The aim of this masters thesis is to analyze how subjects of ethnographical objects should be described. To obtain this we focus on which subject aspects of ethnographical objects that could be possible and valuable to analyze and to index. This is done with the help of established LIS subject indexing theories, and through the perspective of ethnographical museum documentation. The theories are both general, concerning the stages of subject indexing, and more specific, regarding the indexing of pictures. One of the latter is the theoretical model of Sara Shatford, from the article Analyzing the Subject of a Picture. She claims that the subject of a picture can be divided into an Of and an About aspect. Susanne Ørnager expands this theory by adding a semiotic dimension to it, in the article View a Picture. The ethnographical museum documentation is illustrated by three systems for object description the SAMOREG-system, Outline of Cultural Materials and the Art and Architecture Thesaurus, as well as by information from an interview with personnel at the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg. Ethnographical theories regarding the subject aspects of objects have also been taken into consideration. The main conclusions drawn from this thesis are 1 ethnographical objects have two subject aspects Of and About, which both can be analyzed and indexed, 2 the Of is more frequently indexed during the ethnographical museum documentation, and 3 the About is equally valuable to index as is the Of. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The purpose of this study is to the increase knowledge and understanding of the meeting between children with Arabian as native language and a Swedish school library. The study is made as a qualitative investigation built on interviews with eight-year-olds and eleven-year-olds. Only the childrens needs and views are considered. The study is centred on twelve key issues and aims to document the childrens thoughts and views of reading as well as their reading habits and their use of the school library. Through the childrens own words their evaluation of reading and literature, their abilities to assimilate the text and their de facto use of the books can be known. The children in this study are all pupils in the same school, situated in a middle-sized town, where literature is an important part of the teaching. Consequently, they read for pleasure but also from obligation. They are also imposed on to lend books from the school library. In Sweden reading is highly valued and this evaluation is only rarely put into question. Swedish children grow up with reading and literature as an obvious part of life. The children in this study grow up in homes where books have low value; often they are kept in a box and the families own but a few. This, however, does not necessarily imply that reading is regarded unimportant. Several of the children in the study are expected from their parents to do well in school, something which requires good reading skills. Here the approach of the school and its library to multilingual children is of great importance. Teachers, and other school employees, and the parents at home will have to improve on communication to facilitate for the children to use the literature. The majority of the older children in this study understand Swedish texts much better than texts in their native language. It is the view of the authors of this study that it is important to develop the native language side by side with the second language throughout all the years in school. The school can improve on meeting the Arabian speaking children on their terms and on showing that their native language is as important as Swedish. To the Arabian speaking children, reading and literature is a resource of great potential. This resource can, however, be further developed during the childrens time in school. / Uppsatsnivå: D

This thesis falls within the realm of social studies, specifically social studies in literature, and attempts to establish whether the sub-genre of fantasy literature known as sword and sorcery contains elements which resemble the tenets of fascism. Robert E. Howard is considered the progenitor of the sub-genre and his stories have an influence on the nature of sword and sorcery literature today, 70 years after his death. Howards creation of the sub-genre coincides with the spread of fascist ideologies around the world in the 1930s and the study attempts a societal mirroring analysis of Howards texts. With the help of an analytical model based on fascism expert Robert O. Paxtons so-called mobilizing passions of fascism, Howards stories of Conan the barbarian have been deconstructed and analyzed. The study shows clearly that certain elements of the stories do indeed correspond to basic ideological elements of fascism. However, the results of the study are inconclusive as to whether this indicates that sword and sorcery was inspired by the widespread surge of fascism which occurred at roughly the same time, or if they simply sprang from the same sociocultural soil. The similarities are tempered by the issue of context and the presence of numerous exceptions. Further studies with different scientific tools and parameters would be required to establish the nature of a possible connection between fascist ideology and sword and sorcery based on the similarities found. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The aim of this thesis is to examine how a context-specific form of abstracting of fiction film developed in relation to the cultural policy of Internationella biblioteket IB, theoretically can be motivated and practically shaped. The background of the cultural policy of IB is analysed and theoretical standpoints and problematic aspects regarding subject representation discussed. Theories which claim intersubjectivity as an ideal for subject representation and searches for objectivity in the process of subject analysis are criticised in light of the concept of interpretation as the only means to produce meaning and subjects in relation to fiction. Birger Hjørlands context-oriented theories of subject representation are used to theoretically motivate the context-specific form of abstracting. To suggest how a practical framework for abstracting can be created, film theoretical models of interpretation are examined in relation to the field of subject analysis and formal criteria of abstracting. The conclusion argues for a form of abstracting that considers the informative potentials and the subjects of fiction film in relation to questions of national and cultural interest. One of the most prominent cultural aims of IB is to enable immigrants to access their cultural heritage. To highlight a film in relation to its national and cultural contexts, aspects of the film that would be of relevance to its cultural heritage and national origin should be emphasised. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The aim of this Masters thesis is to examine ideas used to legitimate Swedish digital libraries, with a focus on the cultural heritage, their relation to cultural policy and an eventual crisis within the latter. Which ideas are linked to digitalisation? How do the arguments for creating digital libraries differ between central actors? How do the digital libraries relate to cultural policy and an eventual legitimacy crisis? These are the questions this thesis seeks to answer. The theoretical starting-point consists of a legitimacy discussion and its connection to Swedish cultural policy. The method used is idea analysis. Three levels of actors are examined: a supranational, a national and a local. Six official documents, one interview and one correspondence, are analysed by usage of ideal types constructed out of a cultural policy context. Ideas linked to the creation of digital libraries in Sweden are examined with the concept of contextual legitimacy. Our conclusions are: there is primarily a democratic perspective linked to digitalisation. There are, however, differences between the three levels. Regarding legitimising ideas a change compared to traditional Swedish cultural policy is visible. The change of the ideas imply that a new reason and new demands culture as solution to economic, social and global problems are linked to cultural institutions, which can result in a legitimacy crisis. A certain correlation regarding ideas does exist between the levels and between the levels and a legitimate cultural policy. According to contextual legitimacy theory such a correlation is necessary for upholding legitimacy. The correlation is not ideal however. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The aim of this Masters thesis is to investigate how the image of the Public library is described in the Swedish national library politics, and compare it with the image given of the public library in the Danish national library politics. The method used for this analysis is a comparative discourse analysis of the homepages produced by the Swedish central government Regeringen and Kulturrådet and its Danish counterpart Kulturministeriet and Biblioteksstyrelsen. Theories on postmodernity have been used to analyze how the Swedish and the Danish central governments image of the Public library corresponds with a changing society and the changing behaviour of the public library users. Our analysis concludes that the traditional view of the Public library as an institution mainly concerned with literature and reading still is of great significance in the discourse of the Swedish central government. In contrast, the Danish central government presents a more postmodern view of the public library as an institution that is part of the Information- and the Knowledge society. The Danish discourse analyzed here does not entirely depart from the traditional view of the aPublic library, but it broadens the perspective of the it, one that is more adapted to a new society in a state of change. / Uppsatsnivå: D

