Six out of ten of Sweden's librarians have changed or considered changing jobs in the past two years, and among them, a third have considered changing industries. This is according to responses to a survey that the trade union DIK sent out to its bibliography members. 42 percent of the respondents responded to the survey.
"Above all, it is the work environment, there is a lot of social unrest and we see that the political influence has increased in various ways over the years," says Anna Troberg, chairman of the DIK trade union, which organises librarians, among other things.
Legal requirements for staffed school libraries
In the autumn budget, the government presented a legal requirement that school libraries from 2025 must be staffed. At the same time, the report indicates that more and more librarians want to change jobs and there is already a shortage of trained librarians in Sweden, according to Anna Troberg, who welcomes the legal requirement.
"The bill also increases the requirement for more trained librarians. We need to double the number of training places every year for the foreseeable future," says Anna Troberg.
Increased political influence
Almost all respondents feel that they have felt social anxiety over the past two years.
"Some people work alone to a fairly large extent as well. There are many different things that mean that many librarians have had enough, says Anna Troberg.
The report also shows that 28 percent have experienced pressure from both politicians and the public. Among these, 18 percent responded that they have adjusted their operations accordingly.
"Library activities should be there for everyone, but if those who shout the loudest politically can change the activities, all of a sudden we do not have a library for everyone, but an activity for a few. In the long run, this will be a dangerous development.