The aim of this master thesis is to investigate the ideas about functions that public libraries have in the local society. We have used the method idea analysis on four municipal library plans, to find out which ideas about library functions that frequented each plan, and what similarities and differences there were between the ideas about functions in each plan. As a theoretic base, we have used a theory about three dynamic spheres in modern society: the state market and civil society, and examined how these three spheres influence and control the library functions. We have extracted six different ideas about library functions: educational, social, economical, entertaining, serving and democratic functions. The most dominating ideas in this study are ideas that the public library should be an educating and formative institution. As the public library is a public institution depending on the state, are the most ideas of functions connected to this sphere. We can also see a tendency that the public library is a service institution that acts on the demands from users and other authorities in society. This can be a result of influence from the market, just as ideas that the public library should be engaged in economic development, though this idea is scarce in the documents analysed. The civil society is mostly represented in the social ideas, that the public library is a public meeting place and a room for recreation and entertainment. We have found these ideas in all plans but as these are of a more voluntary character are they not as visible. / Uppsatsnivå: D

According to the Swedish School Inspectorate school libraries in Sweden are not utilized to their full potential. They conclude that this has a lot to do with a lack of communication and collaboration. We have, with this as a working premise, analyzed the collaboration between school librarians and teachers with a basis in the Teacher Librarian Collaboration-models. The TLC-models illustrates the collaboration between school librarians and teachers by using four categories for collaboration. The results are based on four interviews with school librarians on the topic of collaboration with teachers from the librarians’ point of view. Three things to note according to the informants are their dependence on a library plan, the need for a more involved management that has a deeper understanding for what they want from the school library, and that overall, they express a satisfaction with the collaborations they do have with teachers although two of the respondents wish these were conducted with all of the teachers in their workplace and not just a select few. The models have been applied to the result to elucidate the level of cooperation and we can conclude that although the collaboration patterns are far from terrible there is room for improvement. For further research we suggest deeper investigations on the role of the library plan and its impact on the collaboration. We also suggest further research on the role of the teachers and principals should be done in disciplines outside Library and Information science. At last we see an advantage in this kind of study, but in a grand scale to gather a broad array of ideas and perspectives.

The objective of this thesis is to explore possible explanations for the composition and contents of local library plans. A review of 33 local library plans from three Swedish counties was carried out in order to investigate the strategic documents design and contents in relation to the legal requirements placed upon them. In order to accomplish this task an analysis tool that consists of an eight-item questionnaire was constructed. A qualitative analysis of the texts, based on a new institutional theoretic framework, was performed in pursuance of finding causal factors to the properties of the texts. The results of the investigation reveal that the new institutional theories constitute a relevant framework for interpreting the strategic documents. Proof of existence of several phenomenon defined by theorists of new institutionalism were found. Strongest evidence was encountered for the legitimizing function of the texts .Numerous signs of the presence of hypocrisy, the procedure of integrating organizational structures, processes and ideologies for internal and external application, were also found in the texts. There were also some manifestations of an acquiescing and/or compromising organizational response to external pressure. Even though the theoretical framework was found to be highly relevant for the interpretation of the texts it is difficult to reach an unambiguous conclusion. Further investigations on this matter is recommended in order to determine the exact causal explanation of the design and contents of Swedish local library plans.

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to examine if public libraries live up to the expectations that the society have when it comes to giving information technology service to older people. The reason behind this is to highlight the target group older people in swedish library plans, because they are the group in the society that feel least involved in the digital society. The method in this study consist of a content analysis where sixty-two library plans have been reviewed. Based on the background, four themes have been selected in the results section, the digital divide, digital participation, the public library as an institution and the elderly.  The themes together with Eriksson-Zetterquist description of the new institutional theory and Warschauers model for literacy and ICT-access, formed the content of the analysis section. The findings show that the majority of the library plans have not mentioned elderly people in a digital context. The most common context to mention the elderly are in reading promotion. Older people have also not been identified as a priority target group within the institution, which reflects on the contents of the library plans.

This thesis examines the way cooperation between the schools and   school libraries are described in the library plans in 21 of the municipalities in Sweden. Our selection has been based on geographical spreading. Our used method in this thesis is a content analysis, where both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used. In Sweden, primary school is mandatory and nine years ago it also became statutory for every school to have a school library. The law also says that the principal/head of the school has a responsibility to make sure a collaboration is even possible. Our research also shows that the principal's/head of the schools role is vital for how the collaboration will work. He or she can demand the staff to start working together or arrange for them to be able to get time to plan together. A number of research shows that it’s important with a collaboration between the schools and school libraries, the collaboration can improve the students' study results. It also highlights how the library plan can act as an important strategic document for the libraries. We have used Patricia Monitel-Overalls TLC-models (Teacher-Librarian-Collaboration) for our analysis. In our results we found that both the teachers and librarians often wanted to have a collaboration. Still, not many did and the most common reasons were that none of them really knew what to expect or demand of each other. Another reason was that the picture of what a library can offer and help with was very old fashioned. In other words, they did not know everything a librarian can do or how much the library could help. In conclusion, the library plans need to be more direct with how the schools and school libraries are supposed to work together. That includes both the collaboration, how everyone can communicate and who’s in charge.

