This study investigates attitudes towards human nature in reports published by the Swedish Library Association and the National Library of Sweden between 2015 and 2018. By using ideological analysis, I was able to focus the study on three dimensions of human nature: the worth of human beings, human behavior and human needs. The study area was further specified using Anders Jeffner’s (1989) theoretical framework. Jeffner has formulated 20 components that together create a view of human nature. Of these, four components were used for the study: assumptions of human rights, social equality, free will and strategies to improve human well-being. The reports express a humanist ideology. Some reports emphasize the library’s mission to prevent social inequality and helping marginalized groups. The reports also demonstrate a view of humans as critically thinking and independent citizens by highlighting the importance of intellectual freedom, freedom of thought and freedom of expression. Two broad themes emerged from the analysis: social justice and freedom of the individual, which were used to describe two different missions of the library. When the library’s mission is described as working towards social justice, the library becomes active and partial. On the other hand, the library is described as neutral and impartial when the mission is seen as working towards the freedom of the individual. In conclusion, the Swedish Library Association and the National Library of Sweden present themselves as good through a humanist ideology and a view of human nature that emphasize freedom, welfare and personal development. However, many different ideologies and values can be applied to the library, and it is not necessarily fundamentally good or humanist. The findings of this research also indicate that the word neutral is used in a misleading way, and that there is a need to redefine the meaning of neutrality. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Inquiry about ideal library was sought by interdisciplinary approach from human competence derived from performance engineering by Gilbert (1978), and the library information policy by Wilson (1977). With Wilson's insights into the field of library and information science (LIS), this work demonstrated the synthesis of Wilson and Gilbert: engineering as common ground. One of the central concerns in LIS, utilization of knowledge, is re-conceptualized as Gilbert's view of performance, which reflected at different vantage points. Four leisurely theorems are introduced for his view of performance engineering, which produce human competence. The performance matrix is the application tool that represents Gilbert's theorems of performance engineering. It is used to clarify vantage points about the library, and constructed a model of the performance engineering system of ideal library. Based upon the model, two applications were made. One is to apply the performance matrix to the existing academic library. Another is to apply the performance matrix for building a special collection. These two applications show that the performance matrix is capable to analyze existing performance system as well as designing and building a performance system.

Includes bibliography. / The focal point of this study emanates from both personal observations formed in public library branch work and questions raised in the subject literature to the effect that tension appears to exist between the wants of the majority of users and the perception of the dominant goals of the public library by their staff, resulting in differing views as to the book selection policy of this institution. Book selection policies have been taken to reflect the attitudes of library staff towards users' wants in terms of their adherence to the tenets of Anglo-American public library objectives.

Creative spaces, or makerspaces, is an emerging and global phenomenon in libraries. The aim of this study is to examine the objectives that underlie the creative spaces in Australia, expressed by library professionals, as well as the purposes they fulfil in the library context. The material is derived from seven in-depth interviews with staff working with creative spaces at three public and one state library. Additionally, one observation was conducted in the creative space at each of these libraries. “The four spaces model”, created by Danish researchers Henrik Jochumsen, Casper Hvenegaard Rasmussen and Dorte Skot-Hansen, comprises the study's theoretical framework. According to the model, the library's objective is to support the goals: experience, involvement, empowerment and innovation. The library spaces, in which the goals should be supported, are the inspiration space, the learning space, the meeting space and the performative space. The study shows that the most distinct objectives of the creative spaces are experience and empowerment. Involvement and innovation are also present, but not as prominent. Further, the study shows that the purposes fulfilled by the creative spaces places them within the learning space and the meeting space, and to some degree in the inspiration space and the performative space. Findings reveal that creative spaces support STEM-based (science, technology, engineering and maths) learning and digital literacy through both collaborative and individual learning. The learning takes place in informal settings where play is a significant factor. The creative spaces function as “high-intensive” meeting places for the local community, and the library professionals highlight the importance of the social aspects of the creative spaces. This is a two years' master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

This thesis examines library managers' attitude to the composition of the library workforce and their perceived resources and power to promote a library workforce which better represents the community in which it operates. What do the managers consider causes this composition and what changes do they find possible to implement in the future. The method used for collecting the material was e-mail and telephone interviews. The material is analyzed mainly through Taylor Cox' theories about the multicultural organization in which Cox demonstrates the positive impact that cultural heterogeneity has at a workplace by creating non-discriminatory effective organizations in which people from all different socio-cultural backgrounds are included. Some intersectional theory and related research also form the basis for the analysis. The results show that managers are very much aware of the problem of an overly homogeneous library workforce. They express that diversity needs to increase in all public institutions for it to take place in a library context. They also believe that the most limiting factor of the ability to conduct successful diversity efforts is a lack of resources, time and budget. There is a widespread perception among the managers that a change in recruitment strategies must be implemented in order to overcome the homogeneity. The thesis further highlights a couple of managers' lack of sufficient diversity knowledge. Without the relevant knowledge among managers, one can not expect diversity strategies to be formulated adequately or implemented satisfactorily. Although the managers claim an eagerness to make a change, there is a lack of practical suggestions on which to act in their responses. However, it is not solely in the library managers' hands to improve the current situation, it requires everyone with influence on this issue to make it prioritized. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

