The aim of this thesis is to explore the relationship between the surrounding world and the library with respect to the library’s need to provide a Library 2.0 web site. We also explore the relationship between the physical and the virtual library. Our research objects are the public libraries of Stockholm and the Umeå region, that maintain the web sites Biblioteket.se and minabibliotek.se respectively. By applying Dorte Skot-Hansen's theory of rationales we found that the Stockholm public library is acting in accordance with the experience rationale, whereas the libraries of Umeå are influenced by the instrumental rationale. Furthermore, by applying Antonio Gramsci’s theories of hegemony and struggle for power and neo-institutional theory to our data, we conclude that these libraries are strongly influenced by the surrounding society to provide Library 2.0 web sites in order to maintain their position within the library field and possibly to be considered foremost in that field. By failing to implement a Library 2.0 web our research objects would risk losing their positions within the library field, a declining influence in the cultural hegemony, fewer visitors and a reduced budget. We also found that the relationship between the physical and the virtual library has not been evaluated. Furthermore we found that the web sites do not make any impact on the physical libraries. These two findings might be due to the so far rather immature implementations. / Program: Bibliotekarie

This Bachelor's thesis examines and describes the ideas and ideological traits surrounding the public library within the governmental cultural policy. The Bachelor's thesis demonstrates how the public library – even though its relevance in the modern society has shifted over time – has maintained a connection to the governmental cultural policy and has therefore been shaped by the ideological changes in the political sphere as a whole. The main issues are: Which ideas concerning the public library's functions are expressed in the governmental cultural policy? Which ideological tendencies can be identified in the national cultural policy? Which ideas concerning the public library can be extracted through the found ideological tendencies? The method used in order to study the governmental bill is an ideology analysis based on a framework created by Dorte Skot-Hansen. The conceptual framework is used to represent three municipal cultural political rationales – the humanistic, the sociological and the instrumental – which in the ideal types are based on the ideological tendencies of the Scandinavian cultural policy during the latter half of the twentieth century. The analysis shows that the governmental cultural policy has maintained some of its traditional values but they seem to be inferior to the new economic liberal tendencies. However, within these results the expressed ideas regarding the public library deviates from the ideological tendencies and portray a traditional and enlightening institution instead of the expected market adjusted institution.

This essay is about how the library can make a difference inintegrating the minority Roma people into the Swedish society.Roma people have been subjected to persecution anddiscrimination for a long time. In this essay, I examine theactivities, functions and capabilities of libraries that can have apositive effect for the integration of the Roma people. Myquestions are: How can libraries reach out to the Roma people andwhat function do the library have for the integration of the Romapeople? I have used Marianne Anderssons and Dorte Skot-Hansens theory the four functions of the library – the culutralcenter, the knowledge center, the information center and the socialcenter. Based on this theory, I have interpreted and analyzed thematerial that I have gathered through interviews and literaturestudies such as thesis, dissertations, repors and parliamentdocuments. The results of my studies show a predominance of twoof the four library functions – the cultural center and theknowledge center. It was largely about literature, learning andknowledge. Some informants associated the library only withbooks and silence, which can be a result of how the librarypromote itself. As the four functions overlap, activities can oftenbe interpreted from several angles. / Program: Bibliotekarie

This study aims mainly to investigate what kind of role the public library plays in the regional and local development. The aim is also to investigate how the public library can strengthen the role as a factor of regional and local development. To explore the subject, the study is focused on the Swedish region of Västra Götaland. Three officials along with two policy documents, are included in the study as representatives of the region. Four public library managers are also interviewed but as representatives of the local perspective. To investigate the role of the public library in the regional and local development in more than one dimension, the theoretical framework consists of three different theories, which are used to answer the three research questions of the study. A qualitative analysis is performed to examine the relationships between the rhetorical statements and the theories. The study reveals that the major motives of the public library to work with regional and local development, are following the labels of the theory, the motive of enlightment and the motive of social issues. The study also shows that several functions of the public library, such as being a center of knowledge, a center of culture and a center of social issues, are particularly linked to the regional and local development. It is also clear that the public libraries of Västra Götaland, have the potentials to develop into more powerful factors in the regional and local development. / Program: Bibliotekarie

