Biblioteket i Sillvik : Uppsökande verksamhet på stranden

Sammanfattning: The library on the beachThe library has been awarded special funding from the government. The goal for this outreach library is to support children in their leisure time and to encourage their reading. The aim has been to investigate the relationship between the purpose of outreach library activities and actual user behavior.The main purpose of the essay is how the relation is between the purpose of outreach library and how the visitors’ behaviors corresponds to the purpose. Is it possible to create a Library on the beach? How the relation is between the purpose of the outreach library and how the visitor’s behaviors corresponds to the purposes? Is it possible through the investigation to get an indication if it is the right way for people to build relations to library on their leisure time?The investigation was conducted through interviews with library staff, rooting the results of the research in theories.The assessment of the results of this study through observations and interviews is that the Beach Library is more than just playing with children.The children use the library for reading and participating in various activities that can provide knowledge. The beach library is a contact creating activity, and as the visitors express and their visits show, it is experienced as an appreciated meeting point. Jochumsen et al (2012) and their model fills all four rooms, indicating that the visitors and especially the children are given a richer leisure time where each individual possibly can grow and achieve empowerment. The result also shows that adults gather around the library and use it for conversations in a social aspect but also look at the contents of magazines, movies, books and borrow them. The study has a weakness since it does not answer the question whether the visitors think that the library's content and activities raise needs and require a continuation, or if they are just happy that something happens on the beach.