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This thesis is a discourse analysis analyzing public library librarians' talk on the subject of public library meeting places. Within the field of Library and Information Science the public libraries' functions as social meeting places have been scrutinized for more than a decade. Researchers in the Nordic countries in particular have looked at library users' use of the library space and have highlighted the sociologic dimensions of the public library and the meeting place functions. Few however have paid much attention to the library personnel's point of view. The discourse analysis perspective is about language use and how people construct the reality. Using the discourse psychology approach to discourse analysis as a basis of a discourse analytic framework this thesis examines how public library librarians use interpretative practises to construct versions of the phenomena talked about in order to suite the purpose of their talk. The analyzed data material is a transcript from a performed focus group where four public library librarians talked for about one hour on the subject of public library meeting places. The main findings is that the focus group members use eleven different interpretative repertoires in their talk. Interpretative repertoire is a close synonym to discourse. In Sweden the discourse analysis perspective in the Library information science is fairly new. Discourse analysis's made in the Library and information science has mostly been based upon written material. In the thesis it is suggested that there are differences in how discourse practises is being used in talk compared to how it is used in written texts. The talk seems richer on variations and more interpretative repertoires are to be found. The librarians in the focus group move seemingly free between discourses and subject positions. They don't just adapt to existing positions but also construct them to better suite their purposes. Different levels in the discourse order are not upheld in the talk. The impression is that the focus group participants float between discourses' subject positions and interpretative repertoires at all levels in a complex language-game allowing the librarians to take different stands that in a different context would be perceived as conflicting and problematic.

The motivation for this thesis lies in the knowledge that there is a crucial information need amongst LGBTQ-persons wanting to read fiction related to LGBTQ in order to strengthen their own identity. This particular information need regarding identification has been said to be more central within LGBTQ-communities than within other user groups, largely because they represent a marginalized group in society. Critical feminists, such as Hope A. Olson, have proved that knowledge organization based on systems of subject representation in fact may lead to further marginalization and exclusion of already marginalized groups. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to compare subject representation and social tagging as methods of organizing LGBTQ-fiction. The empirical data is drawn from the collaborative tagging platform LibraryThing and five public library catalogs.Within a feminist framework based on queer theory, the advantages of user-generated metadata in the form of social tagging over professional knowledge organization in the form of subject representation are discussed, and in the end dismissed as an adequate replacement or alternative for the latter. The results of this study show that social tagging presents users with more diverse access points than those created within a controlled vocabulary system. However, while some of the social tags are more specific and in some ways inclusive, most of the tags consist of general terms describing the works of fiction. This is a two years master’s thesis.

The aim of this master‟s thesis is to investigate the value and impact that reading groups organized by Swedish Public Libraries, have on its participants, role of the librarian and the Library as whole, according to librarian‟s conceptions. In literature and earlier research reading groups are described to represent an important reader pro-motion tool for Public Libraries. At the same time the typical reading group member is often described as a per-son with a familiarity of reading. Another purpose is therefore to investigate the contribution of reading groups in promoting reading, according to librarian‟s conceptions. A phenomenographic approach was adopted and qualit-ative interviews were carried out with five librarians at five Public Libraries. The phenomenographic analysis of the interview-material, concerning reading groups impact on its partici-pants and the Library as a whole, resulted in the following categories: reading groups perceives as a natural part of the Public Library service, reading groups inspirer to reading and literature interest, reading groups leads to human interactions and shared reading experiences, reading groups has a democratic function, limitations of reading groups and reading groups part in reading promotion. Comparisons have also been made to how reading groups fit the Public Library task, as it is described in Swedish Library law and Unesco‟s Public Library manifes-to. The analysis of the interview-material shows that reading groups in many ways fit the task of Public Library service, like promoting literature and reading, supporting individual development and be available to everyone. The phenomenographical analysis of the interview-material, concerning the librarian‟s part in reading groups, resulted in the following categories: administrator, educator, social inspirer and competence and interest for fiction. Comparisons are also made to Jofrid Karner Smidts thesis concerning the five different roles a libra-rian should fulfill working with literature promotion. Based on her thesis it´s foremost the librarian as a critic and literature expert, educator and as ordinary person that correspond with the interviewed librarians perceptions about what part they play and should play in reading groups. One distinct conception that transpired in the interview-material is that reading groups organized by Swe-dish Public Libraries do not necessarily have a specific reading promotion purpose, but that reading groups have potential to have a positive impact on the participants reading habits. Further that more active work from the librarians is required, in order to fulfill a reading promotion function. One of this thesis most important conclu-sions is that there seems to exist a need to make the literature-promotion task of Public Libraries more visible, that it is important that librarians is given the opportunity to develop their competence to fulfill this task and that reading groups can fulfill an important aspect in that context. This study is a two years master´s thesis in library and information science.

This paper deals with an object donated by a group of members of the public to the Royal Armoury in Stockholm, Sweden. The donators claimed to own a horse bit that had been used by King Gustav II Adolf's mount in the battle of Lützen, where the King was killed. The bit was a gift to the donators' ancestor, the farmer and politician Petter Jönsson, from the King of Sweden, Oscar I, in the 1850's. In this paper, the donated bit is examined and found unlikely to be the bit used at Lützen. The examination also revealed that the bit now worn by the horse in its display is a prop, included in the group of objects in the 19th century, and that the original bit probably was lost in a fire in 1648. The examination also raises questions on why this bit was considered a valuable gift, what consequences the gift transaction of the bit had for giver and reviever. It ends with a discussion about the donated bit and the bit in the display, and their roles at the museum in the future.

