Always available but expensive for the libraries : A survey on the position of electronic media in public libraries

The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to investigate and map public librarians’ marketing of electronic media, and what perceptions shape this work. A questionnaire has been sent to the head libraries in all the Swedish municipalities (n=290) gaining a response rate of 74,5%. The data has been analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Further analysis of the results was conducted using the three final steps of institutional change as our theoretical framework. The results show that most public libraries market electronic media digitally as well as in the physical library, but rarely during book-talks. Furthermore, public librarians do not inform users of enhanced features, such as customizing font sizes, to any great extent. The results also show that public librarians perceive electronic media as available and flexible, but also as expensive and a complement to print media. The study concludes that electronic media is going through the steps of institutional change but has not yet reached a state of cognitive acceptance within the public library field.