Benefit or Experience? : An analysis of ideas about reading promotion for adults in municipal library plans

Introduction. The purpose of this thesis is to explain how reading promotion for adults is presented in municipal library plans. It examines how reading promotion for adults is described as an activity, in what contexts it is mentioned, how it is motivated and what conceptual ideas of reading promotion for adults that can be found. Finally, the study examines what view of literature that can be derived from these findings: whether literature is seen as a tool to fulfil other objectives and goals or as something that has a purpose in itself. Method. Descriptive idea analysis was chosen to answer the thesis’ questions. The resource material consists of municipal library plans, and the analysis focuses on the library plans from three Swedish regions. Analysis. The theoretical concepts are retrieved from the Danish library and cultural policy researcher Dorte Skot-Hansen's cultural policy theories, as well as from the Danish library researcher Beth Juncker's definitions of the two concepts instrumental and autotelic. The analysis is performed on the basis of three themes that were distinguished in the library plans: Democracy, Experience and Health. Results. The results of the study show that reading promotion for adults is described in several different contexts, and in relation to different topics. They also show that the theme Democracy was central in the library plans. This included a focus on equal access to literature and on reading ability as a prerequisite to active participation in society. Reading promotion was mainly motivated by instrumental ideas. Even when describing reading as an experience or for pleasure, the library plans tend to use instrumental ideas as a motivation. A certain view of literature can therefore be discerned in the library plans. Literature appears as something that should primarily be used to achieve other objectives. Conclusions. Our thesis shows that the instrumental ideas about reading promotion are strong in municipal library plans, and that the view of literature is instrumental rather than autotelic. We argue for further research into whether this has any effects on the everyday reading promotion in public libraries, or if methods focusing on reading and literature as experience with a purpose in itself still are being applied. This is a two years master's thesis in Library and information science