Bibliotek, censur och yttrandefrihet i dags- och fackpress före, under och efter andra världskriget

Sammanfattning: The perspective of this essay is within the field of library history with a focus on democracy and freedom of expression in a time of crisis and war. The purpose is to investigate how censorship and freedom of expression were discussed in connection with libraries during 1933–1950. The survey takes place in a Swedish context where the texts of four different newspapers and magazines on the subject were analyzed. The study maps debates and opinions within the library system and in society and studies which perspectives on libraries emerge in connection with censorship, freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Through the various historical events, the material highlights and discusses the activities of libraries from many different perspectives. This is especially true for the two newspapers where the debates were also livelier and the texts more critical of the political developments into which the libraries were drawn. The two journals, focusing on the library world, took a neutral stance in the early years, towards the end of the Second World War and in the first post-war years more critical texts arguing for freedom of expression against censorship began to be published. The material also shows thoughts about what a library is and how its activities should be conducted, the principle of neutrality is highlighted as one important factor. This was considered especially important in the years following the war, perhaps as a reaction to the fact that both before and during the war libraries had become embroiled in various political advocacy work.