The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences and perceptions of children`s librarians regarding floating collections in public libraries in Gothenburg. In focus for the study are the experiences and perceptions that exist among children`s librarians when it comes to children as library users, the librarian`s working tasks and the professional role as a librarian. The empirical material has been collected through semistructured interviews with six children`s librarians. The material has been analyzed twice. The first analysis has been conducted through qualitative content analysis. The second analysis has been conducted by using a tool constructed with inspiration from Maj Klasson`s and Anders Ørom`s theories of the professional roles and identities of a librarian. One major finding is that the informants percept children as different from grown-ups in their role as library users. The way children are makes it difficult for them to get their needs satisfied in a library system that practices floating collections. On the other hand the perception that children can learn what it takes to be able to act functionally within floating collections also exists among the interviewed librarians. Another finding is that literature mediation and collection development are working tasks that are influenced by floating collections. The study also indicates that the librarian role as a literature mediator and the role as a librarian that puts the user first are threatened as the marketing role and the role as a mediator of technical knowledge dominate when floating collection is practiced as a media strategy. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to find out the possibilities for librarians and book bloggers to collaborate. We find this relevant because of blogs being a new medium that could be useful for librarians to embrace. Book blogs are often networks of blogs connected to each other through their common interest in literature and we have examined how this could be of use for librarians.The method we have used is semi-structured interviews, which gave us the possibility to adjust our questions based on the informants’ answers, when necessary. Our informants have been both librarians and book bloggers; we have met some of them and interviewed the others by e-mail. The questions we used were meant to show us how librarians use private book blogs, what bloggers’ relation to libraries look like and their respective attitudes about a possible collaboration.Our study showed that librarians have a positive attitude towards collaboration, but are slightly anxious about its operability. Book bloggers on the other hand focused on the possibilities rather than the difficulties. Collaboration options, recommended by the informants, were that book bloggers could write on the library blog or connect to the library blog via links. Book clubs between librarians and book bloggers was yet another option. / Program: Bibliotekarie

This thesis examines what and in which language young people in Sweden with other linguistic backgrounds than Swedish read, as well as if they have access to the literature that they demand, how they use the library and what kind of role the library plays to them. The chosen method was quantitative and it consisted of a questionnaire as this method is useful in quantifying phenomena, which is the purpose of this thesis. The investigation shows that the studied population is bilingual. I hope that the thesis points out the range of the problems and that these issues need to be solved within the society and not the within the family. We need to make use of the resources of the young immigrants, as their cultural competence, in some cases even bi-cultural competence, can be useful for the Swedish society. Regarding group identity, whether Swedish or immigrant, part of the young immigrants perceive themselves as members of both these groups. It is however natural to have different identities in different circumstances. It is of importance that such roles, and the sub-identities that develop from them, are integrated into a harmonious entity. In order to reach this goal, the young people need access to literature in their own language in the library. It is not easy for a librarian to be familiar with names of current writers, which write books for young people in that many linguistic groups. A co-operation between the library and the teachers of native language could result in solving the problem and in purchases of books written by current writers from different linguistic groups being made. Finally it can be said that library is an important place for young people regarding studies, they also appreciate the accessibility of the library and the service-minded librarians. Other comments include wishes regarding more books in the native language, both literature and factual study books, more dictionaries and more new CD’s and films. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to examine the function of public libraries on the social web, focusing on reading promotion and reading stimulation. For an understanding of the larger context regarding public libraries on the social web, we conducted online interviews via email with people in the Swedish library profession, together with a content analysis of various texts on the subject found in library journals and on the Internet. Furthermore to identify the public library's practice on reading promotion and reading stimulation on the social web, we did interviews with librarians at a public library on their use of a blog for this purpose, together with a questionnaire handed out to the library's users on their use and conceptions of the blog.The conceptual framework of this study consists of four key aspects in the theoretical and empirical definition of Library 2.0 presented by Holmberg, Huvila and Widén-Wulff. The results showed that the public library can create a substantial value through its use of the social web, but it’s necessary to have a clear vision of the desired outcome. The study also showed the importance of seeing the social web as one of several possible channels for the public library's work, and that it can be specifically useful to reach the younger generation. Moreover the study showed that the social web is a useful tool for the public library’s reading promotion and reading stimulation, as it provides beneficial features for conversation.

