ALM : A study of co-operation between archives, libraries and museums

The subject of this master thesis is co-operation between archives, libraries and museums. The purpose is twofold: 1 To map out activities within the area to get an overall picture. The mapping is done by studies of documents and consists of international outlooks and an overview of national and regional projects and reports; 2 To investigate how leaders of the respective institutions within the various regions of Sweden apprehend co-operation between the three sectors. The empirical study is accomplished by inquiries and is mainly qualitative. An intermediate purpose of this essay is to try using grounded theory to treat and analyse the gathered material. Three questions are asked: What is essential about a co-operation? What are the advantages or disadvantages? In what way do the opinions about a co-operation differ between the institutions? The results of my investigation indicate that the most essential point is to lay out general outlines, develop common objectives and focus on the user. There are a lot of impediments, and the people involved need to have a will to co-operate, which then can lead to a positive professional interchange. Archives and museums are more focused on their respective professional roles and its distinctive character, than libraries, which can be due to the fact that libraries are more open to the public and the librarians role is more extrovert. To create a fourth room, outside the other three, seems to be a good idea for the realization of a lasting co-operation. There they can meet in a mutual digital sphere.Uppsatsnivå: