Dalaprojektet 1956-1958 : Greta Renborgs bokpropaganda i bibliotekshistorisk belysning

• Main Author: Westberg, Örjan
• Format: Others
• Language: Swedish
• Published: Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för ABM 2018
• Subjects: History of Libraries; 1950s; Reading Promotion; Extension Work (Libraries); Dalarna (Sweden); bibliotekshistoria; 1950-tal; läsfrämjande verksamhet; uppsökande verksamhet (bibliotek); Dalarna; Information Studies; Biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-353792

The purpose of this thesis is to compile and analyze librarian Greta Renborg’s book propaganda in the Dalarna region of Sweden 1956–1958. The overall theoretical perspective is contextual, focusing on the concepts structure and actor. The actor perspective is further developed by an analysis of Renborg’s book propaganda through library researcher Jofrid Karner Smidt’s mediation roles: Critic and literature expert, Social anthropologist, Pedagogue, Marketer and Ordinary person. Source material includes archive documents, journal articles, newspaper articles and literature. Renborg’s own writing holds a special position in the material. The thesis’ results show that the conditions for carrying out book propaganda in Dalarna were good. Sweden was going through a rapid change in the 1950’s and the state library institution was expanding and willing to experiment. The civic society in Dalarna was strong. The region’s central librarian Tora Olsoni was a driving force behind the hiring of a book consultant. Greta Renborg had contacts high up in the library institution and was a well-known name among Swedish librarians. Source material indicate that she could plan and conduct the Dalarna project basically by her own, only supervised by her employer Dalarnas biblioteksförbund. Greta Renborg built up a large network of contacts and focused her propaganda on non-reading groups ac- cording to a state investigation in 1952, especially farmers, foresters and housewives. The source material shows that her book propaganda has features of all Jofrid Karner Smidt’s mediation roles. The medial reception was overwhelmingly positive and often focused on Renborg’s enthusiastic approach. Any statistical effects of the Dalarna Project have not been proven. This thesis shows that the Dalarna Project to a large extent depended on Greta Renborg as a person. This is the thesis’ most important result. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.