This is a comparative study of six public libraries in the city of Gothenburg and its neighbourhood. The main purpose of this master thesis is to describe these libraries relating to a reform in the city council of Gothenburg and its neighbourhood. The comparison deals with a period of ten years, 1990-2000. In order to respond to this I formulated two questions: Are there any differences in the activities of these libraries? Has this reform influenced the librarians in their way of working and if so, why? I have studied relevant literature such as annual reports, investigations and analyses in order to be able to formulate the questions. The subjects of the interviews were librarians and those of a higher level of librarianship. They have all been employees in the libraries during 1990-2000. I have made fourteen qualitative interviews. This project has made me aware of differences appearing in the public libraries in Gothenburg. It has also made me aware of varieties of the goals of the public libraries investigated and noticeable changes of the working methods for librarians and for those of a higher level of librarianship. Current research as well as my investigation show the need for a better cooperation and indicate sensibility for the needs of the citizens. It also indicates an increased need of well formulated goals and evaluations as well as the importance of a continuous dialogue and sensibility. Economical priorities have been made by the politicians. The availability of the libraries is of importance and the needs have increased. There is a need for more resources in order to overcome the increased differences in these areas in the city of Gothenburg and its neighbourhood. / Uppsatsnivå: C

The bachelor thesis examines conceptions behind the Swedish public librarian’s opinions of the public library as a meeting place. The study uses the critical discourse analysis, developed by Ernest Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, to analyze a focus group interview. The discourse analysis identifies four themes in the empirical material: the imagined arena of the meeting place, the behaviour in the meeting place, the meeting place’s librarian and the polemic against the meeting place. Within the themes an antagonistic struggle is identified between a democratic, an individualistic and an organizational discourse. The three discourses strive to define the public library and its librarian. As a result, a degree of ambiguity can be found in the public librarian’s conception of the idea of the public library as a meeting place. The thesis further discusses how the polemic attitude in the empirical material could possibly be linked to the idea of the library as a meeting place founded in a local political sphere, rather than to the theories in library- and information science. The thesis finally identifies the current research on low-intensive meeting places in library- and information science as a possible solution to the ambiguity in the public library regarding the value of the meeting placeaspect.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate if, and how, normcriticism is a factor for four librarians at public libraries whenthey select the titles to read at a organized story time forchildren.Four qualitative interviews were conducted, with the purposeto get a deeper knowledge on which perspectives were crucialin the four librarians’ processes of choosing what books topresent for the participants of the story time.To analyse the results of the interview, I used two theories.One which focused on norm criticism from four differentangles, and another with three views on reading, adjusted forthis study on reading aloud. The views for norm criticismwere taken from Kumashiros theory on anti oppressivepedagogy and Education for the other, education about theother, education that is critical of othering and privileging,and education that changes students and society. The viewsregarding book selection were the based on Sandins theory,and were emancipatory, the traditionalistic and the pragmatic.The study found that, for these particular librarians, the mostimportant factor was that, since the story time is voluntary, itis essential that the kids enjoy the activity. But, in regards tothe selection process, the librarians used an anti-oppressiveview in making sure that no harmful stereotypes were presentin the story. Sometimes at the expense of the classic tales.

Swedish school librarians work within a complex structure of differing forms of employment, conditions and legitimacy of their profession. In the public enquiry into Swedish school libraries, Skolbibliotek för bildning och utbildning(SOU 2021:3), new legislations regulating the school libraries are proposed to guarantee staffing. The aim is to increase equality in access to staffed school libraries among Swedish elementary and high school pupils. Today many schools arrange staffing of their school libraries in conjunction with the local public library. This type of solution has, in smaller studies and surveys, shown to increase the risk of conflicts and confusion regarding responsibilities and work tasks. As a result of the new legislations proposed in the public enquiry of school libraries, an increase in cooperation between schools and public libraries is expected. This essay explores how different employers describe work tasks and conditions in job vacancies for school librarians to detect and analyse any differences. The results indicate discrepancies in how school librarian positions are described. Vacancies for school librarian positions entirely located within the school organization are described with emphasis on working tasks and conditions. Vacancies for positions for school librarians with split service between schools and public libraries show greater emphasis on personal qualities. This indicates that the profession might gain in legitimacy if school librarians are employed by schools rather than in split employment and further supports the principal as preferred employer.

The purpose of this study is to examine what view librarians have on reading promotion for adults, in particular reading circles, and in which way earlier experiences, education and competence form this view. To what extent, if any, do perceptions of professional identity influence the interest to carry out some kind of reading circles for adults?Our study is based on qualitative interviews with librarians, both those in charge of reading circles in libraries and those who are not. As theoretical starting point we have used Andrew Abbott's work on theory of professions and Jofrid Karner Smidt's thesis on literary preferences and different kinds of mediation of literature. For our analysis we will also use earlier studies on the subject to place our study in a wider context.Our conclusions show that the librarians in our study have an ambivalent view on their profession and professional identity. The reading promotion activity is often seen as the opposite of information technology. The core of their profession is fiction and reading promotion, still they feel very insecure within the field. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The purpose of this thesis is to get knowledge about how it is to work as a librarian at Gothenburg city library during a rebuilding process and during the time when they have worked in a temporary library so called niche library. Which part did they have in the renovation project and in the niche library? The aim is also to find out how the librarians have experienced their time in the niche library and if it has affected their profession and identity.The method that is used to answer questions of the study is semi-structured interviews with four public librarians. Through comparing previous research in building and rebuilding process I have analyzed the four public librarian’s part in the renovating process and the temporary library. I have analyzed how the librarians have experienced it during the time in the temporary library and how it has affected their profession and identity.The four librarians have been divided in different groups during the improvement process to discuss requests how they want it to look like in the library. In the end of the rebuilding process the librarians were rearranged into new groups based on competence and interest. The librarian’s requests have not always been fulfilled because of different participants have had different opinions. Because of some of the librarian’s short employment period and their activity in the professional field they have not been affected so hard by the reorganization. The librarians have had the opportunity to develop their work at the temporary library. But the temporary library has affected some of the librarian’s profession in a negative way and they have not had the opportunity to use so many identities as before as at the central library. / Program: Bibliotekarie

