Folkbibliotekspolitik i Göteborg under slutet av 1940-talet
En ideologianalys
The aim of this Master thesis is to delineate the ideology behind the public library politics in Gothenburg, during 1945-50. The study is an archive survey. To be able to account for the public library politics in Gothenburg during the period, the author has studied documents in the archive of the public library board in Gothenburg. The description of the politics is the source for the research papers analysis. The thesis principal issue, is on what ideological basis the public library politics has been formulated in Gothenburg, during the period of interest? The concept of ideology is defined as a coherent system of norms and values. To answer the main issue the author uses a method of analysis that focuses on the fact that it is texts that gets investigated. The methodology is hermeneutic and based on the knowledge that you have to interpret a text in relation to its context, to be able to understand the text, in this study to be able to understand the public library politics. The context that have been investigated and described closely is welfare politics, the popular adult education, cultural politics and the history of public libraries in Sweden and Gothenburg. The analysis is structured in accordance to a text model that is constructed from the assumption that a text is designed 1. in a specific context and 2. uses words 3. to express something 4. to someone 5. in a specific style. The author finds that the ideology behind the public library politics consisted of principles, that the welfare politics of the period was built on, that fitted the public library ideal like a glove. He also finds that it consists of a modernistic belief in progression the society is moving forward in a positive and more or less imperative way.