This study examines how meaning surrounding LGBTQI certification isconstructed within Swedish public libraries through the descriptions of public library managers. The study also explores how the decision to implement LGBTQI certification is made understandable and legitimate within the organisation, as well as how the certification is described as influencing library work and practice. The study is based on qualitativ esemi-structured interviews with public library managers and analysed through Karl E. Weick’s theory of sensemaking.

While the LGBTQI certification is understood as a competence development initiative, it also becomes part of how public libraries interpret and enact their democratic ideals in relation to inclusion, accessibility and professional responsibility. The certification is legitimised primarily through organisational and professional arguments connected to the role of the public library in democratic societies. Findings show that a LGBTQI certification affects both organisational structures and everyday professional practices, including approaches to user interaction, representation in collections and internal discussions regarding norms and inclusion.

The study demonstrates how a LGBTQI certification can be understood as a long-term organisational process and it indicates that issues concerning inclusion and neutrality are continuously (re)negotiated within public library contexts and are shaped by broader societal and political developments. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how public libraries work with value-based and inclusion-related issues in practice and how such work is made meaningful and legitimate within public institutions