To refrain from public libraries : A qualitative study of non-users’ information and culture habits and their perceived remoteness to public libraries

The main purpose of this Master’s thesis is to develop an understanding of why non-users do not use public libraries by studying their information and culture habits and their relationship to public libraries. One of the motivating factors behind this choice is the lack of earlier research on the subject, particularly qualitative research. The theoretical framework is stratified into three associated levels with Brenda Dervin’s sense-making theory on an individual level, Marianne Andersson’s and Dorte Skot-Hansen’s model of the roles of public libraries on an institutional level and Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical apparatus on a social level. Eight interviewees were chosen based on a set of selection criteria and interviewed with semi-structured interviews. After an analysis and discussion of the collected empirical data the main conclusion is that there are obstacles to the use of public libraries on three related levels, corresponding to the levels in the theoretical framework. On an individual level the impediment is that the non-users are content without the public library: they have a lifestyle where the needs of culture and information are satisfied through the use of other channels than public libraries. The view of the public library as non-attractive and not adapted for their needs constitute a hindrance on an institutional level while the social distance between the non-users and people strongly linked to the public library, such as librarians and frequent users, constitute a barrier on a social level. Altogether, these obstacles rather clearly indicate why public libraries are not used.Uppsatsnivå: