På väg att bli vuxen
unga flickors upplevelser och uppfattningar om bibliotek
The purpose of this Masters thesis has been to examine the importance of libraries for girls leisure time in secondary school. Focus has been on the use of the library as a leisure activity. Interviews were carried out with six girls of the ages 13 to 16. The conclusion of the study is that the library is of importance for the girls mostly through its books. Reading turned out to be an important leisure activity for the girls and the books provided by the library were of significance for their identity development. The library could also provide a feeling of security for the girls as they know that there is a place where they can get hold of information if and when they need it. The girls also preferred the school library to the public library and they did not visit the public library to any large extent in their spare time. This, however, does not mean that the library was of no significance for the girls leisure. Instead it was found that they borrowed books for their leisure reading at the school library. Another result that the study shows is that the girls use of the library during their childhood has an impact on their use as teenagers. When it comes to the girls view on their future use of the library, it is for the most part related to higher education and work rather than leisure.