A study of the reference service to children in the children's department of a large public library and in an integrated public and school library. A Danish investigation by Birgit Wanting has been used as a model for the study. Children's questions have been collected by the staff of the libraries and subjects, expressions and behaviour have been analyzed. The answers and the respons from the librarians are discussed. The results show that there are great differences between school-questions and children's own questions. The  schoolquestions are connected to the curnculum and the library must cooperate with the schools. Children's own questions concern all sorts of subjects and all sorts of material are needed. The children express themselves according to their development and the questions are often vague and undecided. The children's librarians devote a lot of work and time to find out what the children really are asking for. The investigated libraries play a very important role for children's own search for knowledge.

The purpose of this master’s thesis is to investigate children’s access to specific children’s activities at Swedish public libraries 2005. The thesis is based on literature studies and qualitative interviews with children’s librarians, library directors and local politicians at two demographically different libraries in Gothenburg.The sub questions are: What measures exist to promote children’s access to public libraries and children’s activities when it comes to: law and other political statements: different efforts on the state level and different efforts on the municipal level in the direct activity with children at public libraries? What driving forces and needs justify activities for children at public libraries? How will the responsible persons judge that the efforts are sufficient? The result of the study shows that children’s access to library activity has increased in the last couple of years due to reorganization, economic savings with closing down of library affiliates and because libraries have given priority to other things, like IT and new media. Children’s librarians have got new assignments and less time for children’s activity.The conclusion of our investigation is that children’s librarians are ambitious in their work, but unfortunately don’t give children’s library activity adequate resources. Maybe due to the unwillingness of library directors and politicians to give priority to any target group before another group, despite their commission that children shall be given priority at Swedish public libraries. / Uppsatsnivå: D