The aim of this Master thesis is to examine the challenges public libraries face when implementing makerspaces into their library services, focusing on organizational issues. Our empirical material was derived from document analysis and semi-structured interviews with public library employees connected to makerspace activities in five libraries throughout Sweden. Our chosen subject emerged from a perceived lack of critical studies connected to introducing makerspaces in a public library setting, and also a scarcity of literature that speak of how the implementation needs to be organizationally sustainable long term. We have identified organizational challenges such as policy strategies, allocation of resources, as well as societal views on the changes in public library activities that makerspaces contribute to, and through qualitative content analysis based on our theoretical framework of organizational theories, the empirical material is analyzed. The results of the study show that long term planning of both financial and human resources is needed for public libraries to implement makerspaces that are sustainable in the long run. We can also conclude that it is of importance for public libraries to include makerspaces in official policy documents, to avoid questioning and to show how the connection to the Swedish library law is evident.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hb-32105 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Hassel, Jennie, Åström, Therése |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Borås, Akademin för bibliotek, information, pedagogik och IT |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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