In public libraries there seems to be an unspoken consensus on what literary quality is. At the same time librarians are always eager to express the opinion that quality lies in the eye of the beholder. Quality is, it is said, something that you don t have to define. But at the same time it s up to everyone to decide what quality means to them. What I have been missing from the discussion in libraries about literary quality is a theoretical awareness about what it means to divide literature into higher and lower spheres.

While almost 23 percent of the students in the Swedish upper secondary school are foreigners, only a fraction of the school libraries? collections consists of literature written in other languages than Swedish or English. This study examines how five school librarians experience the task of working with literature composed in foreign languages in the multicultural and multilingual school of today. The results of the qualitative interviews are analyzed in relation to the legislation and policy documents that the school libraries are working by, and also in relation to the theoretical framework of sociocultural theory and the theories on second language acquisition developed by linguist Jim Cummins.The study shows that while multilingualism is discussed as an important matter in the legislation and policy documents that the school libraries work by, the librarians in this study largely view the question of foreign literature as peripheral. Most part of the librarians connects first language reading to leisure-time activities rather than curricular activities, and stresses that the Swedish language should be prioritized in Swedish schools.

The underlying purpose of this study is to see whether a library focused solely on providing literature in other languages than Swedish serves as a unifying, integrating force, or as an agent for division and exclusion. The study focuses on the International Library in Stockholm. The authors have created a profile of the visitors of the selected library, concerning their characteristics, their library habits and their perceptions of the International library. This profile has then been compared with the staff?s perception of the visitors as a group.

The purpose of this Master thesis is to compare the perception and significance of reference work in two countries, Sweden and Germany. This will be achieved by means of a literature review of previous research literature and public documents and a content analysis of articles from two library journals.A first step was to examine the historical development of reference work in the selected countries. In connection with this there proved to be distinct phases in the discussion regarding reference work. These phases with their specific discourses, themes and emphases reflected and thus later were confirmed in the second part of the study.The results show that despite some similarities there are also quite a few differences in how reference work is perceived in both countries. For Sweden, the idea of reference work was introduced relatively early.

The aim of this thesis is to explore how librarians approach to and knowledge of young people can be seen in their work methods and in activities arranged for young people. I also want to investigate other factors that librarians think can affect how they work. Five interviews were carried out with five librarians who worked with young people at public libraries. The literature review covers; young peoples needs and leisure activities, young peoples attitudes to libraries, activities arranged for them and towards departments for young people at public libraries. Literature dealing with librarians` attitudes and knowledge of young people was also included.

The aim of this study is to study the construction of literary values. I have been looking at how literature awarded with sponsored literary prizes has been reviewed in four major English and American newspapers. I have been studying the reception of literature by Ian McEwan, Hilary Mantel, Colm Tóibín and Zadie Smith between 2000 and 2012. The prizes in focus are the Man Booker Prize, the Orange prize for fiction and the Costa Awards. There seems to be an increasing number of articles related to each author after they have been awarded a prize, however with little change in the content of the reviews.

This thesis provides a systematic literature review of a selection among current papers andarticles on Green Information Systems (IS). The main focus is on the current state of Green ISin academic research. This study aims at gaining a deeper understanding and a clearer view ofthe state-of-the-art of IS for environmental sustainability research, with the goal of clarifyingthe diffuse idea of what Green IT/IS is, and what differentiates Green IS from Green IT.To support the objective of this study, the articles selected for data analysis were collected byusing a systematic literature review as research and analytical method. Within the thesis, adescriptive angle with an interpretative character is used to analyse the data extracted.A theoretical framework based on concepts from sustainability, Green IS and Green IT isemployed in order to analyse and compare terminologies and frameworks used in the studiedarticles. Furthermore, the different dimensions of sustainability and the various terms used todescribe Green IS are analysed comparatively.The result and analysis are discussed in a conclusion confirming the on-going ambiguity ofthe terms Green IT and Green IS and the transformative power of IS.

