Two decades ago, Swedish educators started to argue for an intersectional approach—one that acknowledges how different forms of inequality overlap and reinforce each other. A few years into this shift, ideas from queer pedagogy—drawing on queer theory—began to influence the discussion. The development helped reshape how educators thought about norms, identity, and power, and eventually led to the influential anthology Norm-Critical Pedagogy: Power, Learning and Strategies for Change, written by researchers and practitioners aligned. For more than a decade, this perspective was actively promoted by the Swedish National Agency for Education as a way for schools to carry out their democratic mission, particularly in teaching about discrimination and exclusion. More recently, however, it has been removed from official guidelines. Despite this, norm-critical approaches remain widely used in both schools and civil society organizations.

Notably, in School library policy and the National School Library Investigation basis for norm-critical school librarianship can be found. For example, policy stipulates that school library programs should aim at Media- and Information Literacy (MIL) as well as teaching students how to actively participate in society, something that requires skills in MIL. This aligns with international bodies, such as the European Union, IFLA and UNESCO positioning MIL as central to the success of democratic societies.  Further, teaching MIL entails engaging students critically with diverse types of information to increase their awareness and understanding of source criticism (källkritik in Swedish) in order to spot misinformation and disinformation , as well as for example internet neutrality and digital etiquette. The library profession has a long tradition of negotiating and combatting information control and the responsibilities surrounding it. Building on this tradition, in the current Swedish political climate—where a populist right-wing party is gaining increased influence over the government and political discourse —school librarians face an urgent need to protect their programs and their students from anti-democratic texts, ideas, and conversations. This situation creates broader challenges in the everyday work of librarians in general, and especially for those school librarians who actively engage in critical pedagogies. In conclusion, while democracy and MIL are established as core school librarian professional commitments, the current political climate complicates this work; however, norm critical school librarianship—given its focus on areas such as civic engagement, civil rights, discrimination, marginalization, disability, equity, and gender equality—provides a strong basis for engaging in it.

The connection between democracy and school libraries extends beyond MIL and is reflected in the way Swedish school librarianship is situated in the overarching democratic mission—a concept developed in Swedish education and research and linked to the implementation of the Discrimination Act. The central role played by school libraries in promoting and fostering this democratic mission has been the subject of political discussions as well as being a discursive thread in the international school library community. For example, it is argued that the library profession is taking an increasingly proactive stance in promoting equity, inclusion, and diversity. Among best practice school librarians, I have found that the democratic mission constitutes a central aspect of the work, alongside a focus on vulnerable groups and an emphasis on making the library an inclusive space that meets diverse needs and promotes literature and reading for all. The Swedish Library Act states that librarians should prioritize the provision of easy-to-read materials as well as support for people with disabilities, indigenous people, and people who speak minority languages. This work entails providing access to books on various native languages of the students, including the five recognized national minority languages in Sweden: Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli, Romani, and Sami. It is also the responsibility of librarians to provide materials for sign language as part of the protection and promotion of media in different languages. Specifically, this work entails giving students equal access to audio-based reading technologies and other forms of accessible media and literature for students with visual impairment or other reading disabilities. As a result of the refugee crisis of 2014-2015 and the current war in Ukraine, increased attention has been given to refugee students and their need for information, literature, and a safe haven at school libraries. However, at most Swedish schools, purchasing books in languages for the newly arrived refugees has not been possible due to a lack of funding.

Some researchers have argued that working with marginalized groups in libraries and schools is a continuation of mainstream Swedish cultural policy. However, this does not mean that backlash, particularly against LGBTQ issues, does not exist in Swedish schools or Swedish society at large, or that LGBTQ youth – as well as other marginalized groups – are not victims of discrimination and violence in Sweden. Anti-LGBTQ legislation remains to some extent, which serves to codify and legitimize homophobia and transphobia. This also fuels misinformation and ignorance regarding LGBTQ experiences and issues, all of which directly affect libraries, librarians, and their patrons.

Nevertheless, intersections of sex, gender and sexuality, and thus of issues surrounding LGBTQ students and materials, is a common example of norm-critical school librarianship. The strong connection is based on common critical perceptions of heteronormativity – questioning norms of gender binarity and heterosexuality. Stakeholders such as IFLA and the Swedish Library Association directly support this work through the creation of and continued investment in expert groups on LGBTQ issues. Working with norm-critical perspectives school librarians teach students to critically examine how norms are shaped and sustained, the power structures that uphold them, and how they may reinforce discrimination. Through work with LGBTQ literature, they also engage directly with issues of gender, sexuality, equality, and civil rights, thereby supporting the democratic mission of schools. Creating these spaces is strongly supported by the library community.

In Swedish school libraries, displays devoted to LGBTQ literature and information are usually referred to as “Rainbow shelves” and are accompanied with pride symbols or flags. Often, the pride flag serves as a symbol representing the institution’s commitment to issues of equal treatment and fundamental values. For many school librarians, the flag is employed explicitly for this purpose. Yet, one might criticize librarians for utilizing the pride flag in a performative manner, as rainbow washing, while allowing other forms of discrimination, such as those based on disability or ethnicity, to remain obscured. In addition, through my research, I have found that school librarians increasingly are discovering that the norm-critical work tends to become somewhat narrow. Attempts are now being made to implement work that involves providing accessible media to children with disabilities and their parents as well as highlighting queer perspectives in the intersections of language, ethnicity and migration. Consequently, in a current action research-inspired pilot study, school librarians are directing their attention towards the work with developing safe and inclusive school libraries based on norm-critical school librarianship.