Culture, Library, Politics

Studies of (public) libraries’ current and historical conditions in different respects, cultural policy change processes, and cultural mediation and citizen involvement; these three themes gather the members of this research group.

Culture, Library, Politics is a research group working in an area which, as is indicated in the headline, is extensive by nature but with some thematic focal points which can be distinguished:

The role of public libraries in a local community

This concerns issues regarding the role of public libraries in contemporary society – development generator, public arena, cultural institution, information central, or other roles: technical innovations and professional changes, new policy areas that affect the libraries’ activities (education policy, information policy).

Cultural policy change processes

Here, the regions’ growing influence is a central research question, the new national library strategies another, and a third is the incorporation of cultural policy in overall national economic policy strategies.

Cultural mediation and citizen involvement

Here, interest is directed towards how libraries work with reading-promoting activities, how digital media affect young people’s reading, and possible consequences of introducing the e-book.

These themes currently have four thesis projects, participation in several major research projects, and a few smaller investigation assignments going on. This research area interests about twenty of the school’s teachers and doctoral students at all levels.

The activities are carried out individually as well as in group, both in terms of longer research projects with funding from the major research financiers (the Swedish Research Council, the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation) and as shorter assignments commissioned by, for example, sectorial bodies or governments.