The purpose of this paper was to learn more about the strategies used by senior high school librarians and teachers in educating their students' information skills, such as criticism of the information sources. The paper was based upon qualitative interviews with one senior high school librarian and three senior high school teachers. The respondents were asked to spontaneously tell me about their counseling strategies when the students do research assignments in medicine-oriented subjects. The respondents’ narratives were analyzed with Carol Collier Kuhlthau’s theories about the information search process and its levels of mediation, as well as with literature about counseling strategies in mind. The results showed great range of variation. Two teachers didn’t give their student any counseling at all in criticism of the information sources for the assignment in medicine-oriented subjects. One of these, however, was positive to let the librarian help with giving counseling in information skills, in spite of the fact that she had no special competence in medicine. The third teacher said that medical knowledge was of great importance. The librarian herself thought that she could give counseling though her lack of medical education, since her counseling consisted of general criteria to be applied to medical information by the students themselves. When it comes to counseling strategies, respondents said that establishing a dialogue with the students was essential at the beginning of the Information Search Process in order to encourage an invitational mood and facilitate formulation. The literature proposed composing as a strategy, but none of the respondents spoke of that. The librarian expressed the feeling that students’ information skills were defective, so she spent much time on counseling general criteria. Two teachers recommended information sources, preventing the students from developing information skills, since they didn’t have to find and choose their information themselves. One teacher actively helped selecting information. / Uppsatsnivå: C

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to examine the reading support activities performed by the school libraries of five Swedish upper secondary schools. It focuses upon fiction reading. Two main research questions are asked: the first one in order to find out what kind of ideas of fiction, fiction reading and young people that are held by the librarians of the five libraries, the second one in order to find out what the motives behind the reading support activities are. One additional research question is asked to examine how the librarians estimate the results of the reading support activities, and furthermore how the students seem to respond to them. The research method used is longer, qualitative interviews with altogether five school librarians and one school library assistant. The interviews have later been analyzed, mainly out of two theoretical perspectives: the theories of fiction reading with young students by Louise Rosenblatt, and the theory of young people’s cultural behaviour in late modern society by Thomas Ziehe. The result of the analysis shows that the librarians’ view of young people is foremost flexible, and that they adjust their approach to individual students as well as to their own method of working. The motives behind the reading support activities seem to be both personal and related to educational goals of the school organisation. The librarians reading support activities are often well received by the students and also have positive implications for their schooling.

This Master’s thesis investigates user education at high school libraries. The aim of this study is to examine user education and the educational approach that librarian’s experience in their teaching. The method used for the study is qualitative interviews with seven high school librarians. The librarians in the interviews were all educated after the Swedish University reform in 1993. The interviews are analysed and presented by using Carol Kuhlthau’s and Olof Sundin’s theories about the pedagogical educational approach often used by librarians. Five of the librarians focused on a Source approach and on a Pathfinder approach. Two of the librarians focused on the students’ information process and discussed different sources with the students. Just one of the librarians wants to change the education approach. A surprising result as several of the librarians weren’t pleased with the students’ information qualifications. The examined librarians experienced the educational approach in a similar way, only two of the interviewed librarians experienced it in a different way. The reason for the result may be that the time the librarians have at their hands is limited. The librarians also get influences from more experienced colleagues and their educational approach. Another reason can be that teacher and student have prejudices about what a librarian can and should do and that their opinions affect the librarians and their educational approach. / Uppsatsnivå: D

<p>The main purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to examine how Swedish upper secondary school librarians and related staff relate to the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. The research is placed in the all-embracing context of information literacy and source criticism on the Internet. The study was carried out in the form of qualitative interviews and based on two theoretical bases: firstly, the concept of cognitive authority stipulated by Patrick Wilson, and secondly the idea that Wikipedia has a draw towards late modern epistemological assumptions. The latter theory was also associated with the perceptions of knowledge among the library staff interviewed. According to the results, there seems to be a connection between a) the library staff’s perceptions of knowledge, b) the library staff’s actual knowing about Wikipedia, c) the library staff’s attitudes toward Wikipedia and d) the teaching performed by the library staff about Wikipedia. The results also suggest the cognitive authority of the traditional encyclopaedia to be strong, especially among those within the library staff not very familiar with Wikipedia. Those positive to Wikipedia possibly represent perceptions of knowledge with a draw towards the late modern. Finally, possible solutions regarding the improvement of information literacy and of Wikipedia usage among the upper secondary school pupils are discussed.</p>

In these days we can witness a growing number of combined school and public libraries in Sweden. It can be explained as an economy measure or as an attempt to develop the library work. The aim of this thesis is to picture how working in combined libraries affects high school librarians’ own apprehensions of their professional identity. The results are based on in-depth interviews made with four high school librarians, working not only towards the students but also the public. By using a hermeneutic method, my attempt has been to construe the interviewee’s remarks and in that way analyse how the librarians themselves apprehend their professional roles and identities. The theories of the Danish library and information scientists Anders Ørom and Trine Schreiber have been used as analysis tools. A comprehensive summary of already existing studies in this field of interest is given, and is to be considered as a framework to which this thesis’ results are to be seen. The empiric data reveal several different opinions, and by using the theories of Ørom and Schreiber I have made the following conclusions. Two professional identities have been indicated; the teaching school librarian and the traditional cultural intermediary librarian. They both seem to include a strong feeling of service-mindedness. In addition, a third tendency to an indistinct and split identity can be perceived. Despite the lack of conformity that this third identity suggests, the interviewees give the expression that the two main identities cooperate and enrich one another.

The main purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to examine how Swedish upper secondary school librarians and related staff relate to the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. The research is placed in the all-embracing context of information literacy and source criticism on the Internet. The study was carried out in the form of qualitative interviews and based on two theoretical bases: firstly, the concept of cognitive authority stipulated by Patrick Wilson, and secondly the idea that Wikipedia has a draw towards late modern epistemological assumptions. The latter theory was also associated with the perceptions of knowledge among the library staff interviewed. According to the results, there seems to be a connection between a) the library staff’s perceptions of knowledge, b) the library staff’s actual knowing about Wikipedia, c) the library staff’s attitudes toward Wikipedia and d) the teaching performed by the library staff about Wikipedia. The results also suggest the cognitive authority of the traditional encyclopaedia to be strong, especially among those within the library staff not very familiar with Wikipedia. Those positive to Wikipedia possibly represent perceptions of knowledge with a draw towards the late modern. Finally, possible solutions regarding the improvement of information literacy and of Wikipedia usage among the upper secondary school pupils are discussed.