The purpose of this thesis is to examine which role public libraries play or could play within bibliotherapy. The study is based on qualitative interviews with five librarians who, in one way or another have experienced bibliotherapy activities. Further, we have interviewed two treatment assistants and one counsellor, who have cooperated with the librarians, to get their view.   We have used the following research questions: Which bibliotherapeutic activities, if any, are pursued in public libraries in Sweden, and how do they look upon bibliotherapy? What role do public libraries play/could play within bibliotherapy?   Ever since the term bibliotherapy was coined in the beginning of the twentieth century, the definition has been under debate. We have identified four main subjects of discussion. They concern the client, the text, the bibliotherapist and the question whether individual or group activities are to prefer. These subjects of discussion are used as a tool for analysing the results of the interviews as to our first question. We have modified Margaret Monroe’s Bibliotherapeutic Model for Library Service and this model is used as theoretical framework when analysing our second question.   The result shows that the librarians define, and look upon bibliotherapy in different ways. They have mainly experienced bibliotherapy as a group activity. For the future, they envision various opportunities of development, one of which differs from the rest – the individual bibliotherapy service. We have identified a set of alternative activities in which the public library could play a role within bibliotherapy.

The essay examines the expression ”bildung” (”bildning” in Swedish) in relation to book circles. The essay argues that the definition of bildung is not constant. The essay puts the expression in different historical contexts. With empirical evidence, the meaning of the expression can be investigated. A survey has been conducted in the form of four qualitative interviews. The public libraries' goal of promoting interest in bildung can be examined by analyzing the reasoning of the informants. The purpose of the essay is to examine the circle participants' perception of literary bildung and the librarians' goals for literary bildung. The purpose is also to compare the librarians' goals with the circle participants' perception of bildung. A model extracted from Judith Langer's theories is used as the analytical method. The results show that literary bildung is something the participants experienced in that the circle helped them understand others and make things more human. It is also argued that the circle provides tools for them to define and redefine themselves and others. They have not experienced to the same extent that the circle helps them find themselves or that it challenges them intellectually.

The aim of this study is to look at how librarians express theirpart in reading groups organized by public libraries. Thestudy is based on interviews with seven public librarians insouth regions of Sweden. The main theory used to analyse isfound in the article Bibliotekaren som litteraturformidler(1994) written by the Norwegian librarian Jofrid KarnerSmidt, where she talks about five different roles that alibrarian can have in this context and how they appear. Threeof these roles were used in this study: the pedagogue, theliterature expert and the marketer.The interviewed librarians mostly had a similar view on howthey look at their role in the reading group. They saw theirpurpose as to provide all kinds of people with a possibility tojoin in discussions about mutual interests and share variousopinions about books. Some librarians saw it as a chance tohelp the members of the group to read books they mightnever have read otherwise, and to learn more from eachother.The librarians in this study sometimes use other media likemovies or audio books for their work with reading groups. Itis also a chance for the librarians to heighten their ownexpertise, to learn more about their users; and how they feel.Furthermore, the reading group provides means to market allthe services a library can give. The reading groups are also away to market the expertise of the librarians against othercolleagues and the politicians. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The purpose of this Bachelor Thesis is to examine what happens when the solitary reading experience becomes a social activity. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with three women belonging to the same reading group. I have used Sten Furhammar’s reading dimensions and categories to explain their reading experience, and Jenny Hartley, Elizabeth Long and Immi Lundin to explain the function that the reading group has for them, and the relationship between reading experiences in a book-discussion.My result shows that they started the reading group because they lacked an opportunity to discuss their readings with people that had the same interest in books. They do all have different ways to read, which is displayed by Furhammar’s categories personal and impersonal reading for experience. Their different reading experience is essential for a good book-discussion. Through their conversation in the reading group their personal reading experiences blends and result in new perspectives and angles in possible reading approaches. This enriches their reading, and sometimes changes their personal reading experience. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The purpose of this thesis was to examine reading groups inpublic libraries from a bibliotherapeutic perspective. Inorder to reach this purpose following questions needed to beanswered: What does the discussion in reading groups looklike? What does the reading groups fulfill for theirparticipants? What is the circle leaders’ role? The study isbased on the observations of three reading groups and offive interviews of its participants. With the help of CarolineShrodes theory the study shows that there are few signs ofbibliotherapy in the reading groups. But on the other handthey show similarities with other bibliotherapeutic readinggroups, by being a social venue for its participants. They canalso contribute to the participants wellbeing and their self-esteem and self-understanding. The results also show thatthe circle leaders role can be important for the discussion inthe reading group. The reading groups are in many waysimportant to their participants and the results in this thesisshows that bibliotherapy could play an important role in thepublic libraries of Sweden. / Program: Bibliotekarie

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.

