genre, has quickly risen to become a beloved and frequently borrowed genre among readers. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding how the feelgood genre is perceived and handled by public libraries. Method. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with librarians at public libraries. The interviewees reside in different parts of Sweden and the video communication platform Zoom was used to facilitate the enquire. Analysis. The data gathered from the interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a qualitative content method. It was also compared in relation to earlier studies. The theoretical approach was retrieved from Catherine Sheldrick Ross seven models of reading and Magnus Persson’s myth elements of literature and reading. Results. The results show that feelgood as literary genre is indeed noticed and discussed among the study’s informants. The thoughts and attitudes among the librarians differ but can generally be perceived as positive. Several of Ross and Persson’s theoretical models were applicable to the arguments put forward by the informants.  Conclusion. The study concludes that the feelgood genre in literature is mostly well-received among the participants.  However, there are some implications of inconsistencies in rhetoric and practice. The genre is considered both a hindrance and an opportunity. Reductions in public library budgets may possibly alter the way the feelgood genre is approached and handled. The result of the study is in many ways consistent with earlier studies conducted on other genre literature.  This is a two year master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

This thesis focuses on fictious librarians in film. It uses three research questions: Firstly, how the movies make use of typical elements from movie genres and narrative modes in their portrayal of library work and librarians. Secondly, the way in which myths, stereotypes and ideas surrounding librarians and library work are used – typically or atypically – to build librarian characters and the narrative. Thirdly and lastly, it discusses the protagonists, focusing on their personalities and character arcs in relation to their role as librarians. The theoretical background departs partly in discourse surrounding librarian imagery in general, but also in film genre and mode theories. The thesis consists of two case studies, each focusing on one film, both with librarian protagonists. Even though this thesis focuses on them, the other librarian roles are also discussed, as well as the dynamics of the librarian teams. The two films discussed in this thesis are vastly different. One, Grabben i graven bredvid (2002), is a romantic relationship film with a female public librarian as protagonist, and the other, Bibliotekstjuven (2011), is a dark drama about a male research librarian turned book thief. Both films tie librarian myths to genre patterns: the single yet snotty female librarian is well fit as a romantic lead, and the male librarian as a pale, mysterious underdog makes a great villain protagonist. However, the films also present common themes and traits. Both librarian protagonists display elitism in relation to their professional identity, at the expense of their non-librarian partners. I argue that this is rooted in the historical idea of the librarian as a judgemental snob, but also that of librarians as ambiguous (and possibly false) “guardians” of the treasures of the library. Both librarian protagonists studied here lead double lives in one sense or another – most obvioulsy the book thief in Bibliotekstjuven, but also the confused female librarian in Grabben i graven bredvid who tries to hide her infatuation with a farmer from her colleagues. Some other results concern the use of the library as idea in relation to genre and mode elements. I argue, for example, that the Royal Library of Sweden in different stages of the narrative in Bibli- otekstjuven is not only a crime scene but also plays the part of a betrayed lover. This of course is connected to the societal role of libraries, in particular the relationship between “ordinary people” and libraries - a central theme in both films. One ends in a healing of a historic wound between a working man and an educated woman through love, while the other, in fact, ends in melodrama when the crime of stealing books is punished by death, yet also forgiven in an ideological sense given the protagonists humble beginnings and desperation. To conclude, both films thematise ideas surrounding personal morals, truth, social status and social justice, and do so through struggling librarian protagonists. Both films take place in worlds with a dual structure, where the fine world (represented by libraries) collides with the mundane, and the librarian protagonists try to navigate. Both films, finally, use librarian stereotypes to build the narratives – but they do not, apart from in a few scenes, reproduce them. This is a two years master’s thesis in library and information science.