The Swedish Library Act stipulates the libraries responsibility to pay specific attention to people with impairments. However, no explicit definition of impairments or disability is offered. Findings in previous disability research show that using the term disability without connection to a theoretical framework leads to an understanding of disability as a phenomenon simply caused by the impairments of individuals rather than aspects of the environment. In the everyday usage disability is thereby commonly determined by visually overt signifiers as wheelchairs or hearing aids. “Invisible” impairments and social or relational aspects of disability is seldom accounted for. In this study, ten randomly selected present public library plans were analyzed through a discourse analysis, focusing on how disability is perceived in the plans. Findings show that disability is predominantly understood as a phenomenon caused by impairments connected to individuals and that these individuals usually come in second place when library services are planned and designed. Furthermore, the design of library services is also depicted as something that could cause disability, especially aspects of the physical environment and alternative formats to facilitate reading are in focus. The acknowledgement of attitudinal or relational aspects of disabilities were not visible in the plans that were analyzed. The overall emerging picture is thus a traditional view of what libraries and library use are, as well as a traditional view of what causes disability. Nevertheless, the responsibility to pay specific attention to people with disabilities is evident and a strong connection to human rights is thereby visible.

The purpose of this essay is to examine how librarians perceive library plans, if they are important for their work and if so, in what ways. In order to analyze this, I have used a phenomenographic approach. My goal, by using this method, is to uncover perceptions and variations among these. The research questions are: What variations of perception of library plans exist among librarians? To what extent can the varied perceptions of library plans be linked to librarians' work? What does the variation of perception say, in relation to the expectations expressed in international and national documents, about library plans? The material used in a phenomenographic analysis consists of interviews. These are analyzed in several steps, which result in categories, so called description categories. My conclusion is, that there are three different ways of perceiving library plans: as steering documents, legitimizing documents and visionary documents. The first category incorporates the impact the library plan has on the actual work. In the second category they use it as a way to show why the library and the profession are needed. The third category is about library plans being visionary documents. These do not develop the work at all. The perceptions are to a great extent in line with the expectations expressed in international and national documents concerning library plans. The library plan is according to these a guideline for managing the library and its services, a way to show its necessity and to assure equal quality among library services.

Problemformulering och syfte: Bibliotekets styrning präglas av spänningar mellan ett demokratiskt uppdrag och en ekonomisk förvaltning. Syftet med uppsatsen är att studera motsättningen av folkbibliotekets styrning utifrån denna ideologiska spänning. Metod och teori: Genom kritisk ideologianalys analyseras tre kommuners biblioteksförvaltning; Nacka, Botkyrka och Stockholm, för att därefter belysas utifrån Chantal Mouffes politiska agonism och Jürgen Habermas borgerliga offentlighet.  Material och resultat: Genom studier av kommunernas biblioteksplaner samt dokument för bemötandepolicy framkom det att Nacka kommun främst betonade en ekonomisk förvaltning, medan Botkyrka kommun främst betonade det demokratiska uppdraget och Stockholms stad placerade sig mellan dessa ytterligheter. Kommunernas ideologiska profilering kan betraktas utifrån politisk agonism och borgerlig offentlighet. Slutsatser: Kommunernas ideologiska styrning av biblioteken skiljde sig åt i termer av demokratiskt ansvar, ekonomisk förvaltning samt användarinteraktionen. Samtliga kommuner upprätthåller den liberala konsensusmodellen i olika hög grad vilket sammanfaller med deras koppling till NPM. Fler studier behövs för att utröna kommunala styrdokuments inverkan på biblioteksverksamheten. / Purpose: Library management is influenced by the opposition between democratic values and economic efficency. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the public library is influenced ideologically by this rift. Methodology and theory: Three municipalities, Nacka, Botkyrka and Stockholm are analyzed through critical ideological analysis, and then compared to Chantal Mouffe’s political agonism and Jürgen Habermas bourgeois public sphere. Materials and findings: Through library plans and treatment policys the outcome is that Nacka prioritizes financial stability, Botkyrka democratic values and Stockholm is situated somwhere inbetween. The municipalities ideologies can also be illuminated by theories of political agonism and public sphere by their perception of the public conversation. Implications: The municipal library administrations were separated through their ideological understanding of democratic values, user treatment, and financial management. The municipalities maintained the liberal consensus model to varying degrees, which coincides with their connection to NPM. More research is however needed for understanding the local government and its impact on the public library.