This master’s thesis aims to contribute to and extend the knowledge regarding the public library staff’s work with newly arrived during the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Västerås, Sweden. This thesis is motivated by the increase of individuals who migrate to the city of Västerås and the high number of COVID cases that the city had in early 2022. Seven public library staff members from the city of Västerås were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. The empirical data was analyzed with the help of a theoretical framework based on a conceptualization of integration combined with a model that serves to make visible the different functions of a public library. The study shows that the library staff experienced various challenges and found creative solutions while working with the newly arrived during the pandemic while still adhering to the restrictions. The most critical challenges experienced were the decreased communication between the library staff and the newly arrived visitors and the digital participation of the visitors. Solutions regarding the challenges were created to suit the visitors’ needs, such as new services, digital forums, and the possibility of booking a librarian for IT tasks. In conclusion, all study participants agreed that the pandemic had made their work with the newly arrived visitors more challenging. Still, they all expressed their work with the visitors as inspiring, even amid a pandemic.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hb-28188 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Born, Ylva |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Borås, Akademin för bibliotek, information, pedagogik och IT |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
Page generated in 0.0026 seconds