| Summary: | The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to describe the library development in Sandviken, during a period from 1865 to 1945. I will mainly focus this examination on the two most significant libraries of the period; on one hand the library facilitated by the ironworks company, and on the other hand the library of the Workers’ Educational Association (ABF). This study is carried out within a theoretical framework consisting of the two concepts paternalism and the formative moment, as formulated by Lars Magnusson and Bo Rothstein, respectively. In order to explain the process the development in Sandviken is compared with the general history of the public libraries in Sweden, and specifically with the history of libraries owned by large industrial companies. The results of this study show that the library of the iron works company represents the strategy of paternalism, strongly associated with the Swedish bruk, or company town. However, the employers’ use of cultural and social reforms as a means of exercising control over the workforce, is challenged by the counter culture of the labour movement. In this case, the ABF library managed to grow and gain influence through its connections with the labour movement on the national level. This status made it possible for the ABF library to take advantage of the formative moment, and thus shape the future of the libraries in Sandviken.
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