Biblioteket som integrerande resurs i samhället. En exemplifiering med målgruppen romer

Sammanfattning: This essay is about how the library can make a difference inintegrating the minority Roma people into the Swedish society.Roma people have been subjected to persecution anddiscrimination for a long time. In this essay, I examine theactivities, functions and capabilities of libraries that can have apositive effect for the integration of the Roma people. Myquestions are: How can libraries reach out to the Roma people andwhat function do the library have for the integration of the Romapeople? I have used Marianne Anderssons and Dorte Skot-Hansens theory the four functions of the library – the culutralcenter, the knowledge center, the information center and the socialcenter. Based on this theory, I have interpreted and analyzed thematerial that I have gathered through interviews and literaturestudies such as thesis, dissertations, repors and parliamentdocuments. The results of my studies show a predominance of twoof the four library functions – the cultural center and theknowledge center. It was largely about literature, learning andknowledge. Some informants associated the library only withbooks and silence, which can be a result of how the librarypromote itself. As the four functions overlap, activities can oftenbe interpreted from several angles.