In this Master's Thesis a rhetorical analysis is applied to reading suggestions in the database Boktips.net. Boktips.net utilize the Internet for readers advisory by offering public libraries in Sweden to use and participate to its contents. The aim is to examine how library staff writes about literature in Boktips.net. The empirical material is delimited to reading suggestions on fiction for adults. Areas in focus of the analysis are rhetorical context, disposition, style and components from the point of view of content: summary, evaluation on portrayal of characters and setting, narrative, language use, genre and themes, entertainment, insights and external information. The writers generally use a well-reasoned disposition of the texts and several of them apply diverse stylistic devises that make for the intelligibility and aesthetic qualities of the texts. A width of aspects of the books is frequently covered. In rhetorical perspective nonetheless some texts contain problems of covering only few aspects of the books, lacking in argumentation or not completing the lines of arguments. It is concluded that reading suggestions are of help to library users if made well known. Research showing that readers choose books based on sought after reading experience, together with rhetorical techniques, are used to draw a picture of what the reading suggestions might include and in what way, with emphasize given on writing both personally and professionally. Argumentation is conducted for providing recommendations on writing and opportunity for discussion among the writers to help them improve. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The view on which kind of fiction that should be mediated to the public through the Swedish public library system has since the late 60´s been dominated by what in this Master’s thesis is called: ´the discourse on quality of literary fiction´. The aim of this thesis is to examine to which extent this discourse still plays an active role in the Swedish public library system or if that discourse has been replaced by a more market-led, demand responsive view, where the features of ´quality´ and ´culture´ have been downplayed and replaced by a ´customer’s service view´ on how and why fiction should be mediated to the public. The methodological and theoretical perspective in this thesis is led by the understanding of the discourse analysis in Michel Foucault’s ´The Archaeology of Knowledge´. The material of analysis has been the Swedish Government reports: (SOU) concerning the issues of mediating fiction. Another source of empirical material used in the study is a survey distributed to librarians throughout the country .The conclusion which I have been able to draw from the analysis of the textual material and the survey is that the discourse on mediating fiction has changed from the 70´s and 80´s ´quality view´ on how and why a non commercial cultural institution like the public library should mediate fiction, to a market-led ´customer’s service view´ on the public libraries functions, where the customer’s demand should be met even at the expense of the quality features of the fiction mediated. / Uppsatsnivå: D

This master’s thesis aims to study the practice of separating popular genres of fiction from the rest of the fiction stock, often seen at public libraries. The method being used is critical discourse analysis according to Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional conception of discourse. The textual dimension of this analysis is the book shelf itself and the sociocultural practice is the everyday practice at a public library of supplying and mediating books to the visitors. The main research question is: In what ways do the alternative shelf arrangements affect the sociocultural practice of mediating fiction to library visitors and to what degree has this practice, with its non-discoursive elements, cleared the path for shelf arrangements to become a natural part of the libraries? The question is answered by the analysis of the text and its different modalities, and the analysis of the discoursive practice where the interest has been the production and the consumption of the text. These two aspects of discourse are then contextualized in the sociocultural dimension. The result shows the picture of a public library undergoing major changes. Strained economy and a shift in the habits of reading fiction have forced the libraries to take influence by the commercial book stores, preferably the on-line ones. This thesis shows that the shelf arrangements of fiction are a part of the development for the public libraries in a more individualised, commercial direction.

The aim of this thesis was to understand and illuminate how readingpromotion projects can be carried out, what sort of activities they mightcontain and what sort of lasting impressions they might make. We choseto examine reading promotion projects because we consider thepromotion of reading and literacy a vital and important part of thelibraries work. The study took place at the city library of Uddevalla andthe projects included in the study were all directed towards children andyouth.The theory used in the thesis was Aidan Chambers’s model of theReading Circle which consists of the four themes of selection,‘reading’, response and the enabling adult. Methods used were semistructuredinterview, document studies and observation.The results show that reading promotion projects benefit from cooperationbetween the adults involved and that education of the adultsin order to indirectly target the children is an effective way of spreadingthe love of reading. Involving children and youth in the work anddecision making process proved to be prosperous.The conclusions are that reading promotion projects give the librarieseconomic and creative resources to try out new ways of working andcooperating. With these tools and the aim to spread the love of readingthe librarians have an increased possibility to reach out and providesupport and inspiration to all becoming readers. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The aim of this master thesis is to examine readers’ advice in weblogs - frequently modified web pages with a series of archived entries. We have chosen to study a specific kind of entry that contains information about a book of fiction- not for children and young adults - and the bloggers’ comments regarding that same book. The entries are published in ten weblogs that all deal with literature and reading. Five of these are maintained by one or more individuals, and the other five are maintained by employees at six libraries. The research questions focus on the similarities and differences between the entries containing readers’ advice published in the individual and the library weblogs. To be able to answer our questions we have conducted observations of the chosen weblogs, studied the published entries by applying a number of set criteria, and made asynchronous e-mail interviews. Theoretical frames and concepts are derived from research fields of literature, literary sociology and library and information science. The love of reading is the main reason for the selection of books being written about in the individual weblogs. The opportunities to market and highlight the library, the library stocks and the librarian’s knowledge of literature are also important to the staffs who work with the library weblogs. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The society of suburbs is frequently discussed in media, which often focus on the problems related to these areas. The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to examine how Swedish contemporary youth literature may contribute to create, strengthen and articulate social representations of the society of suburbs. The analysis is based upon six youth novels published during 2003 to 2007. The theoretical framework consists of two parts and is based on Anthony Giddens’ theories about late modern society in which the youth novels in our study take place, and those living conditions that this society creates. The other part is the theory of social representations. Shortly this theory deals with how people in society together form a collective idea of the world that surrounds them. They develop this idea together and in that way make it into a form of common sense. The method is based upon textual analysis. A model of analysis is constructed with its basis in the theories of Giddens. The themes of the model of analysis are derived from concepts central to Giddens except for the last theme, and these are life styles, limitations, expressions of emancipation and the suburb as place. The conclusion suggests that the literary description of the society of suburbs may contribute to strengthen and articulate negative social representations that are often build on prejudice, but it may also contribute to create and spread other representations and by that give a more nuanced and profound description.