The purpose of this study is to examine how adult students, studying at an upper secondary school for adults, search for information for their independent tasks in different subjects. These independent tasks are frequent in most subjects and are a part of the ”investigation-work”. For most adult students this is a new way of learning. Fifteen qualitative interviews with adult students have been conducted. Previous studies of information seeking in learning contexts conducted by Kuhlthau, Limberg and Kuhne are described. The adult students in my investigation mostly seek information in books or by the Internet. Because there is a very small library and no librarian at the upper secondary school for adults, most of the students go to the public library for information seeking. The education of information seeking has varied. Most adult students have good experience of this ”investigation-work” at school. They think this is a good way of learning. But they ask for more education in information seeking skills, particularly information seeking strategies on the Internet. The adult students' former experience often compensates the lack of practise in ”investigation-work”. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The aim of this study has been to investigate actors’ methods for acquiring information that is necessary for their profession, with a focus on the more random methods they might possibly use. The study is based on the following questions: What information needs do actors have in relation to their profession? Which methods do actors use to procure information? Which information systems do actors use? What role does the library play in the actors’ acquisition of information? Through an interview study with 10 informants a picture is formed of the actors’ information behavior. With the help of theoretical ideas regarding random methods of acquisition, we describe which information needs actors have and how they acquire that information. They primarily use a constant gathering of information or, as they choose to call it, inspiration. It turns out that what they consider to be of greatest importance considering inspiration is to have access to their own innermost, their inner voice and their own experience. Therefore they gather sources of inspiration sometimes at apparently illogical places, through social contacts, studies of human behavior, other theater productions, libraries, a ride in the public transportation system, or a visit to a café. The informants are positive towards their experience with libraries as institutions. They reveal that they often utilize library resources in their information and inspiration gathering. Even though not all informants are active library users, they have all at least once been that. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to investigate international students’ views regarding information seeking and use of information sources. A further aim is also to investigate the possible factors influencing information seeking in relation to everyday life for international students. Interviews were carried out with eight international students, 20-35 years old from three continents. They were to stay in Sweden for at least five months for the purpose of studying. Our theoretical framework is based both on user and context oriented theories of information barriers and on a model of information sources. We have also used a “themes on paper” method which involves constructing themes from the research questions on which the interview guide and analysis were built. Our analysis reveals that the students sought information daily and used a wide range of sources, mostly electronic ones. Internet was the most common information source; printed information and databases had a low usage. Oral sources were used in informal matters. When problems occurred in information seeking the students switched search strategy or asked friends and teachers. The major barrier students encountered lay in the information systems themselves. Teachers and librarians may provide the tools (guided tours, information seeking courses and brochures) but it is up to the student to use them. The major influential factor for seeking information in everyday life was the need to create a sense of security. This can be supported by increasing the amount of relevant information to students before and during their stay in Sweden. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how students writing their master thesis seek information, how they reason about their information seeking behaviour and how their studies in LIS could have affected their information seeking behaviour. The result was analysed with Roger Säljö’s theory about the sociocultural perspective about how individuals learn in relation to their context and the social practice that they act in. The following conclusions were drawn from analysing the result. The students didn’t really reflect over their information seeking behaviour. Most students have an information seeking pattern, developed under an early stage in their studies in LIS, which they then follow for every task they do during their education, even their master thesis. Although the students can tell a difference in their own information seeking behaviour since they first began their LIS-studies. The students’ attitude to information seeking has to do with the social practice that consists of the LIS-subject. Säljö means in his theory that individuals are influenced and learn how to act and reason from the social practices that surrounds them. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to present a survey of how Swedish libraries provide information services for children. In this thesis “information” means non-fiction material and “children” do not include preschool children. The method used is knowledge overview and the material (mostly Master theses in LIS published January 2001-June 2006) is related to user studies of children as information seekers. From the result and analysis can be found that librarians often adjust the common Swedish classification system, SAB, to children’s needs and that librarians have a clear view of how to achieve good reference interviews with children. Our material indicates that libraries seldom have plans for their acquisitions in order to develop the collection of children’s material, and we have found only a few libraries using other materials than books to find information suitable for children. In Sweden there exists no database which includes children’s journals. There are some library catalogues for children; one of them has been investigated by LIS-students and was found partially corresponding to children’s needs. The current Swedish list of subject headings for children is developed for fiction, and there is a need for discussing the indexing of non-fiction material. The providing of Internet for children varies a lot among libraries. There is a need for analysing children’s use of the big web portal Länkskafferiet. Only a few studies were found that investigate Swedish children’s interaction with information services, which leads to the conclusion that there is a clear need for such research. / Uppsatsnivå: D

