Ska vi träffas på biblioteket? En undersökning om folkbibliotekets funktion som mötesplats
The aim of this Master thesis is to study the public libraries' function as a place for people to meet. Four major questions are taken up: + Do the public libraries have the function of a meeting place? + How important do the librarians and the visitors find the libraries possible function as a meeting place? Do they think that this function is important? + What differs the public libraries from other places in society when it comes to the function of a meeting place? + What differences are there between a larger and a smaller library when it comes to the function of a meeting place ? The basis of this study are interviews with employees at a province library in Jönköping and at a smaller library in Sjöbo in Borås municipality. Our study deals with the history of public libraries, its functions as a meeting place, its architecture, culture, and statistics concerning numbers of visitors and loans of books. The conclusions that are drawn are that the public libraries have qualifications to function as a meeting place even if that isn't always the case. Certain factors as the pledge of secrecy makes it harder for the visitors at the library to get in contact with each other. The public libraries have an important social function, especially for senior citizens and unemployed. The smaller public library differs from the larger one in the way that the visitors and the employees at the smaller library get to know each other better and the contact with the visitors becomes more important.