The aim of this Master’s thesis is to identify and describe the different roles that are expressed in a public library by researching them in the four policy documents concerning Västerås public library in 2010 and by interviews with three specially chosen key persons. Further studied are the discourses that can be perceived in the material and whether or not the roles could come in conflict with each other. Laclau and Mouffes discursive theory constitutes the methodical frame for this thesis and by using terms from discursive theory the analysis was made in four steps. Seven roles were identified from the policy documents concerning Västerås public library and the interviews with the key persons. The first role of the public library was the intermediary of knowledge and information, the second was viewed as a democratic role, the third as a marketing role, the fourth as a role that handled the collaboration, the fifth role was to improve literacy, and the sixth and seventh roles were as a culture centre and a meeting place. With the help from keywords five major discourses were found within the material. A democratic, a pedagogic, a cultural, a giver of information and a user discourse. The conclusion of this thesis is that the public library in Västerås seems to be a complex operation. The most prominent role is the democratic one. Further research could be to study the different roles more closely, though this thesis is about identifying them.