Introduction. The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine and interpret the role of the concept accessibility in the function of the public library in Sweden. Method. A qualitative method is used to carry out semi-structured interview with public library staff. A connection between the concept accessibility and regulatory documents is also made. Analysis. Through a hermeneutical approach and an understanding of accessibility in the Swedish language and a larger political context, an interpretation and analysis is done. The concept is mainly understood through its social, spatial and comprehensive aspects. Accessibility is also interpetreted through an active aspect. Results. The mission to create a library that is ”accessible for all”, as it is formulated in Swedish library law, is in many ways internalised in the organisation. Social accessibility is a way to make users feel welcome, and the staff plays the function of a portal to the library. Accessibility, as a feeling or an experience, through the interpretation of the individual, is shown to be important from the point of view of library staff. This subjective feeling interplays with the universal principle ”accessibility for all” and how the concept is tied to practical functions. Conclusion. Accessibility, as it is understood through an universal principle, creates an ”interpetrative space”, where fulfilling an equal access to the public library can be problematic. The study shows it’s the users interpetration of what the function the public library has is what steers its function and in turn its accessibility. It creates an interpetrative space where the public library can be constructed and function in different ways which makes the universal principle of equal access hard to uphold. This means a public library that is ”accessible for all” can be understood as a library that is in constant change to reach this goal. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-447043 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Lindblad, Jacob, Gröhn Nordin, Mimmi |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för ABM |
| 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 |
| Relation | Uppsatser inom biblioteks- & informationsvetenskap, 1650-4267 ; 809 |
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