Libraries on the loose : A study of mobile libraries with a focus on the book bike

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of mobile libraries in Sweden, focusing on bicycle libraries. The questions proposed concern how public libraries handles such activities and how they are perceived by the libraries that engaged in them. The study maps out different types of mobile libraries and investigates how bicycle library perform and what role the mobile library plays as a tool for marketing and accessibility. The theoretical approaches are marketing analysis and discourse analysis. Methods used are text analysis of documents, interviews and observations. The results show that the mobile library is perceived as an important part of library activities, both as a tool to increase accessibly and as a marketing strategy. A library discourse that includes busses has been observed, in terms of both accessibility and marketing. Bicycle libraries is not yet included in a broader library discourse, as it is described as only a marketing activity. This is a two years master's thesis in Library and Information Science