Folkbibliotekariers syn på HBTQIA+ samlingen : “Vi vill att alla våra hyllor ska vara regnbågshyllor”

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to investigate how public libraries work with their LGBTQIA+ collection in regards to collection development as well as the representation of various LGBTQIA+ labels in said library collection. Furthermore, this study will investigate how the librarians themselves cater and view the queer community. The method used in this study was semi-structured interviews with 6 different librarians in the province of Småland. The theoretical framework that was used to analyze the empirical data was social practice, a theory developed by Shove, Pantzar and Watson that is comprised of three components, the elements material, competence and meaning.  The result of this study shows that the majority of librarians are not only positive towards the LGBTQIA+ community but also strive towards making sure their collections are varied in labels, up to date with terminology and more than willing to learn and engage with the queer community. However, the results also show that not all librarians are dedicated to keeping their LGBTQIA+ collection updated and relevant as well as that all three of the components of social practice are needed to ensure that a collection is of good quality and representative.