Både chef och bibliotekarie
om chefsrollen på folkbibliotek
The majority of managers of public libraries in Sweden also work as librarians on an operative level within the organisation. This thesis discusses how the manager role is affected by his/her specific assignments and multiple tasks. Seven public library managers, who work in districts with around 10 000 25 000 inhabitants, have been interviewed. They reflect upon their experience of leadership and different assignments. The main focus lies on: - leadership - communication - decision making - organisational development The interviews show some positive effects, the manager is present most of the time, has a great knowledge about everyday work and daily routines, and is also able to represent the library successfully in the local community. However, having a close working relationship with the rest of the staff can include some difficulties on a psychosocial level, e.g. in conflicts and salary negotiations. Long-term planning also seems to suffer in favour of daily assignments. In times of reduced resources in the public sector it seems to be even more important to manage the resources in the most efficient way. An increased priority of the management role and the managerial activities would probably imply more examples of organisational development.