This paper deals with the use of Internet at Swedish Public libraries. The author asks whether Public libraries should or should not limit access to information available on the Internet. Starting from the American discussion, concerning Internet at Public libraries, the author shows the Swedish attitudes. The paper demonstrates that many Swedish Public libraries have adopted rules forbidding retrieval of certain kinds of information, such as hard-core pornography and racist propaganda. The persons in charge of such actions claim that Public libraries should provide high-quality educational literature and should not spread mass-produced, provocative information.

This paper deals with the use of Internet at Swedish Public libraries. The author asks whether Public libraries should or should not limit access to information available on the Internet. Starting from the American discussion, concerning Internet at Public libraries, the author shows the Swedish attitudes. The paper demonstrates that many Swedish Public libraries have adopted rules forbidding retrieval of certain kinds of information, such as hard-core pornography and racist propaganda. The persons in charge of such actions claim that Public libraries should provide high-quality educational literature and should not spread mass-produced, provocative information.

This paper deals with the use of Internet at Swedish Public libraries. The author asks whether Public libraries should or should not limit access to information available on the Internet. Starting from the American discussion, concerning Internet at Public libraries, the author shows the Swedish attitudes. The paper demonstrates that many Swedish Public libraries have adopted rules forbidding retrieval of certain kinds of information, such as hard-core pornography and racist propaganda. The persons in charge of such actions claim that Public libraries should provide high-quality educational literature and should not spread mass-produced, provocative information.

This paper deals with the use of Internet at Swedish Public libraries. The author asks whether Public libraries should or should not limit access to information available on the Internet. Starting from the American discussion, concerning Internet at Public libraries, the author shows the Swedish attitudes. The paper demonstrates that many Swedish Public libraries have adopted rules forbidding retrieval of certain kinds of information, such as hard-core pornography and racist propaganda. The persons in charge of such actions claim that Public libraries should provide high-quality educational literature and should not spread mass-produced, provocative information.

The aim of this Master thesis is to study the Public libraries' function as a place for people to meet. Four major questions are taken up: + Do the Public libraries have the function of a meeting place? + How important do the librarians and the visitors find the libraries possible function as a meeting place? Do they think that this function is important? + What differs the Public libraries from other places in society when it comes to the function of a meeting place? + What differences are there between a larger and a smaller library when it comes to the function of a meeting place ? The basis of this study are interviews with employees at a province library in Jönköping and at a smaller library in Sjöbo in Borås municipality. Our study deals with the history of Public libraries, its functions as a meeting place, its architecture, culture, and statistics concerning numbers of visitors and loans of books. The conclusions that are drawn are that the Public libraries have qualifications to function as a meeting place even if that isn't always the case.

We studied the understanding of public librarians of the required qualifications for a public librarian, what these qualifications embody and how they should be used, and if there are any differences between geographic regions. We also compared our results to the Library Code, which describes the responsibilities of the Public libraries. To complete our study, we interviewed fourteen public librarians at eight different Public libraries located in both urban and rural areas in Sweden. Our results showed that even though the qualifications specified by the Library Code were identical, they were emphasized and used differently by the Public libraries included in our study. This illustrates that the Public libraries prioritize and focus differently on the various aspects of the Library Code.

The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to examine the methods Public libraries can use in order to market youth services. It is also a chance to evaluate an untested marketing model adapted to Public libraries. Young people are one of the most difficult groups to attract to the library and thus librarians need adequate methods to deal with this problem. We have interviewed librarians, carried out observations and examined documents in accordance to the triangulation method. Before one can begin marketing the libraries one ought to know of how marketing is done and the principles behind it, therefore we have given a simple explanation of marketing and marketing theory.

