Kunskapens tempel eller kunskapens saluhall
En diskursorienterad studie över förarbetet till Stockhoms nya stadsbibliotek
Public LibraryStockholm Public LibraryCultural PoliciesDiscourse Analysis.Stockholm stadsbibliotekFolkbibliotekKulturpolitikDiskursanalysDocumentationInformationLibrary scienceArchivisticsArkiv- och bibliotekskunskapDokumentationSocial Sciences
The aim of this master´s thesis is to explore how Stockholms new library´s identity is constructed, and further to relate the case study to a general discussion of the identity of public libraries in Sweden. This is done through analysis of the visions and plans that the planned library is based on. We feel that it is a relevant study since questions concerning the public library's identity are for library and information science as well as the institution. Questions posed in the study are: How is the roles and identity of the planned library described in the texts that form the basis of the project? What characterises the relationship between the present and the planned library? What discourses concerning the public library's identity can we see in the material?The theoretical framework of the thesis is a discourse oriented analysis based on the critical discourse analysis of Norman Fairclough. Social theories concerning aspects of the public library are presented to give a background and a further understanding to the study object.The results of the analysis shows a wish for a library where much emphasis is put on the library users and their desideration of the library. As a result the library's identity is set by the users rather than the library itself. The study also focuses on the relationship between the historically important present library and the planned new one. Our results show a complicated relationship due to the fact that the present library is given a passive cultural historical value while the planned library is presented as the active library for the society of today. The study confirms the problem that it is hard to determine the identity of the public library, but also gives important views of what it could be.