”the staffing might not be the best, but still better than nothing” : About the Possibility of Using Alternative Forms of Employment in a School Library Context

Introduction. This study intends to examine if alternative forms of employment can be used to staff Swedish school libraries. Specifically we seek to study if consultants and temporary employees from private employee agencies is applicable in a school library context, a field which previously has not been researched. This research is of interest since a new bill has been passed by the Swedish government and is set to come into effect July 2025 that requires schools to staff the school library. Method and Theory. The method in this study consists of semi-structured interviews with school librarians, a school library assistant, and headmasters from mid and southern Sweden. In addition, a survey study was conducted aimed at master students at Uppsala University studying Library and Information Science. The collected material was analyzed using the economist Guy Standing’s theoretical concepts concerning a precarious labor market, highlighting how a neo-liberal reformed labor market has affected different forms of labor security for school librarians. Results and Analysis. The results of this study was analyzed through thematic analysis into different themes representing the aspects of a school librarian’s role. School librarians are organizationally separated from the other staff at the school; they are considered a specialist in their field; they value long term relationships to excel in their work; and they operate in a precarious labor market in which they need to be opportunistic. Conclusion. Our study suggests that temporary employees and consultants can be used to staff Swedish school libraries. However it depends on what the intended function of the library is. The implications of the new bill could lead to a devaluation of the profession since there is a shortage of qualified librarians to fill these positions which could lead to unqualified staff posing as school librarians. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science