Internet access has been a part of the range in Public libraries for approximately a decade. The Swedish municipals, in charge of the Public libraries, and the libraries themselves, have a great deal of saying in how they should be run, what to offer the public, how many hours they have to stay open etcetera. The Library law is very vague on many things, including public Internet access. Even though Sweden is ranked as first runner up worldwide when it comes to Internet penetration among the population (Internet World Stats 2007), approximately twenty percent in the 16-74 age group does not have Internet access at home, at work or at school (SCB 2006a). In this master thesis we try to determine, through personal interviews, how six of those in charge feel about Internet at their libraries, all located in medium-sized municipals (20 000 ? 40 000 inhabitants), why they have chosen the rules and regulations they have and their thoughts about what they consider to be the most important assignment of Public libraries.

The purpose of the master thesis was to reflect and analyze music library activities and policies in the Public libraries in the area around the city of Borås, in the south-western part of Sweden. With this thesis I also wanted to look at the interaction between the Public libraries, the music school and the music associations in the same area. To investigate these matters, qualitative method was used in the form of interviews with seven librarians from seven different libraries and five representatives of different local music organizations. Other methods used were observations and source studies. The literature used discusses the role of the music department of Public libraries as well as that of a music librarian working in a public library.

This master thesis was written in the purpose to study how the location and access to computers in the physical realm of the public library reflects the undergoing changes in the Public libraries role in Swedish society. This study is done in a form of a case study of three small Public libraries. All of them were in the process of transforming both their physical and virtual space. The thesis focuses on where in the library the computers are placed and how their location interacts with the libraries main tasks. It also focuses on the analysis of the relationship between these two elements and how that relationship reflects the alteration of the Public libraries place in society.

This study investigates the use of the social network Facebook among 67 Swedish libraries; 27 academic libraries and 40 Public libraries. Data is collected through an analysis of the libraries? Facebook pages and through an email survey. To analyze the data, a series of statistical analyses were performed.The results indicate that the Public libraries more actively posted Facebook updates than the academic libraries and that the libraries that had a policy for use of Facebook/social media more actively posted updates than those libraries that did not have such policy. The libraries use Facebook mainly to post links and photos and to announce events, provide book recommendations, and to emphasize special occasions.

The aim of this Master?s thesis is to examine seven public librarians? attitudes towards manga as a new kind of literature in Public libraries. Manga is an art form, originally from Japan, but in recent years manga has become very popular in the Western societies. The main issue of this thesis is how the librarians? look at manga and what they think about manga.

The aim of this thesis is to describe and analyse the development of libraries on Tjörn, an island on the Swedish west coast. I have divided the thesis in two parts, one in which I will describe the libraries development between the years 1873 to 1952 in the municipality of Stenkyrka and one in which I will describe the libraries development between the years 1976 and 1985 in the municipality of Tjörn. The study is mainly based on written materials and a theoretic model will also be used in which I apply three factors, society, the libraries economy and individual actors on the library activity. The libraries in Stenkyrka during the early period were dependent of public grant from the state for their survival and the libraries were undeveloped. The society around them was poor and hardly any money or assistants came from the municipality.

The purpose of this Master?s thesis is to describe how Swedish Public libraries use Web 2.0-tools and their experiences of using the tools. Focus of the study lies in the contact between Public libraries and their patrons on the Web 2.0-tools. For the purposes of the study, the use of weblogs and MySpace were chosen for examination. The methodology used for this study was qualitative interviews.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the reason behind thedecision to open libraries at subway stations in Stockholm.The theoretical framework for the study is Douglas Raber´s threeideologies, social activism, conservative response and populistinitiative. The study includes interviews with librarians and apolitician responsible for the service and documents with plansfor the Public libraries development during the period. Theempirical material was examined with an idea- and ideologicalanalysis.The conclusion is that the concept of the subway libraries consistsof a combination of the three ideologies but the most evidentare those of populist initiative and social activism.The reason for opening libraries at subway stations is to makethe libraries more easily accessible, to attract new visitors and tomake the Public libraries service more visible. These smalllibraries have a function as a market place for the Public librariesand as a meeting place in the city..