There is a discrepancy in research within library and information science in the use of the concept non-user, and no research about librarians’ use of the concept can be found. If librarians define the concept differently it may affect how they share experiences with one another and how they design outreach towards library non-users. An Evolutionary concept analysis of the concept in relation to public libraries is carried out based on the use of the concept in a survey answered by librarians, and research literature. The study supports results from previous studies of non-users and finds that the concept non-user is applied in different manners. The results show that there are similarities in the application of the concept with attributes relating to the non-use of the library, when or if use occurred and as a challenge. The differences found are mostly based on the context of application such as between research literature and librarians’ usage but also in regards to geographical location and the speciality of the librarians. The main finding is the difference in the use of the concept non-user, where the research literature and inner city librarians have a more conservative use than librarians in general and the librarians in the outer par tof the city. This study contributes to a broader understanding of the concept non-user and how the context can affect the use of the concept and how the concept can be applied in these contexts.