This master thesis concerns the subject of a reference service named Book-a-librarian. The service makes it possible for the library-user to indulge in a subject with the help of a librarian after having made an appointment in advance. The main purpose of this thesis is to study the function of it. The methods used are a mix of literature and empirical studies to be able to comprehend and explain the practical nature of the service as well as placing the service in a theoretical framework. The empirical study is performed by a questionnaire, where librarians working with the service are asked to participate. To evaluate the results of the questionnaire we have studied different scientific views of reference work in the library environment. The purpose is to identify strengths and weaknesses in the way the service is conducted. The weakness that becomes most apparent in the empirical study is the lack of users of the service. However there is a great enthusiasm for this Book-a-librarian service among the librarians. They all believe in a future for the service. To improve and develop this service we believe the solution is to have an active discussion concerning reference work as a whole and the usability of the service and finally to formulate a strategy to market it. In the final chapters we are presenting a set of recommendations for marketing this service, by studying marketing theories and validating these recommendations with professional librarians. By using marketing as a tool for development we are looking at Book-a-librarian from different perspectives, such as the importance of management, the physical atmosphere of the library and the involvement of the staff. Marketing puts focus on the user and we find that crucial for this information-based profession. / Uppsatsnivå: D

This thesis focuses on information seeking and use by volunteers and employees in women’s organisations helping women who have been subject to violence. These organisations for example provide help and support, legal assistance and temporary shelter. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five women working in Terrafem, which is a women’s organisation directed towards women with a non-Swedish background. The aim of the study is to create an understanding for the specific information needs that the women working in Terrafem experience and the situations in which these needs are created. The focus has been on needs created in the contact with women seeking support in Terrafem, but also the general need for of keeping up with for example new research in the area of violence against women. My conclusions were that the informants found it important to keep up with areas like new research, feminism and conflicts in the world. They need information mostly in contact with the authorities and regarding questions about asylum seeking and other law related questions. They use mostly oral sources and Internet, but also newspapers, magazines, databases, libraries and their own collections of facts in folders. Lots of information pass between the women orally, between those who have been a long time in the organisation to those who are new, and also between women with special skills.

The purpose with this study is to examine what kind of support there is for school libraries at the selected independent upper secondary schools and how these schools ensure that libraryservices is available to their students and their teachers. The purpose is also to examine what attitudes the administrators of the schools have to school libraries and teaching in information seeking. A qualitative method with interviews was used to fulfil the purpose. As a theoretical basis of the study Loertschers taxonomies of the school library media program and Limbergs three levels of pedagogic research were used and the interviews were analysed with these two theoretical frameworks as a background. The result of the study showed that neither one of the three examinated schools has a school library which means that they use the public library instead. The problematic area is the lack of rules within the school library field and the fact that the independent schools do not show any interest of cooperating with the public library. The conclusion is probably to make an agreement between the schools and the public library and to make the administrators literate about the positive effects which come out of a well provided school library.

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to analyse how adult students in Swedish adult education seek information for school tasks. The focus is on how they use the public library and electronic information sources and their reflection on information and sources in this process. Also of interest in the study is the help they receive from staff in the public library and their teacher. Methods used in collecting and analysing data for this study were of qualitative nature. Four adult students were interviewed and observed when seeking information. Their teacher and the chief librarian at the public library were also interviewed. The main results of the study indicated that the adult students preferred to use the Internet because information was easily available. When using the public library they where pleased with the help from the staff, but often preferred to browse the shelves on their own. User education was restricted. It was mainly when contacting the reference service the students got the opportunity to learn information seeking from resources there. The librarians did not always have the time to help the students in the way they needed. Lack of information literacy was to a certain extent a barrier for three of the new students in using the library effectively on their own. Results also indicated that the teacher’s instructions were helpful in guiding the students in their task and their information seeking in suggesting information sources. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The main purpose of this Master Thesis is to describe students experiences of learning with Webquest för barnmorskor (Webquest for midwifes) at the University Library of Karolinska Institutet (KI), Stockholm. To investigate the possibilities of acquiring information literacy in higher education with the webquest model a qualitative case study is carried out, based on five interviews with students. The students’ perceptions of the webquest course and their ideas on information seeking and information literacy are being analyzed in relation to a framework of learning theory and information literacy expressed by documents and librarians of KI. A descriptive presentation is structured from the main themes that emerged in analysis within the frames of my research questions. The analyse shows that Webquest för barnmorskor carries a difference in theory and practice regarding the content of information literacy. In theory a processual understanding of learning is advocated with a broad definition of information literacy. In practice Webquest för barnmorskor mediates a concept focused on sources and technical skills in information seeking. The later source approach is also adhered by the students. Given that the students reflect upon information use and critical analysis of sources in their main studies at KI, this somewhat limited way of using the webquest model seems successful in adapting the course to the context and prior knowledge of the students.