This case study described how a simple, low cost survey of library users was conducted at the Engineering Library of the University of Saskatchewan in order to better understand user needs and prepare for the service and space planning. The results show that students wanted more computers, more group and individual study space, and longer library hours. Based on the results, quick actions have been taken. The results also provided valuable information for the planning of the rejuvenation of the Engineering Library. Allowing each member of the team to showcase their talents, this project was a great team building exercise, and resulted a stronger , more cohesive working environment.

In our digitalized world, there are ongoing discussions about the public library as a physical place and if it still has a role in our society. Even though many public libraries in Sweden and other western countries are being closed because of political and economic cuts, people still visit the public library. This gives an indication that the library is important not only as a place to borrow books, but as a physical place. This study will try to find answers to how the library space is being used by the visitors by examining when people come to the library, what people do in the library and who these people are. To find answers to these questions, empirical data based upon observations of the library space has been collected. The method of observation used was the TTTmethod (Track the Traffic) developed by the Norwegian scientist Tord Høivik. The TTT-method is a simple method to observe how the different spaces of the library are being used by walking through all the spaces in the library whilst observing what activities are being done. This is repeated at certain times during the library’s opening hours and over a certain period. In this study, the observations were done in three different time-intervals during the day (morning, daytime and evening), over a twoweek period and resulted in 779 registered observations. These data will be analysed in relation to the four space-model developed by the Danish scientist Dorte Skot-Hansen. The model specifies four overall goals of the public library which are experience, involvement, empowerment and innovation and the different possibilities, described in the model as spaces, that the library can offer to fulfil these goals. These four spaces are inspiration, learning, meeting and performative space. In this study, the space that is mostly used, is knowledge, but in the daytime and the evening, the meeting space is also often used. The activities registered are mostly done by adult people. Children and young people are not often observed in the library-space, which gives an indication that this group, which is a priority in the Swedish library act, is not being attended to as it should be according to this. It is also a quite interesting result that activities done by young people often are activities done in a group of people.

Flera studier visar att en del ungdomar har en negativ och föråldrad inställning till vad folkbiblioteket är och erbjuder. Till detta framkommer det även att folkbibliotekarier tycker att ungdomar är en svår målgrupp att arbeta mot. Dock har folkbiblioteken en vägledande roll när det kommer till utvecklandet av barn och ungdomars läsförmåga och kunskapsinhämtning där det finns studier som visar att utformningen av biblioteksrummet påverkar ungdomars läsning. Därför är syftet med denna studie att undersöka hur folkbibliotekarier arbetar med målgruppen ungdomar genom sitt arbete med biblioteksrummet och hur detta arbete är tänkt att påverka ungdomars läsning. I denna studie har semistrukturerade samtalsintervjuer används som metod tillsammans med en miniobservation för att samla in empiriskt mateiral ifrån sju folkbibliotek. Resultatet för denna stuide har analyserats genom ett rumsligt teoretiskt ramverk med Henri Lefebvres rumsliga enhetsteori. Studiens resultat visar att det är viktigt att arbeta med biblioteksrummet för att kunna påverka ungdomars läsning. För att kunna arbeta läsfrämjande med målgruppen ungdomar behöver man utforma biblioteksrummet som en trygg plats med låga trösklar och skapa relationer till ungdomarna. / Several studies show that some young people have a negative and outdated attitude towards what the public library is and offers. In addition, it appears that public librarians think that young people are a difficult target group to work with. However, public libraries have a guiding role when it comes to the development of children´s and young people´s reading ability and knowledge acquisition, where are studies that show that the design of the library room affects young people´s reading. Therefore, the purpose of this studiy is to investigate how public librarians work with the target group of young people through their work with the library room and how this work is intended to affect young people´s reading. In this study, semi-structured interviews have been used as a method together with a mini-observation to collect empirical material from seven public libraries. The results of this study have been analyzed through a spatial theoretical framework with Henri Lefebvre´s spatial theory of unity. The resutls of the study show that it is important to work with the library space in order to influence young people´s reading. To be able to work to promote reading with the target group of young people, you need to design the library room as a safe place with low thresholds and create relationships with the young people.