Background: Men that have gone through treatment for prostate cancer may lose their sexuality as result of treatment. The sexual ability might symbolize manliness, despite age and sexual activities. Aim: The aim of the literature study was to describe; Influence on sexuality and the daily life for men with prostatecancer and their experience of informationneeds. Method: The material for the literature study was searched through databases; 13 scientific articles were selected and two articles through manual search, all 15 articles were examined. Result: Five categories were found in the result of the literature study; physical dimension, emotional/mental dimension, social/practical dimension and informationneeds.

The aim of this master's thesis is to examine whether librarians working in public libraries see fiction as a source of knowledge, and what role this plays in the educational mission of the public library. This investigation, which consists of a literary study and an empirical section, shows that the concept of phronesis denotes practical wisdom and moral thinking, and that it can be applied to that form of knowledge to which reading can contribute. An important issue in this context is the reader's motivation to learn. The interviews show that librarians see literature as a source from which knowledge can be drawn. When they mediate literature, they believe that they are conveying something of value and they set great store in mediating literature which could have a not inconsiderable import to the borrowers.

The aim of this study is to make a comparative study between the grievances during the Dacke Warand the German Peasant´s War. These two conflicts may have occurred separately, regarding bothgeographical and chronological distances but also share common issues for this comparative study.Less than two decades separates these two conflicts and they were all by their own serious insurrectionsduring their time. While the German Peasant´s War was the greatest uprising in Europe up tothe French Revolution, the Dacke War was the biggest Peasant Rebellion in Scandinavian history.While the German Peasant War has been studied and researched by historians for a relative longtime, the Dacke War has been neglected in research history. If it were not for the Swedish professorLars-Olof Larsson?s studies during foremost in the 1960s, the Dacke War would have been a historicallyuncharted territory of research indeed.

The aim of this study was to describe the attitudes against abused women. A literature review was used in this study. Information was collected from the literature and articles written about the subject and brought together and then critical analysed. To help with the organisation structure we used Ida Jean Orlando's theory as a theoretical framework. Our findings indicate that the nurses had a lack of acknowledgment about the women's situations and needed education about their situations.

The purpose of this Master Thesis is to compare two American novel suites for young women, Louisa May Alcott?s Little Women and Good Wives to Ann Brashares series of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The social status of women and children in the US during the 19th century is analyzed and compared historically and literary with the situation 130 years later.The main question is, what differences exist in the books and is there a connection between the changes in society and literature?The method of this Master Thesis is to make a comparative narratological analysis placed in a historical context.The result shows that the multiple character remains and enhances the identification process. Motherhood in the works of Alcott is prominent, whereas in the works of Brashares, sisterhood replaces motherhood.In Alcott?s US during the 19th century, Christian faith was in the foreground.

AbstractThe purpose of my study is to describe what view teachers, which are working with autistic children, have about how the individual autistic child will have a good schooling? If children with autism should be integrated or segregated. I also want to find out how ?a school for all? shall be worked out to fit children with autism. To reach my purpose I?ve chosen to use a qualitative method and to hand out questionnaire to three teachers which are working in a training school.To get a background to this study I?ve presented what researchers have to say about this subject.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the habits of borrowing books among third-grade pupils. My aim is also to study what significance their teacher and the librarian have on the pupils? borrowing habits. Based on the results from an experiment, two observations, interviews and by compiling a list of short summaries of literature relevant to my thesis. I wanted to compare earlier research with my own results and also reflect on remarks made by librarians and teachers concerning the children?s reading and use of the library.

Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att ta reda på om mina kvinnliga informanter upplevde en ökad/ förbättrad självkänsla under coaching/ samtal. Vidare var syftet att belysa den ökade positiva ökade välbefinnandet av coaching och samtal ur individ synpunkt. Samtliga kvinnor upplevde en positiv ökad upplevelse till sig själva av återkommande coaching/ samtal sessioner. Ett resultat var att alla informanter upplevde en betydligt högre grad självkänsla och välbefinnande. Kvinnorna upplevde att de alla i högre grad kände sig mer tillfredsställda mer sig själva som personer. Även självförtroendet upplevde de hade förbättrats då de vågade ta för sig mer än vad de hade vågat innan , både i privata och arbetsrelaterade situationer och relationer..