”There is almost always barriers for some group” : a study about accessiblity at Swedish public libraries

This thesis addresses the creation of accessibility for people with disabilities at Swedish public libraries. The focus of the study was to investigate how libraries adapt their activities to meet the needs of people with disabilites. I was also interested in the barriers that the libraries experience in that adaptation and the libraries’ different views on opportunities for improvements in that area. The material used consists of a web survey and qualitative interviews. I used a univariate analysis and a thematic analysis as analysis tools. The analysis was based on theories from library and information science and disability studies. I found that Swedish public libraries have a thorough understanding of the importance of the creation of accessibility for people with different disabilities. However, the results from the survey and the interviews displayed a general lack of knowledge at the libraries about the needs of different members of this group. That lack of knowledge was identified as a barrier for the accessibility at the libraries. Other barriers for inclusion and accessibility that were identified involved financial restrictions, lack of technical resources and nonexisting cooperations in municipalities and with different disability organisations. The study also showed that libraries, in their creation of accessibility for this group, tend to give priority to the access to the physical library and to literature, rather than to prioritise technical tools or program activities