The aim of this thesis is to examine how library employees view and work with UX or User Experience. It also examines how they view library users, the library and their own professional roles and how these views are connected with the concepts of documentality, legitimacy and identity. The concept of power is also used. The study was carried out thorough a series of ten semi-structured qualitative interviews with employees at Karolinska Institutet University Library and Linköping University Library and is based on a social constructivist perspective. The results show that UX is viewed as a mindset where one tries to look at the library from the users’ perspectives and adapt the library after their needs. This was seen as a new perspective where the library aims to stand in the users’ shoes. Through the use of methods like interviews, observations and usability tests the informants try to understand their users and their needs. However, there was a strong emphasis on balancing the users’ wishes with the aims and conditions of the library which indicate a strong internal legitimacy. It also shows that UX does not indicate a loss of power in the informants’ minds. The study shows that an emphasis on the users’ perspective can also be linked to the core of librarianship further strengthening the internal legitimacy. The results also show that arguments can be made for the importance of both constitutive and performative documentality in academic libraries today. Among the informants there was a strong emphasis on a communicatively oriented professional identity with its focus om dialogue and cooperation with library users. In conclusion, the study shows that UX can be viewed as a way for academic libraries to cope with the many changes the last decades have brought and continue to be relevant in years to come. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

The aim of this thesis is to examine how interested the library sector is in digitalization. In an attempt to study this, I have studied the articles in Biblioteksbladet from 2012–2016. My starting point was that digitalization affects the Swedish libraries and that the subject therefore would have a prominent role in the library magazine. The aim of this thesis is also to generate knowledge about how digitalization affects the retail sector and the library sector to visualize similarities and differences between how operators from private and public sector are affected. Three text analytical surveys were conducted: a survey inspired by quantitative content analysis, a survey inspired by qualitative content analysis and a qualitative comparative survey. The agenda-setting theory was used as an analytic tool to analyze the interest in digitalization. Theories from the business field and previous research were used in order to compare how digitalization affects the retail sector and the library sector. The results of this thesis show that about eight per cent of the articles in the magazine from 2012–2016 is about digitalization. The subject is mentioned in all of the studied magazines except one. This shows that digitalization is treated to a considerable extent in Biblioteksbladet, which is in line with my hypothesis. My study also shows that digitalization is presented as a challenge to the libraries in the majority of the articles. This means that digitalization tends to be evaluated negatively in the material. It proved to be difficult to draw clear conclusions about the library sector’s interest in digitalization using these methods. The interest that appears in Biblioteksbladet doesn’t necessarily reflect the rest of the library sector’s interest. Another result is that there are several similarities between how digitalization affects the retail sector and the library sector. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

This thesis examines how school libraries and academic libraries work with certain aspects of academic literacy in order to prepare pupils for higher education. The starting point of the thesis is the proposal for a new national strategy for Swedish libraries, published in March 2019, where educational libraries are presented as a coherent chain. The aim with the thesis is to find out whether there is a gap between upper secondary school libraries and academic libraries, in how they work with academic preparation. The purpose is to map the work already executed in the area and how the libraries’ mission has been stated. Data is collected in two web surveys: one sent out to staff at upper secondary school libraries and one to staff at academic libraries. The respondents answered questions about their current work and how the mission is perceived. The scientific method used is influenced by on-going evaluation. To define preparation areas, theory about academic literacy is applied.   To define the mission of educational libraries related laws, documents and other relevant information has been analysed. Responses from  the surveys help answering questions about executed work, perception of mission and experiences of a possible knowledge gap.   In documents related to statements of the libraries’ mission it is clear that school libraries play a part in helping schools reach common goals such as academic preparation. Academic libraries have less of pedagogical missions stated for them but out of tradition both libraries already work pedagogically with academic literacy. A gap could be surmised when staff at the school libraries say they work with a specific area of literacy and staff at academic libraries perceive new students to have insufficient knowledge in the same area. The thesis concludes with suggestions to improve the libraries’ work with college preparation. On a national and municipal level there is a need for a more clearly defined mission to assure equivalence for all pupils. Schools are suggested to develop business plans on their own to adapt the national and municipal mission statements to local conditions. Academic libraries are suggested to start cooperating with upper secondary schools. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

The research problem for this study is focused on the need to know how students acquire and use information. Research indicates a lack of understanding of what students know about information and how they use information and this study used the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (Appendix A) as the basis for acquiring a better understanding of what kind of information freshman students at Virginia Tech need and how they acquire it during their first semester at college. Students were asked questions about their information use during fall semester 2000, using both email questioning and in face-to-face interviews. The data collected was used to develop insights into how students acquire and use information and resulted in suggestions that could be used in revising and improving instruction for freshman students that is provided by the University Libraries at Virginia Tech. / Ph. D.

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van die studie was om 'n model te ontwikkel vir openbare bibiioteekdiensiewering in 'n ontwikkelende land met 'n multikulturele samelewing. Die kernprobleem was om die teoretiese fundering van dienslewering en die toepassing daarvan in die praktyk te ondersoek. Die eerste subprobleem was om die eienskappe van 'n professie en professionele dienslewering te ondersoek. Die eienskappe van die professionalis/bibiiotekaris wat leiding aan die gebruiker moet gee, is geidentifiseer. Sleutelelemente is: outonomie (gekoppel aan deskundigheid en opieiding), 'n altruistiese diensorientasie en funksionele diens (volgens professionele riglyne en standaarde) aan alle groepe in die gemeenskap, ongeag sosiale kias. Die tweede subprobleem was om die doelstellings en funksies van die openbare biblioteek en die roi van gebruikersleiding daarin te ontleed. Daar is gevind dat diensleweringsfunksies in die teorie swak gefundeer is. 'n Kategorisering is voorgestel wat onderskei tussen ondersteuningsfunksies, diensleweringsfunksies en bestuursfunksies. Gebruikersleiding is geidentifiseer as oorkoepelende begrip en kernelement van alle diensleweringsfunksies wat gerig is op die optimalisering van die waarde van inligting tot beswil van die samelewing. Die derde subprobleem was om die ontstaan van 'n diensbegrip in die openbare biblioteek te beskryf en paradigmaverskuiwings uit te wys. Professionele riglyne, beginsels en standaarde, is ontleed. Afleidings is gemaak oor 'n heersende diensbegrip en rol van die openbare biblioteek. Daar is bevind dat die riglyne vir die identifisering van gebruikersgroepe en hulle behoeftes asook diensleweringsfunksies ontoereikend is. 'n Kategorisering van potensiele gebruikersgroepe en hul behoeftes is gedoen en 'n model vir openbare biblioteekdiensiewering ontwikkel om die leemte in teoretisering te vul. Die model onderskei 'n diensparadigma van dienslewering aan alie individue en groepe in die gemeenskap en missie van ontwikkeling; die primere doeiltelling opvoeding; beginsels van gemeenskapskontak; behoeftebepaling en toegang lot inligting; diensfunksies en uitreikaktiwiteite; die professionalis-klientverhouding; wetgewing, organisatoriese strukture en omgewingsfaktore. Die model is in 'n vraelysopname in die Suid-Afrikaanse openbare biblioteekpraktyk getoets. Daar is bevind dat die doelsteliings nagestreef en diensfunksies toegepas word. Die grootste probleme word in organisatoriese strukture en finansiering ondervind. Hierdie sake moet dringend aandag kry om die gestelde missie, naamlik om 'n wesenlike rol te speel in die ontwikkeling van die hele Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing, te verwesenlik. / The purpose of the study was to develop a model for public library service rendering in a developing and multicultural society. The core problem was to investigate the theoretical foundation of service rendering and the application thereof in practice. The first subproblem was to examine the characteristics of a profession and professional service rendering. The characteristics of the professional/ librarian who has to provide guidance to the user were identified. Key elements are: autonomy (linked to expertise and training), an altruistic service orientation and functional service (according to professional guidelines and standards) to all groups in the community irrespective of social class. The second subproblem was to analyse the aims and functions of the public library and the role of user guidance in it It was found that service rendering functions are not theoretically well grounded. A categorisation is proposed which distinguishes between supporting, service rendering and management functions. User guidance is identified as an umbrella concept and core element of all service rendering functions which is directed at optima/isirtg the value of information to the benefit of society. The third subproblem was to describe the origins of a service concept in the public library and to expose paradigm shifts. Professional guidelines, principles and standards were analysed. Conclusions were drawn about a predominant service concept and the role of the public library. It was found that guidelines for the identification of user groups and their needs as well as service rendering functions are inadequate. A categorisation of potential user groups and their needs was compiled and a model for public library service rendering was developed to bridge the gap in XXtheorisation. The model distinguishes a paradigm of service to all Individuals and groups in the community and a developmental mission; the primary aim of education; service principles of community networking, needs assessment and information access; service functions and outreach activities; the professionalclient- relationship; legislation, organisational structures and environmental factors. The model was tested in South African public library practice by means of a questionnaire survey. It was found that aims are pursued and service functions are applied. The greatest problems are experienced In organisational structures and financing. These issues must be urgently addressed to realise the public library's declared mission, namely to play a substantial role in the development of the South African society as a whole. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)