This Master Thesis aims to study and discuss the occurence of three concepts in some influential cultural policy documents which includes the UNESCO public library manifesto, the Swedish libraries act, the Swedish cultural policy objectives, and a study from the mid nineties which deals with the cultural policy. The questions asked are: -Do the documents mention democracy? In what way? -Do the documents mention the public sphere? In what way? -Do the documents mention information? In what way? -How can we understand the content of the documents through relevant theories about democracy, the public sphere and information? Theories about the information society are used, as well as theories from Jürgen Habermas, Herbert Schiller and Robert Dahl. The way of method is document studies and abduktion, with influences from hermeneutic theory. The analysis deals with the documents through these concepts: democracy, the public sphere and information and puts forward the content, or lack of content, about democracy in the analysed material. The debate then put forwards some thoughts about democracy and the public library; what position the public library could hold in the democracy of the information society and some thoughts about the results of our observations in the documents. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The aim of this Masters thesis is to examine the accessibility in public libraries for persons with dyslexia and visually impaired persons. In order to do this, library services, information and attitudes have been studied. Data have been collected through interviews and studies of documents, in particular guidelines for library service to disabled persons. The theoretical starting point of the analysis is Professor Michael Bucklands different aspects of access to information. He discusses six types of barriers that must be overcome if access is to be achieved. The analysis is based on five of these barriers. Some adjustments to the barriers are discussed with regard to the groups of users that are the focus of this study. The results show that when accessibility to public library service is seen as a whole it is difficult to determine whether it is better for persons with dyslexia or for visually impaired persons. There exist barriers for both groups but the technical development in recent years seems to have increased the accessibility for both groups. There are, however, some aspects of accessibility where the barriers appear to be greater for persons with dyslexia. The most apparent example in this study is the feeling of discomfort that many of them experience when visiting a library. / Uppsatsnivå: D

könlitteratur: Bella och AIS / Uppsatsnivå: D

The wide spread of the Internet and new information technologies in recent years has come to effect how libraries manage and disseminate information. Search engines like Google are widely used by people who often find the information retrieval systems of libraries to be too complicated. In 2004 Google announced plans to digitise five major library collections. Organisations representing the publishing industry and authors have since then filed lawsuits against Google claiming that Googles scanning of library books infringe the rights holders copyright. Due to Googles potential impact on libraries this thesis aims to examine how Googles digitisation project, Google Book Search, has been received in the library community. To examine how the library community reacts to this project I have chosen to study what the library organisations and the national libraries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, The United Kingdom and USA has published about Google Book Search on their websites. The examination has shown that there are some concerns as to the quality of the retrieval system and the content of Google Book Search. There are also concerns regarding the impact Googles user-friendly retrieval system might have on library retrieval systems. Concerns about the contents potential concentration of English-language material caused the head of the national library of France to demand a French or European counteraction. This reaction has led to the coordination of a European digital libraries initiative. Since both projects are still new it is hard to predict what possible effect they will have on future libraries. / Uppsatsnivå: D