Biblioteksidéer på import : En historisk analys av artiklar om utländsk biblioteksverksamhet publicerade i Biblioteksbladet 1916–1930

The purpose of this Bachelor’s thesis is to examine how much and what was written in Sweden about foreign libraries and their design between 1916 and 1930. This is done by analysing articles published in the Swedish library journal Biblioteksbladet, using a combination of both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Firstly, the results of the quantitative approach show that a total of 55 articles were published on the subject, within the selected period. They also show who wrote each article, and that they mostly reported on details of statistics, finances, interior design and the everyday practical work of Public, Central and Children’s libraries. Secondly, the findings from the qualitative approach, an interpretative reading of five of the 55 articles, reveal four recurring themes that illuminate the messages behind the factual details in the texts. These themes are, that the library should be for everyone; that Sweden, in some ways, had fallen behind in the development of libraries; that the details are shared to help build new and better libraries; and that libraries should adapt to suit its users. Finally, the combined results of these studies illustrate not only what the authors of the articles found to be the most interesting aspects of various foreign library systems, but also lend insight to the state of the Swedish library organisation and system of the time