?Våra långväga vänner"
folkbibliotekarierna och de ensamkommande barnen
Ensamkommande barnFlyktingarFolkbibliotekarierSocialt kapitalSocial exkluderingLågintensiva mötesplatserHögintensiva mötesplatser
Purpose: The purpose of the study reported in this thesis is to addto the knowledge concerning what public librarians do to meet theneeds of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors, thereby helpingthem to develop and establish themselves in a new environment.What tasks, activities and tools do the librarians have at theirdisposal? What problems do they encounter? What values, normsand attitudes guide their work? Method: The thoughts andexperiences of six public librarians have been captured throughqualitative semi-structured interviews, the result of which has beenthematically analysed using notions of social capital and socialexclusion. Findings: Unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors facea number of challenges which the public library with its librarians,collections and various activities can assist in coping with byproviding the children with opportunities to increase their socialcapital and decrease the risk of social exclusion. Researchlimitations: It has for several reasons proven difficult to studyunaccompanied asylum-seeking children as a distinct group, whichis why this study also uses material that deals with refugees as awhole. A significant amount of the latter are undeniablyunaccompanied minors, an especially exposed and vulnerable typeof refugees. The study is limited, local and situated and thereforenot empirically generalizable. Research implications: The studycontributes to the accumulated knowledge concerning the potentialof public libraries as vectors for building social capital in the livesof unaccompanied asylum seeking minors, in a variety of ways.The role, values and attitudes of librarians are especiallyhighlighted.