Foreign visitors to libraries often face cultural barriers when using the library. This study shows how librarians see the library as a meeting place in terms of intercultural and multicultural aspects. In previous studies, the focus has mostly been on library users, but there is a need to complete the gap regarding the role of library employees. The findings presented in the article are the result of a qualitative study. The empirical data was collected from semi-structured interviews with six library employees with experience in the multicultural and intercultural field. Putnam´s concepts of social capital and oldenburg´s concept of third place were used when analyzing and coding the material. The library as a third place and social capital was also used as a theoretical framework. The result shows that the library is both a multi- and intercultural place where the reception and activities of people with a different cultural background are important. At the state level, the results show that the working method is not written verbatim in the library plans and their described tasks are affected by this. Despite various differences in the libraries, the informants describe that they have cultural competence and some believe that they can always develop their competence further. They also believe that we live in a multicultural country where the library needs to be inclusive for all groups. The information obtained can be used for further research and consideration as to whether it reflects changes in the role of public libraries.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hb-30534 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Isaieva, Elvira, Ivarsson, Mikaela |
| 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 |
Page generated in 0.0028 seconds