Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att studera folkbibliotekets ungdomsverksamhet genom att undersöka dess arbete med deltagarkultur som arbetssätt. Med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer intervjuas 6 yrkesverksamma personer som arbetar aktivt med ungdomar och/eller deltagarkultur i folkbibliotekssammanhang.    I intervjuerna beskrivs folkbibliotekets verksamhet och roll i relation till ungdomar som otydligt definierat. Det råder även delade uppfattningar om vad som anses vara bibliotekets egentliga uppdrag. Både verksamhet med fokus på litteratur och informationssökning så väl som verksamhet med syfte att ge social samvaro och öka individens aktiva deltagande i kulturproduktion framhålls som en del i bibliotekets ungdomsverksamhet. Biblioteket som en aktör med ett socialt ansvar att erbjuda ungdomar en meningsfull fritid återkommer som tema i det empiriska materialet. Vidare framkommer att ungdomar vanligtvis inte ses som målgrupp för arbete med digital teknik, med resultatet att folkbiblioteket inte i någon större omfattning arbetar aktivt för att stärka individernas kompetens för att delta aktivt i digitala sammanhang.

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to investigate how library users experience the space in their library. In understanding the conception of space, we have used Henri Lefebvre's triad of space which he writes about in The Production of Space (1991). We also used different interpreters of Lefebvre to understand his theory better. For this thesis we have interviewed seven users of one academic library and seven users of public libraries in different cities and communities in Sweden. All the libraries we visited were more-open libraries, that means that the libraries offers the patrons to use the libraries even when the librarians isn't there. The interviews had the character go-alongs, that means that we went along with the user in it´s library while we did a semi-structured interview or semi-structured interviews via Zoom. As a complement to the interviews made via Zoom the users drew a map of their library, in the way that they consider it, the method for this is called mental map. It was used as support for remembering the room and to place us in the room. We analyzed the empirics by using Lefebvres aspects spatial practice, representations of space and representational spaces. In our result we could see that the users experience of the library room was very integrated with others or the absence of others. Analyzing it made us understand what Lefebvre ment with social space and how bodies, our own and others influence the experience of space and how we reproduce space by entering a room. We also found that the users felt at home in their libraries and that the spaces filled their needs. The needs were to be on your own, to be in a place that motivates you, or inspires you in different ways. The library seems to be that place and also what the user expects to find in the library.

This study deals with the question of quality in literature, more specifically what Swedish librarians are supposed to make of the concept. There seems to exist a tension in everyday work for librarians: on the one hand you are supposed to provide the kind of books people ask for, on the other, it is your job, explicitly stated in the Swedish Library Act (SFS 2013:801, §6), to ensure ”quality” and ”versatility” in the library’s  supply of books. The present study aims to shed light on how this problem is tackled by exploring articles in the journal Biblioteksbladet. By focusing on articles from the years 1979-1985 and 2009-2020 respectively, a historical comparison is being made. In examining the articles, theory concerning aesthetic value formulated by Hugo A. Meynell, as well as theory dealing with the benefits of reading by Magnus Persson, is put into work. The investigation of the articles in question shows fairly clear that in the 80s a sterner, almost patronizing attitude towards reading was common: some books are worth reading and some are not, period. The newer articles, by contrast, reflects an attitude among librarians best described as giving the customers what they want. These results are put into perspective by an overview of changes in Swedish cultural policy from the 70s and onwards. The main point derived from this overview is that the strong emphasis of the commercial forces as something purely negative, expressed in the cultural policy of the 70s, is somewhat loosened up in later years. This change is reflected in the examined articles.

The thesis focuses on the book club for children aged 9 to12 years.The objectives of the work are to investigate the meanings of thebook club activities for children at this age and to find out thechildren’s experience. The work is also linked to their readinginterest, what kind of books they prefer and how they choose their books. The collection methods of the empirical material in this work are qualitative observation and focus interview, conducted with sixc hildren attending the book club. The theory and the analytical method used are based on Chambers’ “Reading Circle”. It consists of different parts of the reading process: to choose, to read and to respond to literature with adult’s support. The study shows that all of these assist in stimulating children’s interest in reading and each one plays an important role. My conclusions are that the book club has great meanings for the children aged 9-12 years and it provides multiple ways to fulfil their needs. All the participants in the interview expressed that they were satisfied with the book club.

Our aim with this study was to investigate children’s librarians' opinions and working methods, in regard to the children’s library section in public libraries, for children 0-6 years old. We did this through semistructured interviews with five children’s librarians. The results were analyzed using thematic analysis and a theoretical model. The results we gathered were largely related to the theoretical model we used and could also be related to earlier research in this field. We found that most of our participants wanted the children’s library section to be calm, cozy and exciting, which the librarians actively worked to contribute to. We also related our findings to participation and empowerment of children. Our conclusion in this study was that our sample of participants was too small to make generalizations, but we have contributed with more knowledge in this research field. Although more research is needed to make generalizations.

