Municipal library plans: strategic regulatory documents orwindow dressing? : A text analysis from a new institutionalperspective

The objective of this thesis is to explore possible explanations for the composition and contents of local library plans. A review of 33 local library plans from three Swedish counties was carried out in order to investigate the strategic documents design and contents in relation to the legal requirements placed upon them. In order to accomplish this task an analysis tool that consists of an eight-item questionnaire was constructed. A qualitative analysis of the texts, based on a new institutional theoretic framework, was performed in pursuance of finding causal factors to the properties of the texts. The results of the investigation reveal that the new institutional theories constitute a relevant framework for interpreting the strategic documents. Proof of existence of several phenomenon defined by theorists of new institutionalism were found. Strongest evidence was encountered for the legitimizing function of the texts .Numerous signs of the presence of hypocrisy, the procedure of integrating organizational structures, processes and ideologies for internal and external application, were also found in the texts. There were also some manifestations of an acquiescing and/or compromising organizational response to external pressure. Even though the theoretical framework was found to be highly relevant for the interpretation of the texts it is difficult to reach an unambiguous conclusion. Further investigations on this matter is recommended in order to determine the exact causal explanation of the design and contents of Swedish local library plans