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This master’s thesis aims to discover how the Gothenburg City Library works to foster a democratic society, thus fulfilling one of the main requirements set by the Swedish library law. The study will analyse how the library interprets its democratic mission by focusing on three theories of democracy: representative democracy, participatory democracy and deliberative democracy. An intersectional approach to the material will aim to further explore how accessible the events are and what consequences this might have on the patrons level of democratic participation in society. This was done through a case study of the events taking place at the library during 2018. Official documents that regulate or affect the library’s events were included to better understand how the democratic work set by the library law is interpreted on different levels of authority. The study found that the Gothenburg city library takes its democratic mission seriously and has an extensive event calendar. By adapting to the changing needs of society to create an accessible library, they give their patrons an opportunity to participate in events that will influence their society and give them the knowledge needed to actively participate in their communities. However, creating accessible programs for everyone is a never-ending challenge that requires national support and cooperation between libraries on a nation-wide scale. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science. |
