Libraries and values Building trust in Swedish public libraries through transparency
Ladda ner
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Management and economics of innovation (MPMEI), MSc
Publicerad
2023
Författare
Johansson, Viktor
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Democratic institutions around the world have been
questioned recently, including libraries. Problems include
polarization and populism. The purpose of this
thesis is to increase the trust of libraries against this
backdrop. This is done using critical
algorithm theory on transparency, to improve the
possibilities, for the public, of knowing how Swedish
small to medium sized public libraries collections of books
are created (via the libraries’ process of purchasing).
13 interviews and six documents are used as empirical
data. I conclude that: 1) The process of purchasing used
at these libraries can be made transparent, to increase
the trust in libraries, by showing empirically their neutrality
based in the diverse group of citizens they serve. 2) A part
of this is making the valuation of quality transparent, that is,
how librarians balance the (literary, scientific etc.) quality of
books against other criteria in the purchasing process,
especially the criteria of what books library visitors demand.
3) The debate between user-centric and collection-centric
collections, that is the degree of power between users and
librarians in the purchasing process, needs to account for
another dimension, feedback from users – made possible by
an increased transparency. By doing this, I contribute to critical
algorithm theory through an empirical study recommending
transparency. Second, to valuation studies, through
investigating valuations at libraries. Third, to library studies,
by adding a dimension to the debate about user-centric
and collection-centric collections.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Critical algorithm theory , Transparency , Trust , Valuations , Library , Library studies , Sweden , Interviews , Documents