The school library at the independent schools : a study of the independent schools in the municipality of Lund, with focus on the principals opinion

The purpose of this master thesis is to examine the opinion about school libraries among principals at the independent schools in the municipality of Lund. In order to fulfil my purpose I used a qualitative method with an introductory questionnaire, which gave background material to the interviews. All seven principals answered the questionnaire and five of them agreed to participate in an interview. Another two interviews were made with two informants, this material was included in the background material. As theoretical framework I have used literature about the school library development, the role of the principal for development and David V. Loertschers taxonomy containing theories about the levels in a school library. The result of the study compared with Loertschers taxonomy is that the level of the school libraries is very low, it is in all cases used as a solid warehouse. From the interviews I have established opinions, work methods and thoughts about the importance of school libraries. The opinions of the school library were mainly influenced by personal interest in books, not by rules and regulations. The respondents mentioned impediments for investing in the school library such as, economy, time, knowledge and responsibility. The future of the school libraries is uncertain. However, the opinions, ideas and motivation to develop provide possibilities. The conclusion is that the importance to look for new models of how to develop and invest, combined with the motivation and intention as well as guidance, will make it possible to create developed school libraries even at private schools.Uppsatsnivå: