Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome! : Folkbibliotekets rumsliga tillgänglighet för alla barn och unga, oavsett kulturell och språklig bakgrund

Sammanfattning: People of various cultural and linguistic backgrounds seek refuge in Sweden. Policy documents for public libraries state that prioritized areas of operation are children and young people, but also cultural and linguistic diversity. In recent years, the spatial aspects of library buildings have been the subject of major research, especially in Scandinavia. The purpose of this study is to broaden knowledge of how public libraries can design spaces by considering diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In this study, library spaces for children and young people are researched. The methods applied in this research were semi-structured interviews with librarians; observations in library spaces for children and young people in three public libraries in Västra Götaland, Sweden; and a review of policy documents from these public libraries. The theoretical framework for this research is Hans Elbeshausen's and Peter Skov's "Public libraries in a multicultural space: a case study of integration processes in local communities." Elbeshausen and Skov describe the transnational: how people are linked to two or more cultures. This was the theoretical foundation for the transnational screen, a tool for analysis, in which support of multiculturalism and integration would promote a sound transnational. This tool was used to analyze the results of the observations. Findings indicate that public libraries already support both multiculturalism and integration, which means public libraries also reinforce transnationalism. Using the transnational screen for analysis facilitates practical suggestions for improvement in the operation of public libraries.