The main purpose of this Master´s thesis, is to describe and discuss what constitutes the library collaboration between The Swedish Royal Library and the National Library of Guatemala, but also to analyse which effects the support has for public library work in Guatemala. The data consists of interviews and direct-observations during 2 months of fieldwork in Guatemala, Central America. The analysis is based on literature studies combined with the answers from the respondents and other results from the field work. We have found above all three factors to be of importance in the constitution of the collaboration between the National Library in Guatemala and the Swedish Royal Library: the Swedish library discourse, the Swedish aid discourse and the relationship between the people involved with the project. The library discourse in Sweden and in Guatemala emphasizes different aspects of the work. For example the democratic function of the library is important and marked in the daily library work in Guatemala, while in Sweden this function has become an unspeakable matter of course and is not being paid attention to in the daily work. The Swedish aid discourse is being mediated by Sida, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, through the Swedish Royal Library to the libraries of Guatemala. The discourse emphasizes the importance of collaboration in every aid project. The Swedish Royal Library is working to increase the level of collaboration so that the relationship towards their counterparts in Guatemala becomes more equal. Still, it is Sida (and the Swedish Royal Library), who has the money and thereby gets to define the project. Either Sida nor the Swedish Royal Library uses professionaly developed methods to reduce the unequality in the project. The personal relationships between the people involved with the project in Sweden and Guatemala are very close. This helps to compensate for both the difference in the countries library discourse and the unequalness that comes with the aid. On the other hand it makes the project fragile since the persons could be replaced. Therefore we consider it to be important to develop methods and formal guidelines for the project. The effects of the collaboration on the library world in Guatemala have been many. For example it has been made possible to educate the library staff. The libr...
