A storyteller or a social worker? An examination of the identity of the child- and youth librarian and how they manage social problems

The main purpose of this Master´s thesis is to examine how Swedish librari-ans manage and relate to social problems within the service to young visitors. To reach understanding in this subject, qualitative interviews with six Swedish public librarians have been conducted. As a theoretical framework the ideas of interactions and identity have been used. These concepts together with attitude and behavior, form the theoreti-cal model upon which the analysis of the material is based. The outcome of the study shows that social problems exists and affect the library staff’s daily work. Some even compare their work with that of social workers. Another identity that emerges through the analysis is the parental identity that can occur in the meeting with young visitors. In the informants attitude there is a strong desire to treat everyone equally and with re-spect. Another common attitude among the informants is the wish to offer a safe and comfortable environment for the visitors. At the same time, a certain disagreement is visible considering the tolerance of disturbance in the library. The result also shows that the interviewees greatly value the relation skills of their professional identity. However, preparation and experience is revealed as being crucial for the way librarians handle social situations. The results of the thesis indicate that the informants rely heavily on their own personality in their management of social problems. Furthermore, a well-used strategy is proved to be paying every visitor attention. This approach is believed among the informants to create positive and favourable relations.Program: Bibliotekari