”We are, quite simply, looking for a super hero”

Swedish school librarians work within a complex structure of differing forms of employment, conditions and legitimacy of their profession. In the public enquiry into Swedish school libraries, Skolbibliotek för bildning och utbildning(SOU 2021:3), new legislations regulating the school libraries are proposed to guarantee staffing. The aim is to increase equality in access to staffed school libraries among Swedish elementary and high school pupils. Today many schools arrange staffing of their school libraries in conjunction with the local public library. This type of solution has, in smaller studies and surveys, shown to increase the risk of conflicts and confusion regarding responsibilities and work tasks. As a result of the new legislations proposed in the public enquiry of school libraries, an increase in cooperation between schools and public libraries is expected. This essay explores how different employers describe work tasks and conditions in job vacancies for school librarians to detect and analyse any differences. The results indicate discrepancies in how school librarian positions are described. Vacancies for school librarian positions entirely located within the school organization are described with emphasis on working tasks and conditions. Vacancies for positions for school librarians with split service between schools and public libraries show greater emphasis on personal qualities. This indicates that the profession might gain in legitimacy if school librarians are employed by schools rather than in split employment and further supports the principal as preferred employer.