The aim of this thesis is to explore what role Swedish public libraries have in the total defense through a thematic content analysis of a variety of articles, reports, and political documents – and how peacetime library operations are contrasted with wartime library operations, and to what extent they differ. The study describes a lack of contingency plans for how libraries are supposed to act in case of war, and that these need to be developed before the public libraries of Sweden can become part in the total defense. Furthermore, it shows that the operations in peacetime libraries, such as freedom of information and knowledge, seem to stay important and a central part of the public libraries no matter the state of society. Thus, could this be a foundation to build the role public libraries could have in the Swedish total defense.