Digital delaktighet - Folkbibliotekets nya demokratiuppdrag för en ökad samhällelig delaktighet?
(2012) ABMM43 20121Division of ALM and Digital Cultures
- Abstract
- Today there are several public libraries in Sweden that are engaged in the campaign Digidel 2013, a campaign that aims to increase the digital participation among citizens. The democratic aspects of such activities are the focal point of this thesis.
The purpose of this master’s thesis is to contribute to a better understanding of the public libraries exercise of their democratic and social function in a digital society. A more general intention is therefore to focus on the role of the public library in the civil society. The public libraries activities and daily work with increasing the digital participation through educational efforts becomes an exemplification of how the library can work for an increased civic participation and... (More) - Today there are several public libraries in Sweden that are engaged in the campaign Digidel 2013, a campaign that aims to increase the digital participation among citizens. The democratic aspects of such activities are the focal point of this thesis.
The purpose of this master’s thesis is to contribute to a better understanding of the public libraries exercise of their democratic and social function in a digital society. A more general intention is therefore to focus on the role of the public library in the civil society. The public libraries activities and daily work with increasing the digital participation through educational efforts becomes an exemplification of how the library can work for an increased civic participation and social inclusion in society. The research questions are: what meaning can be attributed to the concepts of inclusion and digital inclusion? What motivates the librarian’s work with digital participation; what do they want to achieve and contribute to? How can the librarian’s ideas and work with digital participation be understood from a wider context of the democratic and social function of the library?
To answer the questions a semi-structured interview method has been used. Six public librarians with experiences from working with projects concerning digital participation have been interviewed. The theoretical framework of the study is based upon theories of the concept of participation. Robert Putnams theories of social capital and Jürgen Habermas theory of the public sphere is used to create an understanding of the term participation. The results show that working with digital participation is seen as a core assignment for the librarians. This is based on the library’s democratic function in society that includes working for the right to information and knowledge. The social aspects of an increasing digital participation are also upheld as well as the library’s function in promoting social inclusion. The librarian’s efforts to reduce the digital divide and to arrange activities to promote digital participation can be seen as a form of civic librarianship. Challenges that are facing the librarian’s work with digital participation are the lack of long-term strategies for implementation of the activities as well as diversified digital competences in the profession. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/2797329
- author
- Dahlquist, Lisa LU
- supervisor
-
- Hanna Carlsson LU
- Olof Sundin LU
- organization
- course
- ABMM43 20121
- year
- 2012
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- ALM, library and information studies, digital participation, Internet, Digidel 2013, public library, social capital, democracy, civic society, public sphere ABM, biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap, digital delaktighet, folkbibliotek, socialt kapital, demokrati, civilsamhälle, offentlig sfär
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 2797329
- date added to LUP
- 2012-06-15 14:50:12
- date last changed
- 2014-04-11 14:16:25
@misc{2797329,
abstract = {{Today there are several public libraries in Sweden that are engaged in the campaign Digidel 2013, a campaign that aims to increase the digital participation among citizens. The democratic aspects of such activities are the focal point of this thesis.
The purpose of this master’s thesis is to contribute to a better understanding of the public libraries exercise of their democratic and social function in a digital society. A more general intention is therefore to focus on the role of the public library in the civil society. The public libraries activities and daily work with increasing the digital participation through educational efforts becomes an exemplification of how the library can work for an increased civic participation and social inclusion in society. The research questions are: what meaning can be attributed to the concepts of inclusion and digital inclusion? What motivates the librarian’s work with digital participation; what do they want to achieve and contribute to? How can the librarian’s ideas and work with digital participation be understood from a wider context of the democratic and social function of the library?
To answer the questions a semi-structured interview method has been used. Six public librarians with experiences from working with projects concerning digital participation have been interviewed. The theoretical framework of the study is based upon theories of the concept of participation. Robert Putnams theories of social capital and Jürgen Habermas theory of the public sphere is used to create an understanding of the term participation. The results show that working with digital participation is seen as a core assignment for the librarians. This is based on the library’s democratic function in society that includes working for the right to information and knowledge. The social aspects of an increasing digital participation are also upheld as well as the library’s function in promoting social inclusion. The librarian’s efforts to reduce the digital divide and to arrange activities to promote digital participation can be seen as a form of civic librarianship. Challenges that are facing the librarian’s work with digital participation are the lack of long-term strategies for implementation of the activities as well as diversified digital competences in the profession.}},
author = {{Dahlquist, Lisa}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Digital delaktighet - Folkbibliotekets nya demokratiuppdrag för en ökad samhällelig delaktighet?}},
year = {{2012}},
}