This thesis aims to answer the question of how the library is represented in the Librarian franchise, not only focusing on the films/tv-series but also how it is represented in print. The analysis of the library representation uses a background of the theory and method found in semiotics and iconography, as well as qualitative content analysis, to examine not only the literal/denoted representation, but also the symbolic/connoted, and then compar-ing these findings to the representation of libraries and librarians (with a focus on the stereotypes) found in former research on the subject. The libraries depicted in this franchise all adhere to the stereotypes in some ways, especially the grandeur or spaciousness, at times labyrinthine but there is always someone experienced to ask to help find what you are looking for. The library is represented in a positive light, it is not a place to be feared, it is a place of knowledge and adventure. The characters see these libraries as home or as a social “hub” for the community, they are signs of safety, comfort, and peaceful entertainment. A world without libraries is depicted as a dystopian nightmare. In the franchise there are some characters that can be interpreted as personification of the Library, in this thesis I am focusing on Judson, Charlene, and Ray (the spirit of the library), all of which embody several of the librarian stereotypes, such as intelligence and order, these characters signify in various ways how much the library depends on librarians. In conclusion, this franchise, although unrealistic, shows that the library does not have to be a boring place, and neither does the librarian profession. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science. / Målet med denna uppsats är att besvara frågan hur biblioteket representeras i Librarian-franchisen, inte bara hur det representeras i filmerna/tv-serien men också hur det representeras i de tryckta berättelserna. I analysen av biblioteksrepresentationen använder jag mig av teoretiska utgångspunkter och metodik från semiotik och ikonografi samt kvalitativ innehållsanalys, för att utforska både den bokstavliga/denoterade representationen och den symboliska/konnoterade, och sedan jämföra resultatet med hur tidigare forskning beskrivit biblioteks- och bibliotekarierepresentationen (med fokus på stereotyper) i fiktion. Alla biblioteken som representeras i denna franchise kopplas till viss del ihop med biblioteksstereotyperna, speciellt prakt och rymlighet, och ibland även labyrinter men det finns alltid någon erfaren att fråga om hjälp för att hitta det du söker. Biblioteken är positivt representerade i denna franchise, biblioteket är inte en skrämmande plats, det är en plats som symboliserar kunskap och äventyr. Karaktärerna ser biblioteket som ett hem eller ett socialt nav, biblioteket symboliserar säkerhet, bekvämlighet och stillsam underhållning. En värld utan biblioteken representeras i serien som en dystopisk mardröm. I denna franchise går det att finna några karaktärer som inte bara är bibliotekarierepresentationer men också agerar som personifikationer av biblioteket, i denna uppsats har jag valt att fokusera på Judson, Charlene och Ray (bibliotekets ande), som alla faller in i flera bibliotekariestereotyper, exempelvis intelligens och ordningsamhet. Dessa karaktärer signifierar även på olika sätt hur mycket biblioteket är beroende av bibliotekarier. Slutligen visar denna franchise, trots dess surrealism, att biblioteket inte måste vara en tråkig plats, och bib-liotekarieyrket behöver inte heller vara tråkigt. Detta är en två års masteruppsats i biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap.

Syftet med studien är att med intresse för könssegregering undersöka diskurser om bibliotek, bibliotekarier ochkvinnors roll inom arbetslivet. Empirin för studien är dokument publicerade inom tidsperioden 1850-talet till 1910-talet och som berör uppsatsens teman. Dessa analyseras utifrån en diskurspsykologisk samt en kompletterandeidéanalytisk ansats för att synliggöra tolkningsrepertoarer och maktrelationer. Studiens resultat visar på två förhållningssätt till och tolkningsrepertoarer baserat på traditionella normer inom de empiriska dokumenten. Dels den upprätthållande tolkningsrepertoaren, dels den utmanande tolkningsrepertoaren. Vidare synliggjordes genussystemets och det ostabila genuskontraktets inverkan på bibliotekarieyrkets status. / The aim of the study is to, with an interest in gender segregation, examine discourses about libraries, librarians and the role of women in working life. The empirical material for the study is documents published within the time period from the 1850s to the 1910s that touch on the themes of the essay. These are analyzed based on a discourse-psychological and a complementary idea-analytical approach to make interpretation repertoires and power relations visible. The results of the study show two approaches to, and interpretation repertoires based on traditional norms within the empirical documents. Partly the maintaining interpretation repertoire, partly the challenging interpretation repertoire. Furthermore, the impact of the gender system and the unstable gender contract on the status of librarianship was made visible

