Public libraries as a vital social function or something we can do without in times of crises. The Swedish reaction to Covid-19

Abstract

During the COVID-19 period, Swedish public libraries have gone through five phases, which diverge, noticeably from many other European countries. During the first phase of the pandemic, most public libraries stayed open. The week before Christmas 2020 most public libraries where temporally closed. The roll of public libraries in the local community was under debate, could the local community do without libraries?