The union is critical of access bans on libraries: "Major democratic problems"

The Crime Prevention Council's survey shows that virtually all libraries have experienced trouble from visitors in the past year, even though the variations between different libraries are large.

In their report, they write that "at least in part there are conditions for applying an access ban".

But Anna Troberg, who is chairman of the trade union Dik (documentation, information and culture), is critical.

- People often talk about access bans as some kind of universal solution for all problems that libraries have and we at Dik do not believe that it is.

"Who should check?"

According to Troberg, the possibility of porting people would create both financial and practical problems.

- Who should check?

It can unreasonably be the librarians' job, so then you need to bring in security guards, security guards themselves know you increase the risk of conflict and they also cost money.

And if there is something that very many libraries do not have, there is money left over.

But preventing people from entering libraries also causes democratic problems, according to Troberg.

- The law says that libraries must be accessible to everyone.

It makes no exception for people who are troublesome.

"A kind of temperature gauge"

The fact that libraries are places that people can get to without having to pay admission is the reason that disorder sometimes arises right there, says Anna Troberg.

According to her, it is not mainly young people but people with mental health problems and substance abuse problems who are responsible for most of the mess.

- Libraries become a kind of temperature gauge of how the surrounding society feels.

There must be collaboration between libraries, social services, substance abuse care, the police and schools.

An earlier survey from Dik showed that about six out of ten library employees thought that a ban on access would be a good measure to "get rid of visitors who repeatedly disturb the order".

Are you not saying no to your members here?

- A large part of those who could imagine a ban on access wrote in the free text answers that it was not quite simple.

You want to be able to highlight people who pose problems here and now, but with long shutdowns there are problems and I feel that our members also think so, says Anna Troberg.