The aim of this study is to see how the Swedish school libraries are affected by influence from other parties, such as teachers, principles and guardians. The research is based on surveys that were sent to school librarians who cater to students in the span of preschool to ninth grade in Swedish schools. Where they answerd questions surrounding removal or relocation of materials, collection development, purchase of materials and the librarians own view on their collection. The theory that will be used to analyze these questions is David Loertschers Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program. In this study referred to as Loertschers Taxonomies. That describes several levels of the school library operatives and the librarian. The results show that the librarians have the responsibility for what materials are in the library, they choose what will be purchased and added to the library collections. It also shows the librarians believe they have a diverse collection that is procured and designed for the students and other staff in the school, according to the librarians.

For a school library to function as a support for the students’ development of their academic abilities, it must provide material satisfying their needs as well as the needs of the teachers. The school library should assist the students in their research endeavours, as well as inspire reading for pleasure. In order to do this it is imperative that the school library actively develops the existing collection and continually strives to meet the needs of its users. The aim of this Master’s thesis is to describe and reflect upon how a particular school library works with collection development. The study focuses on the material present in a specific library, i.e. the books and other media types used or sought there, and directly influences that library as the material is reviewed, organised and/or discarded. To collect data for the thesis an action research inspired strategy was used, mainly drawing inspiration from the four defining characteristics of action research as described by Martyn Denscombe: Practical (aimed at dealing with real-world issues), Change, Cyclical process (initial findings generate possibilities for change which, once implemented, form the basis for further investigation), and Participation (practitioners are involved in the research process). The study involves practical work at the school library in question, mapping the collection and reviewing user needs, which led to decisions regarding weeding and procurement. The updated collection was then evaluated through interviews with students and faculty. As a result of the study a policy for collection development was formulated to support further collection development in the studied school library. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The aim of this thesis is to examine the term balanced collection in relation to Swedish laws and the democratic assignment. The Unesco Public Library Manifesto states that libraries are to formulate a policy defining objectives, priorities and services in relation to local community needs. The Swedish Libraries Act, paragraph 7, states that municipalities and counties shall adopt plans for library services. To fulfil our aim we will answer the following questions. By which terms is the democratic assignment visible in Swedish public libraries collection development policies? Is the term balanced collection used in Swedish public libraries collection development policies? If not, are there categories describing balanced collection? Do the terms in Swedish collection development policies differ to the six categories found by Farooq M. Ali in English-speaking literature? And if so, what does this difference suggest? The method used is a qualitative content analysis and we solely examine Swedish public libraries and their written collection development policies – we have not conducted any follow-up interviews. The six different categories found by Farooq M. Ali are analysed in correlation to our coding of the terms stated in the collection development policies of Swedish public libraries. Our survey shows that Ali’s six categories are not that common in Swedish public libraries collection development policies but that there are other categories and terms with the same significance. The most common categories are books, media, representation and the category not violence, pornography or racism. The two least common categories are weeding and demand. / Uppsatsnivå: D