The focus of this two year master’s thesis in Library- and Information science is the study of two Swedish Public Library buildings with the examples Lomma and Halmstad. The main goal and purpose of the thesis is to try to uncover which views and values of the public library are expressed in the examined libraries; and to what extent these views manifests are shown in its architecture. The theoretical framework is based on Raymond Williams’s cultural concepts of effective, dominant culture and the two extremities of this culture, called residual and emergent cultures. A second aspect is Yi-Fu Tuans concepts of Space and Place. The study also uses a historical background of Swedish Public Library Buildings. By close reading and textual analyses, the empirical study focuses on the municipalities’ documents surrounding the building of the library buildings in Lomma and Halmstad. The architectural perspective is studied through the architects own documents and architectural journals discussing the built Library Buildings. Results show that the technological advances of the time these libraries were built has put them in a position of change, which also is visible in the architecture. The libraries in Lomma and Halmstad function as civic icons of the community and the architecture is very dependent of the places where they are situated. The expressions of the two libraries differ in details but the overall result show that the values exhibited behind the building of the examined libraries is a part of a historical residual culture, functioning as effective and dominant. The conclusion of the thesis is that the expression of the architecture is however a part of an emergent culture. The buildings aim to comprise the values and display the diverse causes in its architecture. The buildings seek to manifest the ideal activity and working of the modern Public Library.

近幾年，青少年在國內圖書館逐漸受到重視，臺灣許多公共圖書館分別成立規劃出青少年空間，有的是圖書館新建立的，有的是重新整建後的。由於臺灣公共圖書館目前尚未有針對圖書館規劃的青少年空間設計指南，因此本研究將從美國青少年圖書館服務學會出版的〈國家青少年空間指南〉作為公共圖書館在規劃青少年空間的參考依據。希望能了解青少年使用專屬空間的需求與滿意度，規劃出我國青少年空間設計指南，除了提供公共圖書館未來在規劃青少年專屬空間時的參考依據，也能讓圖書館更加重視青少年族群之需求，規劃出更為完善的服務，提高青少年對公共圖書館青少年空間的滿意度，吸引更多潛在的青少年使用者利用圖書館。本研究之研究目的為：（1）探討青少年需求與圖書館青少年空間設計原則；（2）探討青少年對圖書館專屬空間之使用情形與滿意度；（3）探討青少年使用圖書館專屬空間的滿意度影響因素；（4）探討青少年空間改造後的成效。 本研究透過深度訪談及問卷調查探討青少年利用公共圖書館專屬空間之需求與情形，以及其對專屬空間之滿意度與影響因素，建構出四構面28項指標，作為公共圖書館未來在規劃與評估青少年專屬空間時的參考。本研究提出之研究結論如下：（1）最多青少年閱讀的課外讀物類型為小說、漫畫與期刊/雜誌；最多青少年喜愛的資訊主題為休閒娛樂、流行文化與旅遊；（2）青少年每月平均閱讀課外讀物的數量以1-2本最多；平均閱讀時間以1-2小時為主；最多人閱讀課外讀物原因為個人興趣、打發時間、休閒娛樂；（3）青少年使用圖書館的頻率以每週一次最多；使用圖書館青少年空間的頻率以每月至少一次最多；使用青少年空間的原因多為讀書自修或準備考試、閱讀與借閱書籍、環境舒適；（4）青少年最常使用的書籍主題以小說、漫畫、文學/散文為主；最常使用設施與服務為閱讀桌椅與沙發；（5）四館青少年認為青少年空間最重要的服務前五名為滿足我安靜閱讀學習、光線照明充足、安全的場所、乾淨舒適、書籍陳列方式讓我容易找到、書籍種類及數量滿足我的需求；（6）分析四館青少年最滿意的服務項目前五名，發現四館青少年皆滿意青少年為安全的場所、及時找到館員協助；四館青少年皆不滿意青少年空間提供的娛樂項目與飲食需求，以及進行藝術創作；（7）透過四象限圖分析，四館使用者皆迫切需要改善的項目為書籍陳列方式讓我容易找到；（8）28項指標中，尤其在青少年空間的規劃與設計，國中皆較高中（職）認為重要；國資圖使用者特別在青少年空間滿足我飲食需求較其他三館認為重要；（9）級別與館別是影響青少年空間使用滿意度的因素之一；（10）與2012年朱懿幰以及2013強美玟的研究比較，整體來看發現青少年仍希望青少年空間能滿足其在安靜閱讀學習與社交的需求。埔里鎮立圖書館青少年對於空調、閱讀桌椅、資訊查詢仍感到不滿意；（11）四館青少年對圖書館空間改造後感到滿意。 針對本研究的結論，提出以下幾點建議：（1）四間圖書館皆應加強青少年空間的書籍陳列方式；（2）國立臺灣圖書館應重新審視青少年空間提供的環境動線與空間設計；（3）新北市青少年圖書館應加強改善青少年空間的隔音設備，確保能滿足不同使用者的需求；（4）國立公共資訊圖書館應加強青少年空間網路的穩定性；（5）埔里鎮立圖書館應加強青少年空間的空調溫度。 / In recent years, young adults are getting increasingly attention in Taiwan’s libraries. Many public libraries in Taiwan have set up space for young adults, some of which are newly established, and some are re-established. Because there are not space design guidelines about library arrangement for young adults in the public libraries in Taiwan, this research will be based on “The National Teen Space Guidelines,” published by Young Adult Library Services Association in America to arrange young adult spacein public libraries in Taiwan. This study hopes to understand the needs and satisfaction of young adults using young adult space, and to contribute to space design guidelines for young adults in Taiwan's libraries. In addition, this study hopes to provide reference of future arrangement of young adults’ space to public libraries, and to let libraries turn more attention to the needs of