In the decades leading up to the First World War, the Swedish army (as the rest of Swedish society) was greatly influenced by Germany (i.e. subject primarily to Prussian military influence). German equipment was purchased and German training methods and ways of organizing military units were copied. Apart from such easily discernible traces of German influence, the Swedish officer corps - according to earlier research - harboured sympathies for Germany and the German Army. But did the German influences, and the sympathies for Germany, also result in a professional bias – i.e. in a lack of professional objectivity? The purpose of this essay is to examine whether the officer corps of the Swedish army in the period 1900-1914 managed to achieve a level of professional objectivity, i.e. if it in a systematic way endeavoured to study the military development in other countries than Germany. Earlier research has shown that Swedish officers travelled to all major European countries in order to study a wide range of subjects. The essay connects on to these results but also strives to examine the study tours as well as the officers who undertook them in greater depth. The author examines reports written by Swedish officers who studied in France between 1900 and 1914 as well as contemporary army lists.  In the essay two main questions are raised: 1. Which were the subjects for Swedish military study tours to France before the First World War? 2. Which categories of officers (rank, posting, career etc.) undertook such tours? The following main results are presented: A very wide range of subjects were studied – all relevant to Swedish military development of that time. The coverage of subjects was probably due to a systematic approach from the army authorities responsible for the approval of money for the tours. The officers who studied abroad were drawn from various units and backgrounds. The result of the examination of contemporary army lists shows that a high percentage of them later enjoyed successful military careers (e.g. what seems to be a higher than average percentage were later promoted to the rank of full colonel) – and that the army put the knowledge acquired abroad to use. An indication of the latter is that many of them, after having studied abroad, were given postings with a connection to the subjects they had studied in France. All in all, the results indicate that the Swedish officer corps achieved a level of professional objectivity in spite of the strong German influences of that time.

A Journey from the Wordless is a study of the development of the author’s own professional knowledge.  After an introductory chapter on theory and method, there are four chapters treating of the author`s academic training as an artist (Ch. 2), a presentation and analysis of his own exhibitions (Ch. 3), a chapter on a cooperative effort entitled Pompeii in Time and Space (Ch. 4), and a concluding discussion of the nature of personal knowledge (Ch. 5). Questions are addressed concerning artistic knowledge; how it is built and transferred and how it is developed and transformed. Since the author`s own professional knowledge is the object of the research, special perspectives on personal experience emerges that otherwise would be difficult to articulate. The thesis is also a contribution to the debate surrounding artistic research in the visual arts, focusing on the importance of reflection and analysis in art education and creative art work.

My thesis is a study of how the perception of booktalk aimed at kids and youngsters in the Swedish educational system has changed between 1932 and 2007. A discursive reading of articles in the magazine Biblioteksbladet provides the basis for my investigation. The thesis argues that an older "authoritaritan" and "traditional" discourse has given way for a more modern, "anti-authoritaritan" and "lust"-directed discourse. The older discourse was designed to make sure that young people were provided with a certain well-defined quantity of "approved" literature. The new discourse stresses the importance of fostering kids and youngsters with a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards reading in general. However the new discoruse is not without conflicts of its own, som e of which are addressed in this thesis. In order to provide for a basis of method concerning the making of a discursive reading of the articles of Biblioteksbladet included in the investigation are several discourse analytical perspectives such as amongst others that of Michel Foucault discussed in the thesis.

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<p>Uppsatsen tar upp frågan om döden inom den epikureiska filosofin. Det visar sig att frågan kan delas upp i flera frågor. Dessa delfrågor kring döden är kopplade till olika rädslor. Uppsatsen tar även upp hur frågan kring döden blir bron mellan metafysiken och etiken inom den epikureiska filosofin. Uppsatsens huvudpunkt är utredningen av Lucretius, <em>De rerum natura</em>. Uppsatsen följer Lucretius argumentation kring naturen, världen och universums uppbyggnad , gudarnas förehavanden och till slut döden som en icke-händelse och därför inget att frukta.</p><p>För att förstå Lucretius bör man även studera Epikuros originaltexter.</p><p>Frågan är om<em> </em>Lucretius argument tillför någonting nytt inom den epikureiska filosofin, eller om Lucretius endast omformulerar och ger nya liknelser kring det som redan står att finna i Epikuros originaltexter.</p><p>Uppsatsens slutsats blir att Lucretius egentligen inte tillför någonting nytt och att Epikuros argument om döden som en icke-händelse står sig bra.</p> / <p>The purpose of this essay is to examine the question of death within the epicurean philosophy. The main question can be divided into part questions. These part questions are connected to different fears. The essay also discusses how the question of death becomes the bridge between metaphysics and ethics within the epicurean philosophy. The essay’s main focus is the examination of Lucretius, <em>De rerum natura.</em> The essay follows Lucretius argumentation about the construction of nature, the word and universe, the whereabouts of the gods and finally death as a non-event and therefore nothing to fear.</p><p>To understand Lucretius one also has to study the original texts written by Epicurus. The question is if Lucretius argument adds anything new to the epicurean philosophy, or if Lucretius only rephrases and comes up with new metaphores about what already is found in the original texts by Epicurus.</p><p>The essay’s conclusions are that Lucretius doesn’t add anything new, and that Epicurus original argumentation about death as a non-event is strong.</p>