This Master’s thesis concerns the public librarian’s professional identity. The complexity of the mandates of the public librarian, and the public library, raises questions on how librarians understand their professional identities. The empirical material consists of qualitative in-depth interviews with librarians. Two theoretical approaches are used in the analysis of the material with a focus on the public librarians’ knowledge and professional role. The informants’ statements are categorised according to different models. The results reveal that the librarians express various attitudes, some of them contradictory, for instance, towards the users of the library. Some tensions characterise the professional identity of the public librarian, for example, between practical and theoretical orientations. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The purpose of this thesis is to research public librarians view ofthe public library as a meeting place and how it may contribute tofacilitate social integration. To study this we have asked thefollowing research questions: How do public librarians work withthe public library as a meeting place? And how do they contributeconditions for “soft inclusion”?The method we have used for this study is semi-structuredinterviews. Seven public librarians from the Gothenburg areawere interviewed and the empirical material was analyzed usingqualitative content analysis.As a theoretical foundation we have used Dorte Skot-Hansensmodel of the public library as a third place and Mikael Stigendalstheory on social inclusion. Furthermore have we used research onthe public library as a meeting place and social integration as acomplement to the model and the theory.Conclusions from the material gathered is that public librarianssee the public library as a meeting place with potential tocontribute to integrating individuals and groups with one another.The librarians’ foremost method was to attract visitors withactivities aimed at certain target groups. According to thelibrarians the result of people meeting others different fromthemselves at the public library could lead to better understandingand tolerance between individuals.The purpose of this thesis is to research public librarians view ofthe public library as a meeting place and how it may contribute tofacilitate social integration. To study this we have asked thefollowing research questions: How do public librarians work withthe public library as a meeting place? And how do they contributeconditions for “soft inclusion”?The method we have used for this study is semi-structuredinterviews. Seven public librarians from the Gothenburg areawere interviewed and the empirical material was analyzed usingqualitative content analysis.As a theoretical foundation we have used Dorte Skot-Hansensmodel of the public library as a third place and Mikael Stigendalstheory on social inclusion. Furthermore have we used research onthe public library as a meeting place and social integration as acomplement to the model and the theory.Conclusions from the material gathered is that public librarianssee the public library as a meeting place with potential tocontribute to integrating individuals and groups with one another.The librarians’ foremost method was to attract visitors withactivities aimed at certain target groups. According to thelibrarians the result of people meeting others different fromthemselves at the public library could lead to better understandingand tolerance between individuals. / Program: Bibliotekarie

Social exclusion is a problem in today’s society that we feel public libraries can help resolve since they are based on the idea of equality and openness. The purpose of this essay is to examine how public librarians think and reason about the concept “integration” as well as what role public libraries can play in immigrants’ integration process. With Jose Alberto Diaz’ theory on the integration process, and Marianne Andersson and Dorte Skot-Hansen’s model for analysis of the local library profile as theoretical framework, we analyzed the responses from two qualitative interviews in small groups of 2-3 librarians from two different public libraries. The result of this study shows that some public librarians cannot give an accurate definition of the word integration; instead they define integration as mutual respect for cultural differences. Only two librarians included in their definition that integration means to become participants in society. Despite this lack of a comprehensive understanding of the concept the librarians have a positive attitude towards the public libraries’ ability to support the integration process through book collection and program activities. The librarians think that public libraries mostly support the integration by: 1) increasing the understanding between different cultures and thereby decreasing prejudice and fear in the society (personal integration), 2) help immigrants develop a social network with the majority culture (social integration), and 3) help immigrants with language development(communicative integration). This is done mostly by focusing on the public libraries’ role of knowledge and education as well as their social role.

The problem of today’s public librarians is that no one really knows their identity, they try to be everything for everyone, which makes their identity fuzzy and confusing for both librarians but also for the librarian visitors. The purpose of this paper named “A profession in change? A qualitative text analysis of the identity of the public librarians on today’s public libraries”, was to investigate the current identity of the public librarian at the public libraries today in order to have a better understanding of what their identity is.  In order to achieve this, a qualitative text analysis – based on Ørom’s and Schreiber’s seven librarian identities – was conducted on online job advertisements. The result showed that the public librarian have nine different identities. In addition to the seven roles, two other roles were found in the job advertisements. It also showed that all seven roles were present in the advertisements and that the so called “culture intermediary” was the most frequent one. When it comes to the qualifications, academic degree was the most important one and was found in all job advertisements, followed by “teamwork”. The result also showed that the public librarian can have many different kinds of titles and that the title “librarian” was the most used one. This result can be due to the fact that the public librarian has many different kinds of identities and that the public libraries are supposed to be for everyone in the society. This is exactly the problem with public libraries. They try to please everyone and by doing so risking to lose their identity as a democratic place for culture and literature.