Hotas de svenska folkbiblioteken? : Intervjustudie om bibliotekschefers syn på hot mot folkbiblioteken

Sammanfattning: Are the public libraries as an institution threatened in any way? In this study six library managers have been interviewed to investigate whether they perceive any forms of threats towards public libraries in Sweden. The study is based on Katarina Michnik's research on threats (2014) where she sent a questionnaire to all library managers in Sweden. It has been 10 years since her empirics were collected. We therefore find it reasonable for the study to be followed up. Our approach differs from the way of Michnik in two major ways. Firstly we study public library managers' perception on things in a qualitative manner. Secondly we use the new-institutional perspective, and not exclusively the concept of legitimacy within the new-institutional perspective. Our empirical data has been created through six interviews by public library managers. They are asked what they think may threaten both their local libraries and the library as an institution. Throughout the interviews we have asked supplementary questions where deemed appropriate, in order to deepen the various threats the managers mentioned. Threats mentioned were related to the libraries economy, social changes and the view of the public libraries. Through our theoretical perspective we analyse the threats as signs of a changing society. Norms within the library profession and norms within the society differ in ways that makes it hard for the public libraries to legitimize themselves the way they are.