In this study, a total of five teachers were interviewed in grade three from four different schools in Stockholm. Three of these schools are located in different suburbs and one school is located in the central part of Stockholm. The starting point of the study is statistics that show a negative development with, in particular, the students who have Swedish as a second language. This study provides an insight into how teachers in grade three of elementary school in Stockholm work with their students to develop reading comprehension. In the study of reading comprehension, this study focuses on the Reciprocal Teaching (RT) method. RT is a well-established reading comprehension strategy designed to bridge the difference between poor readers and good readers. The study shows that not all teachers are familiar with the RT method and also that teachers do not work consistently with all parts of this method. Furthermore, the study also gives an insight into the question of whether the teachers see the librarian as a possible partner in the process. To measure the level at which the teachers collaborate with school librarians, Montiel-Overall's (2005) Teacher Librarian Collaboration (TLC) theory was chosen. TLC theory is an attempt to make practical use of Loertscher’s taxonomy by grouping the low, medium and high levels of collaboration into four models (Model A: coordination, Model B: cooperation, Model C: integrated instruction and Model D: integrated curriculum.) that help define and measure the effect of each model on students’ achievements. This study concludes that the teachers so far haven’t thought about their school librarian as a potential partner with the stated purpose of increasing the students' reading comprehension. The levels of collaboration are predominantly on the low end of the TLC models (Model A: coordination, Model B: cooperation), meaning that teachers and librarians help each other for mutual benefit but no conscious effort is made to plan, teach and evaluate together.

This master's thesis is a study of how librarians are depicted in crime fiction. 12 American and English mysterynovels featuring librarians in a central role were studied and analysed using character theory. Recurring traitswere identified and organised into themes. A number of prominent traits and themes emerged that show librariansas orderly and organised bibliophiles, but with a taste for adventure and excitement. They are keen problem solverswho enjoy a challenge, at work, or in the form of crime detection. These traits show fairly different sides ofthe characters, and hint of librarians having something of a dubble nature. Some of the traits resonate with findings in earlier studies in the field, but the old stereotype was only parti -ally confirmed. In general the image of librarians presented in the mystery novels is a positive one, which inmany respects also rings true against the background of actual librarians and library work. This is a two years master's thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

En rad problem uppstår när världen blir allt mer digitaliserad. När samhället och dess bärande tjänster förflyttas från det fysiska mötet till den digitala arenan riskerar människor med bristande digitala kompetenser att bli exkluderade. I och med detta demokratiproblem har biblioteken tilldelats en del av ansvaret för att arbeta med dessa frågor genom uppdraget som kunskapsspridare inom IT. I tidigare studier har det framkommit att det finns oklarheter i hur detta uppdrag ska tolkas, att det finns bristande digitala kompetenser för att utföra uppdraget, samt att biblioteket har en viktig samhällelig roll i dessa frågor. Denna intervjustudie utförd i Stockholmsregionen har haft för avsikt att undersöka bibliotekariers syn på de utmaningar detta uppdrag innebär, samt att applicera det teoretiska ramverket DigComp för att utforska vilka digitala kompetenser som relaterar till biblioteksbesökarnas hjälpbehov i digitala frågor. Studiens teoretiska analys visar att besökarnas digitala hjälpbehov i olika grad relaterar till alla de kompetensområden DigComp presenterar vilket kan bidra till att sätta ord på besökarnas hjälpbehov, utröna vilka digitala kompetenser bibliotekspersonal kan tänkas behöva inneha samt bidra till beslutsprocessen kring vad uppdraget inom det digitala området bör innefatta. Studiens tematiska analys visar att informanterna delvis inte har den tid, det intresse eller de digitala och pedagogiska kompetenser som krävs för att kunna fullfölja det uppdrag som tilldelats. Det kan därför också ses som paradoxalt att denna yrkesgrupp tilldelats detta uppdrag. / A series of problems arise when the world becomes increasingly digital. When society and its supporting services move from physical meetings to the digital arena, individuals with lacking digital competences risk being excluded. Due to this democracy problem the Swedish public libraries have been assigned one part of the responsibility to convey knowledge regarding information technology. In previous studies it has been found that there are uncertainties in how this commission is to be interpreted, that the librarians are lacking digital competences for fulfilling this task and that the library also has an important societal role to play in these issues. This interview study conducted within the Stockholm region has been designed to investigate the librarians' views on the challenges posed by this commission, as well as applying the theoretical framework DigComp to explore which digital competences are related to library visitors' digital needs. The theoretical analysis of this study shows that the visitors' digital needs relate to all of the competences presented in DigComp in various degree. This knowledge can help to express which competences relate to the needs of visitors, identify the digital competences that library staff may need to possess and contribute to the decision-making process regarding what the mission within the digital field should include. The thematic analysis of the study shows that the interviewed librarians in part do not have the time, interest or digital and educational competences required to complete the assignment commissioned to the public libraries. It can therefore also be seen as paradoxical that this profession of librarians has been assigned to this specific task.