This thesis reports on a study of official political documents for Falköping and Fagersta public libraries, aiming for a deeper understanding of how they were affected by local culture policy. The period researched is 1991 – 2001. The comprehensive questions were: how did the strategic plans of the two municipalities follow the development of cultural policy in Sweden during the period, and what differences appeared in the development of the strategic plans of the two municipalities during this period? A document analysis was conducted with an empirical focus on historical policy documents. The analysis was guided by a model by Dorte Skot-Hansen. The model served as an analytical tool while comparing the strategic documents of the two libraries. Skot-Hansen illustrates three different rationalities in relation to cultural policy; the humanistic, the sociological and the market oriented. The analysis showed that both Fagersta and Falköping mainly followed the market-oriented line in the Dorte Skot-Hansen model. The study also points put that the local cultural policy was influenced by a humanistic and sociological line of reasoning.

This study explores cultural activities aimed at the elderly in two Swedish municipalities, Karlstad and Örebro, and investigate what motivates them. These activities are mainly organized in the area of care or preventive activities. This study shows that these activities are aimed at contributing to a better mental and physical health for the elders. The analysis is based on cultural policy documents and shows that both municipalities’ rationales for their investments in culture for the elderly are founded in a belief that culture contribute to positive social and health benefits. Dorte Skot-Hansen’s dimensions of the humanistic, sociological, and instrumental rationales have been used to analyze the material. When specifically studying the rationales behind implementations, several rationales can be expressed simultaneously and may to some degree overlap.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine if the position of children’s culture in Swedish cultural politics has been affected by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) becoming Swedish law. The study analyse the cultural political strategies in four local and regional councils to see if they aligns with the UNCRC and highlights how these four councils are thinking in their ongoing work with their respective cultural political strategies, considering this new prerequisite. The study is based on an hermeneutic perspective, standing for qualitative systems of understanding and interpretation. The theoretical starting-point for the study is Dorte SkotHansen’s model defining three rationals which have dominated the local cultural policies the last decades. The methods I am using in the study is text analysis in the shape of idea analysis according to Skot-Hansens three culture political rationalities. The study also includes qualitative interviews in order to gain a deeper understanding for the cultural political strategies. The study is a comparing analysis of the UNCRC and the four strategies. The study shows a good correspondance between the culture plans and the UNCRC. The municipalities have in many ways implemented the UNCRC’s perspective on culture in their cultural political strategies already. However much of the work is still unclear as the implementation of the law is still in its infancy.

The aim of this study is to examine how and why public libraries use Facebook. Internet has changed how people interact with one another in society. This is also true for how public libraries are active on social media just as their users are. This study is based on two questions; How do public libraries work with Facebook? Which purposes does work with Facebook serve? Employees at eight different public libraries were interviewed. Analysis was made by using the four-space model by Jochumsen et al. The findings show that the work with Facebook is organised differently between the libraries, which is either by a group or one or two individuals. Number of posts, how they are written and when they post, vary among the participating libraries as well. Consistency in posting leads to more followers and success on Facebook. The findings also show that the main reason for public libraries to use Facebook is to promote their activities and services. A majority of the libraries wants to interact with their users, but it is difficult to achieve. Contrary to what has been written before about this subject, a majority of the informants agreed that time is not an issue as the work is planned to include time for Facebook.

The aim of this Master thesis is to describe why and how public librariesuse the social networks Facebook and Twitter. The focus is to study whatbrought about their use, how the work is carried out, ideas and objectivesbehind the use and what libraries actually convey on the networks. Themethodology is twofold: semi-structured interviews with responsiblepersonnel at four Swedish public libraries, and an ethnographic contentanalysis of four months of the libraries' status updates and tweets onFacebook and Twitter. The theoretical framework consists of a model forthe roles of the public library in society, and of discourses about thepublic library in media.Results indicate that social networks are used to market, make accessibleand inform of the library's resources and services. Furthermore, networksare used to communicate/interact with followers and to inspire people toread. We also detect a tutoring trait. Libraries also view social networksas a meeting place. What libraries do on the networks can be seen as anonline interpretation of traditional library goals. All four spaces from themodel for the new library – Inspiration, Learning, Meeting andPerformative – were represented in the objectives expressed in theinterviews. In what is conveyed on the networks focus lay on Inspirationand Meeting. Social networks also act as a place to market the physicallibrary. From a discourse perspective the study suggests that librariesexpress disidentification and demonstrate ability to remain open both todifferent media formats and different methods for library servicesdelivery. / Program: Bibliotekarie