The purpose of this study is to examine what view librarians have on reading promotion for adults, in particular reading circles, and in which way earlier experiences, education and competence form this view. To what extent, if any, do perceptions of professional identity influence the interest to carry out some kind of reading circles for adults?Our study is based on qualitative interviews with librarians, both those in charge of reading circles in libraries and those who are not. As theoretical starting point we have used Andrew Abbott's work on theory of professions and Jofrid Karner Smidt's thesis on literary preferences and different kinds of mediation of literature. For our analysis we will also use earlier studies on the subject to place our study in a wider context.Our conclusions show that the librarians in our study have an ambivalent view on their profession and professional identity. The reading promotion activity is often seen as the opposite of information technology. The core of their profession is fiction and reading promotion, still they feel very insecure within the field. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The purpose of this master’s thesis is to examine virtual reading groups, and which meaning the users perceive that the virtual reading groups offer. In addition, the study inquires which details can be improved to further amend the needs and wants among the users of virtual reading groups. Through these outlines, it is discussed how libraries and librarians can make use of virtual reading groups as a resource. The study is based upon qualitative interviews, consisting of asynchronous e-mail interviews with a total of sixteen members in two different virtual reading groups. The theoretical frames are taken from theories within the research field of reading, ideas about virtual communities and identity construction. The result of the essay shows that the virtual reading groups seem to serve an important role as virtual arenas, where people can come together and discuss their common interest in reading and books. For some of the users, virtual reading groups have a social quality, but it is not a capacity that all of the users experience or even aim at with their membership. Moreover, details that can be improved are said to be the layout on the sites, solutions of technical problems and marketing. For libraries, virtual reading groups can be a useful complement to other services that they offer, since it is a free resource that makes it possible for librarians to meet their patrons and to reach out to new groups through an access on the Internet. / Uppsatsnivå: D

This two years master’s thesis is about book circles for children, arranged by the public libraries in Sweden. The purpose is to gain knowledge about how children experience their participation in book circles, and how they experience their own reading. It focuses on children aged 10 to 12 years, and their leisure reading. The research questions are: What are the book circles’ function for the participants? How and why do the children read? What kind of literature do they like? Do the children experience that their reading has developed through their participation in the book circles? What parts of the reading process do the book circles influence? The theoretical framework is threefold. Firstly, I have used Aidan Chambers’ reading wheel, which explains the different parts of the reading process: to choose, to read and to respond to literature. Secondly, J.A. Appleyard analyzes children’s reading development through five different reader roles. Thirdly, Sten Furhammar, in his theories, finds reading to be either impersonal or personal, and that people can read either for the experience or for instrumental use. Appleyard’s and Furhammar’s theories are used to examine why and how the children read. The main method has been qualitative interviews with children participating in book circles. I have interviewed six children in total, from two different book circles, three from each. I have also made an observation at each of the two book circles, as well as talked to the librarians who lead the circles. My conclusions are that children’s reading behaviour is changed by participating in the book circles. The majority of the participant experience that they read more books and more genres than before; some of them also use their imagination more when they read. I identify several functions for book circles for children: the participants find new books to read, they discuss books, they have improved their knowledge of finding books in the library, and they have priority access to newly arrived books in the library. They also develop as readers, develop their empathy through their reading, and some of them make new friends. Most of the children read to experience the imaginary worlds offered by literature. This is a two years master’s thesis within Library and Information science.

This master thesis examines online reading groups with swedish participants. The aim is, by way of introduction, to investigate what kind of online reading groups that exist and how they work. The overall question of the thesis is: how do a conversation about books on the Internet look like? The theory used is Grounded Theory and this is a methodology which has influenced the hole structure of the study. Grounded Theory apply that issues and hypothesis must be created from the collected material, and the author collected for this reason material in the form of survey answers, email-conversations, blogmaterial and articles to draw up exact issues based on this material. The material was sorted into four different categories; social reading, reading fellowship, virtual freedom and anonymity and the issues were formulated according to this categories. The results of the study shows that conversations about books exists in many places on the Internet, such as on blogs and on book forums. Online reading group as a term made it difficult to include such other conversations in the study even though they worked almost as reading groups. Online reading groups is according to the author just one part of a big reading movement on the web. Another result of the study was that it seemed as members of online reading groups has changed their way of how to discuss books, meaning they discuss the reading experience not only after they have read the book but also while they are reading. This tendency is in this thesis explained as a result of the everyday use of social media, where people are now used to update as often as several times per day. The term virtual freedom includes the freedom to take part in a conversation independent of time and geography, but also a freedom to have the possibility to stay anonymous. Virtual freedom and anonymity is discussed by means of the term fellowship, and fellowship is discussed by means of the term social reading which is the core variable of this thesis.