Vad man talar om när man talar om skolbibliotek : en diskursanalytisk studie av hur skolbiblioteket framställs i skolrelaterade forum
(2012) ABMM43 20121Division of ALM and Digital Cultures
- Abstract
- The starting point of our thesis is the new Education Act (Skollagen) which was introduced in Sweden during 2011. It requires that all students have access to a school library, regardless of the type of school. Since the new Education Act’s (Skollagens) introduction, the school library has received a statutory basis and thus a stronger position in today’s schools. However, the Act does not define what the school library should be and what it should do. On the whole, we believe that there is an ambiguity in the various policy documents, such as the Swedish Library Law (Bibliotekslagen) and Skolinspektionen’s requirements for authorized school libraries. What is clear, however, is that a degree of flexibility is advocated and that it is up... (More)
- The starting point of our thesis is the new Education Act (Skollagen) which was introduced in Sweden during 2011. It requires that all students have access to a school library, regardless of the type of school. Since the new Education Act’s (Skollagens) introduction, the school library has received a statutory basis and thus a stronger position in today’s schools. However, the Act does not define what the school library should be and what it should do. On the whole, we believe that there is an ambiguity in the various policy documents, such as the Swedish Library Law (Bibliotekslagen) and Skolinspektionen’s requirements for authorized school libraries. What is clear, however, is that a degree of flexibility is advocated and that it is up to each school to determine the function of the school library.
We are interested in what a school library should be and what it should work with, seen from the perspective of the school. Our purpose is to examine how the school library is presented in various school-related forums in order to shed some light on the role of the school library in relation to other school activities.
Our questions are: - Which are the perceptions about what the school library is? - What characterizes these views? - Which actors are present and how are their roles defined?
We have applied discourse analysis, more specifically, the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. From their theory construction, we apply the main concepts of floating signifiers and nodal points along with their thoughts on subject positions. Our starting point is that the school library is a floating signifier, which means that there are multiple discourses that compete to give it its meaning. During our analysis we have concentrated on identifying nodal points, that is, the center of each discourse. We also use so-called subject positions, in order to be able to discuss the actors’ room for maneuver.
Based on empirical material from Skolverket, union member newspapers and teacher blogs, we have identified five different discourses: The Book Depository, The Information Expert, The Multifaceted Room, The Educator and The Discourse of the Future School Library. Two of the discourses can be seen as spatial, linked to the library area, while the other two can be seen as person oriented, linked to the school librarian. The fifth discourse has no clear relation either to the library room or the school librarian.
One important finding is that the school library exists between freedom and control, that is to say that it both enables free activities and takes part in organized learning. We interpret this as meaning that the school library is caught between the library’s and the school’s different traditions, resulting in varying involvement in the school’s educational programme. One of our main conclusions is that the school library has an educational role only when it is associated with the school librarian. It also depends not only on school principals’ and teachers’ interest in the school library, but the school librarian must personally want to adopt an educational role and be a part of the school tradition. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/2607690
- author
- Cronberg, Cecilia LU and Karlsson, Lynn LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- ABMM43 20121
- year
- 2012
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- library and information studies, ALM, discourse analysis, Laclau & Mouffe, school libraries, school librarian’s role, education, biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap, ABM, diskursanalys, skolbibliotek, skolbibliotekariens roll, undervisning
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 2607690
- date added to LUP
- 2012-06-14 13:37:43
- date last changed
- 2014-04-11 14:16:22
@misc{2607690,
abstract = {{The starting point of our thesis is the new Education Act (Skollagen) which was introduced in Sweden during 2011. It requires that all students have access to a school library, regardless of the type of school. Since the new Education Act’s (Skollagens) introduction, the school library has received a statutory basis and thus a stronger position in today’s schools. However, the Act does not define what the school library should be and what it should do. On the whole, we believe that there is an ambiguity in the various policy documents, such as the Swedish Library Law (Bibliotekslagen) and Skolinspektionen’s requirements for authorized school libraries. What is clear, however, is that a degree of flexibility is advocated and that it is up to each school to determine the function of the school library.
We are interested in what a school library should be and what it should work with, seen from the perspective of the school. Our purpose is to examine how the school library is presented in various school-related forums in order to shed some light on the role of the school library in relation to other school activities.
Our questions are: - Which are the perceptions about what the school library is? - What characterizes these views? - Which actors are present and how are their roles defined?
We have applied discourse analysis, more specifically, the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. From their theory construction, we apply the main concepts of floating signifiers and nodal points along with their thoughts on subject positions. Our starting point is that the school library is a floating signifier, which means that there are multiple discourses that compete to give it its meaning. During our analysis we have concentrated on identifying nodal points, that is, the center of each discourse. We also use so-called subject positions, in order to be able to discuss the actors’ room for maneuver.
Based on empirical material from Skolverket, union member newspapers and teacher blogs, we have identified five different discourses: The Book Depository, The Information Expert, The Multifaceted Room, The Educator and The Discourse of the Future School Library. Two of the discourses can be seen as spatial, linked to the library area, while the other two can be seen as person oriented, linked to the school librarian. The fifth discourse has no clear relation either to the library room or the school librarian.
One important finding is that the school library exists between freedom and control, that is to say that it both enables free activities and takes part in organized learning. We interpret this as meaning that the school library is caught between the library’s and the school’s different traditions, resulting in varying involvement in the school’s educational programme. One of our main conclusions is that the school library has an educational role only when it is associated with the school librarian. It also depends not only on school principals’ and teachers’ interest in the school library, but the school librarian must personally want to adopt an educational role and be a part of the school tradition.}},
author = {{Cronberg, Cecilia and Karlsson, Lynn}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Vad man talar om när man talar om skolbibliotek : en diskursanalytisk studie av hur skolbiblioteket framställs i skolrelaterade forum}},
year = {{2012}},
}