young people, and design more comprehensive services to gain young people's satisfaction and to attract more potential young people to use library. The main purposes of the research are as follows: (1) to investigate young adults’ needs and establish principles behind young adult space in libraries; (2) to inquire into satisfaction and circumstances of young adult readers using young adult space in libraries; (3) to investigate the influencing factors behind young adults’ satisfaction with young adult space in libraries; (4) to investigate the effect of the reformation of young’s space. Through questionnaires and interviews, this study investigates young adults’ needs and usage of young adult space in public libraries, their satisfaction with young adult space, and influencing factors behind their satisfaction with young adult space to build four dimensions including 28 indicators for reference to future design of young adult space in public libraries. The statistical analyses of the retrieved questionnaires indicate the following conclusions: (1) the types of books young adults read most frequently are novels, comics and journals/magazines; their favorite topics are recreation, popular cultures and tourism; (2) teenagers usually read two books for extracurricular reading monthly; their average reading time is one or two hours; most of their purposes are personal interests, killing time, and entertainment. (3) the frequency of young adults' use of libraries is once a week; the frequency of young adults' use of young adult space is once a month; the reasons for young adults using young adult space are self-studying or preparing for examinations, reading and borrowing books, and its comfortable environment; (4) the categories of books young adults read most frequently mainly are fiction, comics, and literature/prose; the mostly-used facilities and services are reading tables and sofas; (5) the top five satisfaction items among the four public libraries are “It can satisfy my needs of reading/learning without any disturbance,” “It can provide sufficient light,” “It is a safe, clean and comfortable place,” “Its book arrangement lets me easily find books,” and “The categories and quantity of books can meet my needs.” (6) The analysis of the top five satisfactory services shows that teenagers of the four libraries unanimously agree with the items of “It is a safe place,” and “I can seek help from librarians in time;” on the other hand, they are unanimously unsatisfied with the recreation service, dining space as well as artistic creation; (7) through the four-quadrant map analysis, users of four libraries are in urgent need of the improvement in the item “Its book arrangement lets me easily find books.” (8) among the 28 indicators, junior high school students consider “plan and design of young adult space” more important than senior ones; users of young adult space in National Library of Public Information especially think “It meets my dining needs” more important than users of the other three libraries; (9) "different levels of school and different libraries" is one of the factors that influences the satisfaction of young adults; (10) compared with the study of Chu, Yi-Hsien (2012) and Chiwang, Mei-Wen (2013), teenagers generally hope that young adult space can meet their requirement for studying without any disturbance and socializing. Teenagers in Puli Library are still unsatisfied with air conditioning, reading tables and chairs, and searches for information; (11) teenagers in four libraries are all satisfied with the library space after rearrangement. According to the conclusions, the study suggests as the follows: (1) the four libraries should rearrange the displays of books in youth space; (2) National Taiwan Library should re-examine the environment and space design of its youth space; (3) New Taipei City Teenager Library should improve sound insulation of its youth space, to meet users needs; (4) National Library of Public Information should improve the stability of networks in its youth space; (5) Puli Library should reducethe temperature of its youth space.

