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The aim of this master's thesis is to examine how shelving is organized among Swedish libraries that have switched from the Swedish classification system SAB to using the DDC, and what problems arise in this process. The method used is interviewing librarians at Swedish university and special libraries. The Swedish national library announced their swap to the DDC in 2008, and several libraries followed suit. The reported advantages with a switch were mainly that using an international classification system meant that Swedish libraries would no longer have to undertake a time consuming classification work, since most of the foreign literature already is Dewey classified. Disadvantages were that the DDC is not adapted to Swedish circumstances. Research on open shelving show that obtaining a browsable book collection requires a broad shelf classification. If libraries motivate their shelving solution by wanting browsable collections, efforts will be made to keep shelf classification broad enough. Certain categories have by tradition been shelved separately in Swedish libraries, and this study seeks to find out if a classification shift changes this custom, and if so, whether or not this is only attributable to the change of classification. Findings show that libraries motivated their swapping of classification mostly by the perceived flaws of the SAB system, and not by the promise of saving time, nor by the benefits of the DDC system. Most librarians seemed to lack sufficient knowledge of the DDC, which may be a reason why librarians claimed that the workload necessary to re-shelve the stock was the biggest drawback with switching to the DDC. Most libraries desired browsable shelves, and therefore used shelf lists to better be able to adapt the classification system to the stock. The custom of shelving certain categories separately survived the classification swap for some categories, but not for others. In the latter case this can be ascribed to a dwindling use of these specific categories by the patrons.

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The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine how libraries can organize their collections in terms of library shelving and displays and to what extent these activities stem from a desire to create a user-friendly library. The thesis is based upon a case study of Arkenbiblioteket in Sweden and the material consists of a literature study and qualitative, semi-structured interviews with three librarians at Arkenbiblioteket. The theoretical framework consists of theories on information-seeking behavior, classification and displays. These theories form the basis of the analysis of the empirical material.The main reason for the changes in shelf arrangement at Arkenbiblioteket was a desire among the library staff to create a user-friendly library. Their experience of the previously used SAB classification system was that it was outdated and suited neither the collection nor the users’ information-seeking behavior. Many Swedish libraries have recently decided to change from SAB classification to the internationally used Dewey decimal classification. This, however, was not an option for Arkenbiblioteket as the staff believed that DDC, with its classification’s notation based on Arabic numerals, was likewise ill-suited for their users. As a result they created their own classification and shelving system using text in plain and colours for each category. Furthermore, the staff at Arkenbiblioteket focuses on library displays with commercial inspiration from bookshops. They work with face-front displaying techniques to inspire users. In conclusion, both the new shelving system and the library displays are designed to suit the users and their information-seeking behavior, whether they are conducting a specific search or merely browsing. The feedback from users on the new shelving system has been mainly positive.This study is a two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

Introduction. The Apple shelf is an established concept at public libraries in Sweden. These shelves contain accessible books and other media for disabled people of varying ages. A recent discussion within the librarian profession challenges the name – is there a better alternative to “The Apple shelf”? Our study aimed to gather both librarian and target group opinions of the current name and its suggested alternatives, and attempts to understand potential stigmatization with the application of Goffmans stigma theory.      Method. A multimethod (triangulation) approach was applied to collect data. An online survey was sent to all public libraries in the regions of Västerbotten, Västmanland and Uppsala; semi-structured interviews were conducted with librarians, parents of disabled children, and a disabled youth accompanied by an aide; and an instance of participant observation was done in a network meeting setting. Recorded and transcribed interviews, survey responses, and meeting notes respectively formed the basis for the study’s analysis.  Analysis. A qualitative thematic analysis of the collected data found 4 common themes: (1) User and Target Group, (2) Name, (3) Shelf Arrangement, and (4) Awareness and Marketing. Goffman’s stigma theory was applied to each theme to highlight stigmatization risks related to both the existing name and proposed alternatives. Results. The Apple Shelf caters to a wider audience than originally intended. Both the current ”Apple Shelf” name and its proposed alternatives have advantages and disadvantages related to stigmatization.  Conclusion. Regardless of what name is chosen for Apple shelf it must be explained and marketed to the public. We argue that including disabled people in library changes, as well as actively updating and promoting the shelf locally, are more important than this change of name.     This is a two-year master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.