This study explores the physical location of public libraries, and how the functions and activities that the libraries provide can be affected by where in the city the library is located. Two of the libraries that have been examined are located in subway stations, one in a suburban shopping center, and two in very close vicinity to a city center and transportation nodes. Interviews with five employees working in the five libraries in Stockholm and Gothenburg have taken place.The theoretical framework that has been used is a model developed by Andersson and Skot-Hansen, that divides the public library into four different roles; the social center, the information center, the cultural center and the knowledge center. The four roles each connect with different parts of the library´s functions, and the model tells us something about which profile a library can have in the local community. The results show that the location has both positive and, to a certain amount, negative effects on the public library. The close vicinity to communications, and the easy access in connection with shopping and attending culture events, makes the library a more accessible place where the efforts to become a library user are low. This type of location however, also brings noise and disturbance, which worries some of the librarians who see the library as a place of peace and quiet, and inspiration. Although the libraries examined in this study all have new and innovative locations, the functions and activities that take place are equal to those of a traditional public library.

The purpose of my essay is to study the current debate on public library as a meeting place in the Swedish daily press. I have examined how the meeting function is used and how it is perceived and what it might mean to the public library. Through a selection process, I chose 18 relevant newspaper articles from the year 2006 to 2012. By implementing a content analysis, three themes were distinguished; “the meeting place as a place to reside on”, “the meeting place as an inclusion” and “the meeting place as a culture and activity house” I have used Andersson, Scot-Hansen and Rabers theoretical models of the library's roles for my analysis. My study shows that the library's function as a meeting place is appreciated by the majority of the people. The library facilities are used for socialization as well as for the individual to be at peace. Many library users find social interaction through the cultural activities. The results indicate a development towards a library with sofas, cafeterias and scenes. The literature, however, has a secondary role in the modern library. Idea stores and hybrid library occurs in collaboration with other recreational activities to generate local hot spots. Ideologically, the library tends to give the market what it wants; it’s a populist strategy to ensure the library's benefit to the society. But the library´s social centers also remain a strong position among the library users. / Program: Bibliotekarie

This Bachelor ́s thesis is about the conversations and meetings that take place in the mobile library. The research questions will try to answer: What do the staff talk about with each other, what conversations do the staff engage in with their users and what do the users talk about amongst themselves? The thesis main question is trying to answer of what is characteristic for the mobile library ́s conversations and meetings. Is the mobile library as a meetingplace any different in comparison with the city library? Focus lies on the eveningtours of the mobile library and excludes those tours that service schools and learning-centers. The intent is to capture the users that take advantage of the mobile library ́s services in their leisuretime. Methods used are observations on the eveningtours of the bus and qualitative interviews with the staff of the mobile library. The theoretical framework is Andersson and Skot-Hansens model of the public library ́s four different profiles. The authors have distinguished areas of use in libraries containing of a cultural-center, a knowledge-center, an information-center and a social center. The result of the study shows that the mobile library is an important meetingplace for it ́s users. The conversations and meetings that occur are not merely those of service to their users but also meetings and conversations on a more personal level. The mobile library is a place where users can socialize with the staff but also meet their neighbours and friends. / Program: Bibliotekarie