Denna kvalitativa studie ämnar till att undersöka hur bibliotek som plats verkar för barns rättigheter i samhället, och hur bibliotekarier inom olika bibliotekstyper ser på detta. Det empiriska materialet består av en kortare dokumentstudie av tre styrdokument för biblioteksverksamheten i Stockholms stad, samt två intervjuer med personal på ett folkbibliotek och ett barnbibliotek. Med en beskrivande idéanalys analyseras det empiriska materialet med hjälp av teoretiska verktyg från Giroux’s teori om gränspedagogik och radikal demokrati. Som komplement har även begreppen barnperspektiv och barns perspektiv lyfts in som teoretiska verktyg. Studien visar att bibliotekarier tänker på liknande sätt kring barns rättigheter och bibliotek som plats, men att skillnaderna i arbetet mot barns rättigheter i rummet ligger i utrymmet och de resurser biblioteket har. Studiens centrala slutsatser är att barns rättigheter bör vara en grundbult i biblioteksverksamheten för barn, att barnens eget inflytande får ta plats, och att relationsskapande och trygghet är viktiga komponenter. Även att skapa separatistiska platser för barnen och att personalens barnperspektiv formats utefter barnens perspektiv. / This qualitative study aims to examine how the public library can function as a place for children’s rights, and librarians’ views on this. The empirical material is based on a shorter document study of three governing documents for the City of Stockholm, and two interviews with personnel at a public library and a children’s library. The empirical material is analyzed with a descriptive idea analysis, using theoretical tools based on Giroux’s theory on border pedagogy and radical democracy. As a complementary theoretical tool, the concept of child perspective and children’s perspective have also been brought in. The study shows that librarians’ thoughts about children’s rights and the library as place is similar, but that there is a difference in the work towards children’s rights which lie in the space of the room and the resources given. Central conclusions of the study show that children’s rights should be a cornerstone of library operations towards children, that children’s own influence is allowed to take place, and that creating relationships and safety are important components. As well as creating separate places only for the children, and that the child perspective is shaped with the children’s perspective in mind.

The thesis is intended to assess the contribution of the public library service to the creation of social capital to reduce poverty. However, in research studies targeting this subject, the lack of empirical research is continuously mentioned or suggestions are made that more qualitative studies could shed more insight on the creation of social capital in public libraries. The concept of social capital or rather how it is created in public libraries leads to the complexity of understanding the creation thereof in public libraries, while continuous suggestions are that more qualitative studies would give light on its creation in public libraries and also in other subject disciplines (Aguilar & Sen 2009: 425; Halpern 2005: 1; Lin 2001: 3). However, to find clarity about what social capital is, the study focuses on Pierre Bourdieu’s description of social capital. Pierre Bourdieu is known as one of the first social scientists who tried to understand the concept of social capital (Bourdieu 2005: 1). The public library from a social capital viewpoint is a trustworthy social network where people have access to resources to benefit their socio-economic development. The presence of social capital is visible in every aspect of life and for that reason it is not uncommon for social capital to have an effect on unemployment, mental health and social empowerment (Thompson 2015). Social capital is a recognisable term in Library and Information Science (LIS) literature (Stilwell 2016: 54; Strand 2016: 144; Skelly 2014: 2; Aabø, Audunson & Vårheim 2010:16; Hart 2007:22; Bhandar, Pan & Tan 2007:263). However, the idea that social capital in libraries exists may not be recognised, such as in the case of the book Bowling alone, authored by Robert Putnam (Putnam 1995:22). Public libraries fulfil the role of social capital in two ways: connecting individuals and the community with their library services and programmes and promoting the staff-patron interactions that attempt to create patron trust in the library. Feldman (2009: 5) illustrates the notion of social capital in the library as generated through library services and programmes that could contribute towards empowerment, skills development, happy families and positive economic growth (Feldman 2009:5). The study is an sequential explanatory mixed methods study. There were three data collections methods use. Questionnaires with mostly close-ended questions, interviews and official documents. The research participants were 115 library patrons and 58 library staff of the Emfuleni Local Municipality Library and Information Service. The researcher found several explanations on the creation of social capital, but none had measurable outcomes that could illustrate the societal value of public libraries, apart from one, which was to build a trusting relationship between the library, staff and patrons. Hence, through Vårheim’s (2014: 68) observation about trust and patron attendance, library programmes were identified as the measurable outcome to rationalise the importance of the public library and the value of libraries and library staff. In such a case, the societal value of libraries can be understood. Through the correct measuring instruments that were identified in this study, public libraries address the creation of social capital that makes it possible to show that public library services support lifelong learning and workforce development. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)