Sustainable and digitalised : Policy imperatives in the library sector

Since the launch of United Nations Agenda 2030, sustainable development has been a goal of the Swedish government. Furthermore, Sweden has vowed to be second to none in taking advantage of the potential benefits of digital technology. Both goals can be construed as policy imperatives, and as such, they have implications for the publicly financed library sector. The aim of this master’s thesis is to clarify the meaning of sustainable development and digitalisation in a public library context in order to facilitate a critical discussion within LIS of these two imperatives. Firstly, the thesis attempts to determine, by using Quentin Skinner’s historical method, what official policy documents published by the government and National Library of Sweden want to express by using sustainable development and digitalisation with regard to the library sector. Secondly, it tries to discern whether the two policy objectives are in accord, or in conflict, with one another. The analysis shows that both policy imperatives are in concord with established activities performed by libraries, and, furthermore, may strengthen the library sector as a positive societal force. However, in order to convey this impression, features that may run counter to the stated goals are disregarded, or downplayed. The study points to a mixed result regarding potential conflicts between the two policy imperatives. On the one hand, digitalisation undermines environmental sustainability, on the other hand, it strengthens economic sustainability. In the case of social sustainability, the impacts of digitalisation can be both beneficial and detrimental