The public library as a place for bildning

This chapter focuses on the formation of public libraries in Sweden as institutions integral to the Scandinavian tradition of bildning. The formation of the public library system preceded the first open vote for both men and women. A mission of the public library was to cater to the needs of self-education among diligent workers in their spare time. This has influenced the development of the library profession and its practices to this day. Emphasis on workers, however, is not derived from Social democratic ideology. The architect of the Swedish library system was Valfrid Palmgren, employed at the Royal Library of Sweden, and a member of the leading right-wing party. The development and motivation were linked to Western capitalism, and particularly to the USA, which provided a philanthropic model for the public library system. Like other Nordics, Palmgren travelled to north-eastern U.S. states, where she drew inspiration from the city libraries founded by steel magnate Carnegie. Combining personal self-education with national instrumental ambitions, the foundation of the library system thus became a question of developing people as a functional resource within the context of increasing industrialisation and capitalism. Contemporary cases demonstrate that this legacy endures.