A supportive and unreserved activity A study of the joint-use library and public preschool at Kristineberg, in Borås

This master thesis is an attempt to study the joint-use solutions between the public library and the public preschool in the local district Kristineberg in the community of Borås. The two main questions are; what kind of joint-use library is the activity at Kristineberg? What kind of advantages and disadvantages do the actors experience from the joint-use activity at Kristineberg? The analysis is based upon the interviews with eight informants with different connections to the joint-use library and public preschool. I also use documental analysis and literature studies. Relevant theories, such as Andersson´s and Skot-Hansen´s analysis of the role of the public library and Bundys, Imhoff´s and Dornseif´s theories about joint-use libraries are presented and later used in the analysis. The major findings are that there are difficulties in finding a normative definition of joint-use libraries since every activity is unique in its cooperation. I use Bundys discussion about ideological or financial motives to set up a joint-use library. I also use Dornseif´s scale of difference of degree in cooperation of joint-use libraries in deciding what kind of joint-use library Kristineberg are. My conclusions are that the motives to start the joint-use library at Kristineberg are ideological. The degree of cooperation is selectively integrated. I also find that the informants experience more advantages than disadvantages with the joint-use activity at Kristineberg which correspond to the statements of Imhoff´s advantages and disadvantages with joint-use libraries.Uppsatsnivå: