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"Lusten är nyttan": Skolbibliotekariers syn på läsning i spänningsfältet mellan nytta och nöje

Reimers, Paulina LU and Nilsson, Sofia LU (2025) ABMM54 20251
Division of ALM, Digital Cultures and Publishing Studies
Abstract
This master’s thesis examines school librarians’ approaches to reading, focusing on the tension between utilitarian and pleasurable reading in light of the school library’s dual mission to support students’ knowledge acquisition and to foster reading enjoyment. The study uses a qualitative research method, based on semi structured interviews with eight school librarians. The theoretical framework is based on Louise Rosenblatt's transactional theory, whose concepts of efferent and aesthetic reading explains how readers create meaning in the act of reading based on their unique purposes and needs. This perspective is complemented by the being and becoming concept pair from childhood research, which illustrates how the perception of the child... (More)
This master’s thesis examines school librarians’ approaches to reading, focusing on the tension between utilitarian and pleasurable reading in light of the school library’s dual mission to support students’ knowledge acquisition and to foster reading enjoyment. The study uses a qualitative research method, based on semi structured interviews with eight school librarians. The theoretical framework is based on Louise Rosenblatt's transactional theory, whose concepts of efferent and aesthetic reading explains how readers create meaning in the act of reading based on their unique purposes and needs. This perspective is complemented by the being and becoming concept pair from childhood research, which illustrates how the perception of the child as a reader is constructed. Findings indicate that school librarians consider reading ability fundamental for both future professional life and for active citizenship in society. This reflects an efferent approach to reading, aligning with the school's forward-looking and goal
oriented structure. However, there is a desire to promote aesthetic reading more extensively to foster and sustain a lifelong engagement with reading, though often legitimized by utility. School librarians experience and manage the tension between utilitarian and pleasurable reading in various ways: by balancing, experiencing conflict, or prioritizing a specific approach, all of which shape their reading promotion work. The study concludes that utility and pleasure are inseparable within the school context, but fostering pleasurable reading is made more difficult in a context where demands for performance and goal achievement are fundamental. (Less)
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author
Reimers, Paulina LU and Nilsson, Sofia LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
"Pleasure is the usefulness". School librarians' views on reading in the tension between usefulness and pleasure
course
ABMM54 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Skolbibliotek, skolbibliotekarier, läsning, nyttoläsning, nöjesläsning, läsfrämjande arbete, spänningsfält, förhållningssätt, transaktionsteori
language
Swedish
id
9193810
date added to LUP
2025-06-24 10:47:24
date last changed
2025-06-24 10:47:24
@misc{9193810,
  abstract     = {{This master’s thesis examines school librarians’ approaches to reading, focusing on the tension between utilitarian and pleasurable reading in light of the school library’s dual mission to support students’ knowledge acquisition and to foster reading enjoyment. The study uses a qualitative research method, based on semi structured interviews with eight school librarians. The theoretical framework is based on Louise Rosenblatt's transactional theory, whose concepts of efferent and aesthetic reading explains how readers create meaning in the act of reading based on their unique purposes and needs. This perspective is complemented by the being and becoming concept pair from childhood research, which illustrates how the perception of the child as a reader is constructed. Findings indicate that school librarians consider reading ability fundamental for both future professional life and for active citizenship in society. This reflects an efferent approach to reading, aligning with the school's forward-looking and goal
oriented structure. However, there is a desire to promote aesthetic reading more extensively to foster and sustain a lifelong engagement with reading, though often legitimized by utility. School librarians experience and manage the tension between utilitarian and pleasurable reading in various ways: by balancing, experiencing conflict, or prioritizing a specific approach, all of which shape their reading promotion work. The study concludes that utility and pleasure are inseparable within the school context, but fostering pleasurable reading is made more difficult in a context where demands for performance and goal achievement are fundamental.}},
  author       = {{Reimers, Paulina and Nilsson, Sofia}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{"Lusten är nyttan": Skolbibliotekariers syn på läsning i spänningsfältet mellan nytta och nöje}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}