Forskningscirkeln som resurs för utveckling av bibliotekariers läsfrämjande verksamhet

Abstract

In recent decades, changes in the professional role of librarians – in terms of both content and complexity – have
led to an increased need for further education. This need is particularly prominent in reading promotion for groups
where reading and reading proficiency is decreasing (Sverige. Litteraturutredningen 2010). This article concerns
two “research circles” where librarians reflected on and explored different possibilities for reading promotion.
The purpose of this article is to understand how the research circle was used as a resource for knowledge building,
and for the changes and development of the librarians’ work with reading promotion in different contexts. The
overarching theoretical framework is sociocultural (Vygotskij 1978, Bakhtin, 1984; Wertsch 1998). The source of
data used includes audio-recorded meetings, the reflections I wrote in proximity to the meetings and interviews
with the participants. The results show how the participants became important resources for each other through
the exchange of experiences and through critical reflection. The investigations challenged the participants’
flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and to remain open to change. The interviews indicate that there
have been changes in the participants' understanding of reading-promotion and that this kind of supplementary
education has the prerequisites to achieve lasting results. The research circle work was linked to a discussion
regarding the changed professional role of librarians and the challenge of linking the profession to a wider social
and democracy perspective, where questions about access to language, knowledge, power and democratic
influence are crucial for the development of librarians’ professional work.