In today's world, the roles of public libraries are changing rapidly. With their mission, which is based
on providing equal access to their services for all citizens, they are also obliged to pay attention to
special user groups. With their services they can among other things also help immigrants with their
social integration. The purpose of this seminar was to explore this library role in more detail,
specifically using the case of Sweden. Using structured interviews and participant observation, we
gathered information about selected aspects of the language café and its visitors at the Public
library of Växjö (Teleborg branch). We were particularly interested in understanding why the
visitors decided to attend the café, what was their experience, and whether they also use other
library services. The results of the study showed that the majority of language café visitors attended
with the intention of improving their knowledge of the Swedish language, while some of them also
attended for social purposes. Mostly they expressed satisfaction with the service and felt that their
language skills had improved, and some even made friends.
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