The purpose of my bachelor thesis is to create an understanding of how public library employees express the public libraries´ assignments and tasks. To help fulfill the purpose, I have assumed the following issues • What do the study's public library employees think that the public library's mission in society should or should not be? • To what extent does the study's public library staff perform daily tasks that are described as being outside the remit of the public libraries? • According to the study´s public library staff, how clear are the public libraries´ guidelines when it comes to which tasks the staff should perform and which ones to say no to? • Are there any differences between how public library staff's existing service titles look at the public libraries' assignments and tasks? If so, what do these differences look like? The method I have used is quantitative as I sent out a web survey to all main libraries in Sweden's 290 municipalities. The results were analyzed using previous research and the Four spaces model, which through its four spaces can help to analyze how the library activities work. The result shows that respondents in the web survey want tasks such as information and knowledge mediation, democracy and reading promotion to be included in the assignment. On the other hand, they think that tasks such as data printing, banking affairs and public affairs do not belong to the assignment. According to the respondents, the guidelines regarding which tasks the employees should say no to are unclear.

This thesis is about the Färjestadens librarys users in a self-service libraries. Färjestadens library is a public library in Öland a island in the Balticsea in Sweden. The library moved to new facilities in April 2016. During these times they also obtained a new system: self-service libraries, which means that the user could use the library from 7 am to 10 pm every day of the week. This new change was interesting to examenine, how the users use the library room. Method to examine this was with interview guides and then transliterated and sorted in categories. The results in this studie where to answer two questions about how users used the self service and the second question what function did it have on the users? The findings were that Färjestadens library users use the library three of the four spaces/functions in the library.

An increased access to information and knowledge through the development of information- and communication technology, Internet and social media has led to changes in perceptions of what the public library is and what role it has in contemporary society. In addition, the use of smartphones has contributed to an easy and economic way to market an institution and to build relationships with users through visual communication. In the context of adapting both to the influences of a global market and stated cultural policies on a national, regional and municipal level, the public library aims to serve a target group that includes all citizens. The question at issue states: How does the public libraries in Jönköping use Instagram to market their activity and in what way is different library roles expressed through the images? During 2016 – 2017, 302 images were posted on Instagram by the municipality of Jönköping. These images where studied using content analysis. The four spaces model, as explained by Jochumsen, Hvenegaard Rasmussen and Skot- Hansen (2012), was used to analyze the result. The result shows that the public libraries use Instagram to legitimize the librarys existence towards users and decision-makers, to build relationships with users and to market activities, for instance. he majority of the studied images could be related to the inspiration space.

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to develop new knowledge of how librarians view the public library as a place for integration of immigrant children and young people. Five librarians, from five different libraries were interviewed. The results were analysed through the theoretical framework ”The four spaces” developed by Jochumsen, Hvenegaard Rasmussen and Skot-Hansen (2012). The result of the study shows that librarians believe that public libraries in many ways can enable integration for newly arrived children and young people. The main difficulties for the libraries is to reach out and promote themselves to the target group. Public libraries can enable integration by serving as a meeting place and a safe place where newly arrived children and young people can come and meet other people and library staff. By offering different types of group activities, integration can be achieved as well as working relationship creation. According to the librarians, public libraries can contribute to integration by offering its users different types of language development activities. Promoting reading is one of the most important missions libraries have towards the target group. The ambition of libraries is, for example, to offer reading sessions in the children’s mother tongue and programs in easy Swedish language. Libraries can assist the newly arrived children and young people with literature and other media in different languages. Making this available is important to contribute to integration.

The aim of this thesis is to explore how the Four spaces model developed by Jochumsen, Hvenegaard Rasmussen and Skot-Hansen is reflected in applications for development grants from the Swedish Arts Council. 58 successful applications for funds concerning library space in 2018 were analysed using content analysis. The model of the future public library is used as a theoretical framework. The findings show that the aspirations of Swedish public libraries are reflected in the Four spaces model. The most prominent aspiration concerns the development of inspirational space in the public library. Swedish public libraries also aspire to develop public programs, mostly for children and young adults. Other aspirations include the development of silent rooms or study spaces and performative spaces in the shape of makerspaces for children or young adults.

In 2020 a global pandemic began that affected libraries around the world. Due to government restrictions public libraries in Sweden were greatly limited in their operations. Within the public libraries' program activities, the amount of activities was halved. The library's response to continue to achieve the goals connected to the program activities was to undergo a shift from physical to digital.  The purpose of this study was to analyse the shift and its impact on the program activities, on the libraries' goals, and whether library staff believe that the shift has long-term consequences for the library. In the survey, representatives from the largest public libraries in eight provinces in Sweden participated in semi-structured interviews to share their experiences during the pandemic period and also their thoughts on the future.  The results showed a complete shift from physical to digital programs during the period. They had to change their way of working, acquire new equipment and skills to offer new programs and services to users digitally. But the shift brought problems: for example, when materials were to be published online, with digital participation, and because the program's goals became more difficult to achieve. Some benefits were also highlighted, including that digital activities attracted new users and an opportunity to participate regardless of distance to the library.  The conclusions that can be drawn from the survey is that the program activities will in part return to their original form before the pandemic. The respondents believed that some hybridization will take place, that selected physical programs will also be shown digitally, but that the digital development and the digital working methods will generally be limited to enable the library as a physical meeting place and the return of visitors.

Libraries play an important role in society by offering cultural activities to families with younger children. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the libraries had to restrict their services. Due to the restrictions, families have lost many of the opportunities that the library offered. This thesis explores the effect that the restrictions have had on families. To get a contemporary insight into these effects the photovoice method was applied, followed by semi-structured interviews. Four families who frequent the library were used in the study. To present and analyze the needs of the families, the four spaces-model by Jochumsen, Rasmussen, and Skot-Hansen was used. An environmental anthropological perspective on the context of crisis by Vigh was used to analyze aspects of a prolonged pandemic. The results of this thesis show that the families miss libraries and their activities. The families expressed a wish for more outreach from the libraries. The interviews showed that socializing during the pandemic was the hardest challenge to overcome due to social distancing restrictions. At the same time, the families were able to come up with activities to do with the help of digital tools. This helped them to learn how to find and cre-ate new activities which then gave them a new experience. The thesis also presents that libraries are not able to follow the library act or appointed goals with the restrictions.

The aim of this study is to examine how and why public libraries use Facebook. Internet has changed how people interact with one another in society. This is also true for how public libraries are active on social media just as their users are. This study is based on two questions; How do public libraries work with Facebook? Which purposes does work with Facebook serve? Employees at eight different public libraries were interviewed. Analysis was made by using the four-space model by Jochumsen et al. The findings show that the work with Facebook is organised differently between the libraries, which is either by a group or one or two individuals. Number of posts, how they are written and when they post, vary among the participating libraries as well. Consistency in posting leads to more followers and success on Facebook. The findings also show that the main reason for public libraries to use Facebook is to promote their activities and services. A majority of the libraries wants to interact with their users, but it is difficult to achieve. Contrary to what has been written before about this subject, a majority of the informants agreed that time is not an issue as the work is planned to include time for Facebook.