Bagaren och biblioteket : Skolbibliotekets roll i undervisningen i karaktärsämnena på ett yrkesinriktat gymnasieprogram

In Swedish school library research, the role of the school library has seldom been studied in a subject-specific context. When it has been, the subject has usually been a theoretical subject such as Swedish or Social studies. The purpose of this master's thesis is to study what role or roles the school library can play in a different context, in the program-specific subjects at a trade oriented program in the Swedish upper secondary school, and to determine what factors affect the possibility for the school library to play a role in such a context. The Food Programme was selected as the specific program to be studied. In this program, the students learn a trade, in this case bakery, and the teaching in the program-specific subjects can be expected to be practical in nature. To find out what opportunities the school library has to play a role in this context, two separate schools were visited. Interviews were conducted with administrators, librarians and teachers, the three main actors who determine the library's role. The results of the study show that the school library is not used as a resource in the program-specific subjects of the Food Programme at either school, but in at least one of the schools it could very well have a role to play in this context. This is mainly dependant on the teaching methods and the teaching content, and these two factors vary significantly between the two schools in the study. At one of the schools, the teacher is focused on teaching his students the necessary skills they need to work as bakers. In this teaching, the library appears to have no role to play. At the other school, the teacher is less focused on skills and more on knowledge. She employs a wide array of teaching methods, including resource-based learning. Here, the library could play a role as an information source, or to teach information skills. Since neither of the teachers use the library as a resource in their teaching, it becomes apparent that the teaching methods and content are not the only factors that determine if the library will be used in this context. Other factors that are identified as important in this study include the teachers? knowledge of and attitude towards the school library, if any co-operation exists between the librarian and the teachers, what resources (time and money) the school library has, and if the school administrators take an active part in planning and promoting the library's activities