The purpose of this study is to explore the possibilities for children’s librarians to extend their competence in the area of reading promotion. The study is carried out within an ongoing reading promotion project directed towards small children from 0-7 years. The study aims to answer the following questions: How do children’s librarians develop new skills in a reading promotion project? How do children’s librarians view a broadening of the concept of reading and how does their approach affect which skills that are acknowledged?The study is mainly based on qualitative interviews with five children´s librarians who all participate in the project. The theory used is Etienne Wenger´s social theory of learning where he defines learning as a process of social participation in Communities of Practice. The result shows that librarians value the sharing of experiences with colleagues in both informal and more formal discussions. Lectures, workshops and interaction with other professionals also contribute to new competencies according to the librarians. The interviewees emphasize the importance of understanding that children develop an interest in reading in different ways. The printed book is central when working with children but the interview subjects stress that reading can be further stimulated by using pictures, sound, singing and movement in activities that promote reading / Program: Bibliotekarie

The aim of this study is to examine how school librarians and teachers look upon collaboration between their professions in reading promotion projects, trying to identify challenges and opportunities and important views school librarians and teachers have on each other's profession. The questions the study tries to answer are:  What opportunities for collaboration in reading promotion projects do school librarians and teachers see? What challenges for collaboration in reading promotion projects do school librarians and teachers see? What views of the different professions are made visible in the reasoning of school librarians and teachers? The method used in the study is interviews with school librarians and teachers. The analysis is based on the theory of collaborative dimensions presented by Folkesson: the professional dimension (professional identity and professional culture); the power dimension; the legitimacy dimension. The results of the study shows that both teachers and school librarians believe that long-term planning is key to create good cooperation, but lack of time and the teacher's more scheduled working day becomes an obstacle. Both professions express a clear view of each other's competencies that is characterized by respect and trust, but also describes the roles a bit stereotypically. Both professions think the principal's commitment and participation is very important for legitimizing the school librarian's role in school work.

The purpose of this thesis was to study why public libraries and athletic clubs want to collaborate and how the collaboration can promote reading to children and young people. The Swedish Arts Council granted three million Swedish crowns to public libraries and athletic clubs that collaborated during 2013 and 2014. The outcome was several reading promotional projects directed towards children and young people active in athletic clubs. A qualitative content analysis has been made on the project applications. The findings were that through collaborating with athletic clubs the libraries seek to address a target group hard to reach, develop new collaboration forms and partners. Children and teenagers will learn the importance of reading by educating coaches, trainers and parents to be reading role models. The projects seek to make reading easy and fun. This was accomplished by meeting the participants in an environment they feel comfortable in and turning reading into a part in their everyday life. Some of the methods being used in the projects are reading competitions, book discussions, encouraging storytelling and writing together with easily accessible literature in several formats, for example audiobooks. The collaboration form differs from project to project; some projects have a clear division between the two parts. Others seek to have a close collaboration using each other’s qualification to create a long-lasting collaboration that profits everyone involved.

The thesis consists of an empirically based qualitative content analysis of four Swedish reading promotion program reports of concluded and evaluated public library run reading promotion programs aimed at children and young adults. The empirical material was confronted with research findings in reading promotion activities. While there is plenty of research concerning reading motivation, there is less research available to understand how this crucial reading motivational work for children is conducted by public libraries and which research-based reading promotion methods the government-funded projects are based on. Considering also the fact that reading promotion activities for children are sustained and regulated by Swedish law. The scope of this thesis is to seek to elucidate those research-based reading promotion activities that have proved helpful to children and young adults´ reading enjoyment and intrinsic reading motivation and also suggest areas where improvements can be made in the interest of children and young adults. Thus, special attention is given to a child-centered perspective in the analysis of the reading promotion projects. The child-centered perspective being especially relevant today as on January 1st, 2020 the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Act became law in Sweden. Findings confirmed expectations that the reading promotion programs were, indeed, for the greater part, research-based. As for the child-centered perspective there is still more work, and research, to be done in order to integrate the literacies of last year with current literacies. Hopefully, the findings of this thesis will aid the librarian in planning reading promotion activities for children and young adults supported by scientifically based research.