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Barn- och vuxenlitteratur – vad hamnar mittemellan?: En kvalitativ intervjustudie kring kategoriseringav ungvuxen-litteratur inom biblioteksväsendet
Södertörn University, School of Historical and Contemporary Studies, Library and Information Science.
Södertörn University, School of Historical and Contemporary Studies, Library and Information Science.
2026 (Swedish)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE creditsStudent thesisAlternative title
Literature for children and for adults – what ends up in-between? : A qualitative interview study about the categorization of young adult literature in Swedish libraries (English)
Abstract [en]

This paper examines how literature for the target group of young adults (15-25) is identified as well as made visible and accessible in the library room at four Swedish public libraries. It problematizes the classification system SAB´s limits around separating literature for children and teenagers from literature for young adults and examines the libraries’ uses of categorizations beyond SAB. The empirical material is collected through observations and semistructured interviews with five librarians. The analysis is made through Lefebvre´s spatial triad (the visual, the conceptualized and the lived experience of the room) as well as based on the classification method of Reader-Interest. The analysis shows that the library room is affected by what is outside of the library, the user and the librarian which together creates the social room. Additionally, all respondents attempt to meet their users’ interests and wishes through receptivity, flexibility and user-friendliness. However, there are instances that can be improved where the needs of the librarian are met rather than the ones of the user. Genre literature, manga and Booktok are identified as strong motivations towards reading for the target group, which is visible in their work with alternative shelving arrangements, categorizations and their display of the literature. However, some ambivalence has also been shown around the target group young adults in the physical library room. Most of the respondents only have a youth section at their libraries and have neither a section nor a shelf made specifically for young adult literature. Additionally, the categorization of that literature is not always made by the librarians themselves but by other actors, which could have an influence on its placement in the library room. One conclusion is that in the case of insufficient budget, time and physical space there is a considerable impact on the difficulty of finding young adult literature in the libraryroom. Another is that a “push and pull” between the target group and the library is necessary. The study lacks the perspective of the young adults themselves, which is something to consider for future research and studies.

Abstract [sv]

Denna uppsats undersöker hur litteratur för målgruppen unga vuxna (15-25) identifieras samt synliggörs och tillgängliggörs i biblioteksrummet på fyra svenska folkbibliotek. Den problematiserar SAB-klassifikationssystemets begränsningar kring att separera litteratur för barn och tonåringar från den för unga vuxna och undersöker bibliotekens användning av kategoriseringar utöver SAB. Det empiriska materialet samlas in genom observationer och semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem bibliotekarier. Analysen görs genom Lefebvres rumsliga triad (den visuella, begripliga och levda upplevelsen av rummet) samt utifrån klassifikationsmetoden Reader-Interest. Analysen visar att biblioteksrummet påverkas av det utanför biblioteket, av användaren och av bibliotekarien, vilket tillsammans skapar det sociala rummet. Dessutom försöker samtliga respondenter möta användarnas läsintressen och önskemål genom lyhördhet, flexibilitet och användarvänlighet. Däremot finns det instanser som kan förbättras, där bibliotekariens behov bemöts mer än användarens. Genrelitteratur, manga och Booktok identifieras som starka motivationer till läsning för målgruppen, vilket syns i arbetet med alternativa hylluppställningar, kategoriseringar och skyltningar av litteraturen. Däremot råder viss ambivalens kring målgruppen unga vuxna i det fysiska biblioteksrummet. De flesta respondenternas bibliotek har endast en ungdomsavdelning och saknar en avdelning eller hylla specifikt skyltad som för unga vuxna. Kategoriseringen av litteraturen sker dessutom inte alltid av bibliotekarierna själva utan av andra aktörer, vilket kan ha påverkan på dess placering i biblioteksrummet. En slutsats är att vid bristande budget, tid och fysiskt utrymme sker en betydlig påverkan på hur lätt unga vuxnas litteratur kan hittas i biblioteksrummet. En annan är att en ”push and pull” mellan målgruppen och biblioteket är nödvändig. Studien saknar de unga vuxnas perspektiv, vilket är något för framtida forskning eller studier.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2026. , p. 65
Keywords [en]
Young adult, Youth literature, Categorization, Public libraries, Shelving, Library room, Lefebvre, Reader-Interest, SAB
Keywords [sv]
Unga vuxna, Ungdomslitteratur, Young adult, Kategorisering, Folkbibliotek, Hylluppställning, Biblioteksrummet, Lefebvre, Reader-Interest, SAB
National Category
Information Studies
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-60489OAI: oai:DiVA.org:sh-60489DiVA, id: diva2:2079915
Subject / course
Library and information science
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2026-06-26 Created: 2026-06-25 Last updated: 2026-06-26Bibliographically approved

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