Fiction retrieval by use of subject headings : An interview-based study of the experiences of librarians

The aim of this thesis is to investigate librarians’ experiences and opinions about a system for fiction retrieval based on the subject headings list Att indexera skönlitteratur. I want to know if librarians experience that subject headings searches for fiction literature are a good working tool, if there according to librarians are other resources and means that makes fiction available and searchable, and how they estimate the possibility of non-professionals to use subject headings for fiction retrieval. Six librarians at public libraries in Göteborg where interviewed. The interviews dealt with their work with fiction literature, their experiences of subject headings as a fiction retrieval tool, and with their contacts with patrons. The study revealed a great variation among the six librarians. Some said they used subject headings regularly and found them useful for fiction retrieval, while others said subject headings had a minor role in their work with fiction. As alternatives to subject headings where mentioned handbooks that describe fiction literature, the competence of librarians, shelf classification and exhibitions. Some librarians thought most patrons have limited use of subject headings, while others thought subject headings can be a good help for patrons. It is a common experience among the librarians that students ask for fiction dealing with certain subjects, and a common view that students above others can benefit from subject headings. To improve the retrieval of fiction in public libraries in Göteborg it is suggested that the structure of the subject headings list is exposed to the persons searching.Uppsatsnivå: