To be or not to be? : Attitudes on the existence of rainbow shelves in the public library

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how Swedish public libraries work with LGBTQ-subjects and issues, map out thoughts and attitudes of librarians in these libraries regarding specific LGBTQ shelves, also known as rainbow shelves, as well as examine how many libraries use these rainbow shelves. The study was conducted through an online survey which was sent to 428 Swedish public and integrated school libraries, and the results were analyzed using thematic analysis against a theoretical framework of queer theory. The results showed that a small majority of public libraries have chosen not to implement rainbow shelves, with many finding them excluding and discriminating with risks of outing LGBTQ-persons. Those with shelves found them to be easier to use for personnel and users, and was a powerful tool to show inclusivity toward the LBGTQ-community. Author talks, exhibits, book tips, reading lists and book clubs were the most common ways of working with the subject regardless of whether the library had rainbow shelves or not. Those with rainbow shelves were however more likely to label their LGBTQ materials, while the majority of those without the shelves didn’t label them at all, and if they did, they did so through the subject headings. The study also showed that the library staff is just as important as the library’s policies when it comes to furthering the development on social justice and LGBTQ-issues. The findings of this study show that discussions about LGBTQ-issues are prevalent public libraries and that through those the library can keep its legacy of social change alive