Library anxiety has been a concept since 1986, when Constance A. Mellon coined the phenomenon through her qualitative study on feelings that students experienced when interacting with academic libraries. In this essay we are looking at the origin of the concept through earlier research on the known barriers, trying to see what makes library anxiety unique compared to other seemingly related concepts, for example information anxiety. We’ve found many different concepts which can be part of library anxiety, or vice-versa, and many different extensions of LAS – the original scale to measure library anxiety. We aim to unravel some of those concepts we find of importance for library anxiety and its discourse. Looking at this through the lenses of Koselleck’s take on conceptual history, we see possible conflicts on where the concept library anxiety are heading; depending on what aspects of the concept the researcher read into and focusing on and in what context and time the articles were made. We also try to see who is considered responsible for shaping the discourse and if there is some kind of hegemonic struggle therein.

The aim of this study is to increase knowledge on how librarians in Sweden can use the method “barnlitterära vandringar” (children literary walks, editor’s translation) for literacy and reading promotion for children and youth. The method hasn’t earlier been investigated in a library context. The study explores the experiences of librarians participating in a method workshop and their planning and application of the method at the libraries with children and youth. The study also includes an interview with Maria Nikolajeva, the creator of the method, to explain the scientific background and content of the method. The theoretical framework is based on concepts of fantasy and dramatizing, multimodality, literacy practices and three approaches to reading. The empirical material was col-lected with semi-structured interviews and the analysis was conducted with thematic analysis. The results show how the informants can implement the method when working with children and how the method workshop has changed their perspective and way to work with reading promotion. The study's conclusion is that the method complies with the library's mission, it is a method that is adaptable for children. The study also shows that the method requires a lot of resources in terms of time and staffing when implemented with children. The study high-lights the advantages and disadvantages of organizing children's literary walks as a reading promotional activity in an outdoor environment. It shows an insecurity connected to the method's name and how to market it to partic-ipants. The method includes multimodal elements that enable different literacy practices and can promote reading in different ways, such as increased book lending and an enhanced reading experience. Through adaptations the method can be used for all three approaches to reading. This is a two years master´s thesis in Library and Information Science.

For a person who has been diagnosed with a disability at some point in their life, their ability to be an active democratic citizen in our information society changes. This thesis examines what kind of challenges the Swedish public libraries and librarians faces in their day-to-day work connected to the specific group of users with vision-related disabilities and discusses and analyze public librarians' perception of what digital skills means to them.  In the combination of people with visual impairments and their digital needs and competence development and on the actual conditions and challenges existing at the Swedish public libraries regarding digital services for people with visual impairments, the study identifies several challenges for both parties. The study results present an insecurity among librarians regarding the expectations to adjust and help with digital guidance, when they still are feeling insecure about what kind of digital competence expects of them.  During the qualitative interviews, a shared experience of anxiety, uncertainty, and an uneven level among the library staff regarding basic digital competences and where the "boundary" is revealed. The uneven level of digital competence is highlighted as problematic, as the patrons are assumed to be treated differently on repeated visits to the public library. The study identifies several challenges that would further encourage both the individual, the profession, the institution as well as society and research to study further. New knowledge in a library context has been identified and needs to be studied in a broader and more comprehensive research study.