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to examine how public librarians perceives the library role towards young people. This is done by interviews with four youth librarians in various cities in Sweden and the interviews were analysed with the aid of “the four spaces”.  The central questions for this thesis are: How do the librarians perceive the library role towards young people? Which role has the book in the library’s youth activities? What kind of library do the librarians believe the young people want?    The study identified a change in the library role from a “knowledge institution” to a “experience institution” which affected how the librarians thought of the library role towards young people. The study showed that most of the activities toward young people were based on creative experiences, in terms of music studios, theatre scenes and social events, and less activities were based on reading promotion and books. The book had overall a split position as a symbol for democracy and free speech on one hand, and on the other hand a symbol for the “old library” and the “knowledge institution”. The study also showed that young people tend to use the library as a place to socialize rather than taking part of the media supply the library offers. Finally we problematize the picture of young people and conflicts in the library and give an account of the library’s barriers where we establish that it is especially hard for library’s to reach out to young people from exposed socio- economic groups.

In the spring of 2019 a proposal for a new national library strategy, The treasure trove of democracy, was handed over to the Swedish government. In this study the municipal response to this document is analyzed from a legitimacy perspective with a focus on the role of the Swedish public library today. Through a thematic analysis of eight of the municipal organization the study shows how conflicts between the proposal’s authors, representing the National Library of Sweden, and the perspectives of the municipal actors. This conflict revolves around a different view on the degree of control on the national level and a response that views the proposal as insufficient to coordinate the Swedish library system. The strategy proposal can be seen as having an insufficient level of legitimacy from a municipal perspective, mainly based on their interpretation of it as difficult to implement but also due to its challenge to the well-established legitimacy of the municipal sovereignty. Since the public library system is such a significant part of the Swedish welfare system the responses analyzed in this study can be a significant hurdle for the implementation of the proposed strategy.

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine a number ofaspects of the Swedish public library system in relation to aproposed future assignment in the Swedish total defenseorganization. The first aspect is if there exist a consensus amongemployees in the Swedish public library system on what such atotal defense assignment could be. The second and third aspectsare how Swedish public libraries currently work to convey media and information literacy (MIL) and to counteract exclusion fromsociety. The final aspect examined is how practices based onthese objectives can be adapted for an assignment for theSwedish library system within the Swedish total defenseorganization. The study is based on thematic analysis ofempirical data collected through six interviews with librariansand administrators working at public libraries in Sweden. Practice theory have been used to understand how the conceptsof MIL and social infrastructure are translated into action in theday-to-day activities at public libraries. The analysis shows thatthere is currently no clear consensus among the participants inthe study on what a total defense assignment could be, or what it would mean for the Swedish public library system. Furthermore,the participants in this study make a distinction between theterms or theories of MIL and social infrastructure and thepractice thereof. The terms and theories are used in controldocuments such as the local library plans, but not in theplanning and execution of the day-to-day work. This despite theparticipants' assertions that both MIL and the libraries’ role asSocial Infrastructure are foundational to the Swedish librarysystem.

The purpose of this thesis work is to provide knowledge about the librarian´s view of the competence required in the work towards and with immigrants. The information was collected by interviewing seven librarians at four public libraries, using semi-structured interviews. Lundmark´s competence model was used to analyse the material. The conclusion of this study is; knowledge of languages is considered particularly important by the interviewed librarians. At the same time, the knowledge of languages is one of the professional competences they consider themselves lacking. Treatment and personal competences related to treatment are also described as particularly important, the librarians are of the opinion that they possess these competences. Other competences considered important in working towards and with immigrants are patience and foresight. Aside from treatment, this study's informants consider they have strengths in the traditional competences of the profession; literature and provision of information. The informants consider they not only lack competence in languages, but also lack professional competence about what functions are provided by the community and the workflow between the actors, to guide the immigrants and help them finding answers to their question. The informants also experience communication difficulties with the different actors in the community, working towards and with immigrants.

The aim of this study is to gain knowledge on the way library managers and librarians describe intentions and ways of working as well as their thoughts on what makes an attractive children’s interior design of public libraries. It is also an aim to acquire knowledge on the way they describe how the interior design works in practice. Two theoretical models are used in the study. One is Stephen Kaplan’s model of environmental psychology, which explains how visual aspects of an environment affects human preference. The other is that of Jochumsen, Hvenegaard Rasmussen & Skot-Hansen, which involve experiences and activities connected to the library context. The methods used are semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis. The results indicate the aim towards a safe, accessible interior, which fits children’s needs and requests, and also appeals to their parents. The respondents describe an interior that supports reading promotion, and being stimulating and varied, both in form and in content. A strive for a balance in the interior design is indentified. However, sometimes conflicts and other difficulties arise from its use. This can disrupt the balance, and why it results in priorities. The conclusion is that it is difficult to meet all of the guidelines and expectations that are available to children’s libraries today, to strike a balance with the interior design, and succeed in an interior that is ultimate in all respects.