Annual library report August 2013 – July 2014

New library sector chairperson Richard Hargraves accepts the award for Library Supplier of the Year from Mandla Balisa of Macmillan, former chairperson of PASA.

The SA Booksellers owe librarians throughout the country a huge vote of thanks – they are growing our future leaders.

Far from being archaic institutions of dusty shelves of books, libraries are keeping up with changing information technologies. Libraries have embraced technologies to enhance reading, access to information and learning.

There has been a concern that in a world of sound bites and instant text messaging, reading for pleasure and access to and understanding information are losing out. This may be the case, but there is some amazing work being done behind the scenes to counter this trend and cultivate a reading culture. The unsung heroes are librarians, educators and organisations like the Carnegie Corporation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which have made it their mission to promote reading and access to information.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has a project known as Global Libraries, whose plan is to give poorer communities access to the Internet. According to the foundation, in an age where economic, educational, health and social opportunities increasingly depend on access to the Internet, a lack of access means a lack of opportunities.

Only 35% of the world’s population is connected to the Internet, and people in rural and poor communities are the least likely to have online access, or the skills to navigate the digital world. People search for employment, access government programmes, learn new skills through online courses, research health issues and engage in social interaction through the Internet. In this respect, there is a need to have the skills to navigate the Internet. Hence, librarians are playing a huge role in promoting reading and Internet navigational skills. We all realise and acknowledge the importance of public libraries.

In many communities in this country, public libraries are the only place where a person, regardless of education or skill level, can have access to information and the Internet, free of charge. Librarians must be applauded for showing that reading is not dead, and that one has to be a reader to be able to make the best use of the Internet.

The Durban Municipal Library is encouraging the community to participate in the construction of its new library, by saying what they want of it. The new library will be located next to the Workshop Shopping Centre in the city. The project is expected to cost R497 million and will take about four years to construct. The Internet and social media websites such as Face Book and Twitter present new challenges to libraries. However, they could be used to promote the use of the libraries through internet access and access to eBooks. The new library is part of Durban’s efforts to transform into a ‘smart’ city and improve literacy levels.

Similar facilities exist in other parts of the country, notably the City of Johannesburg, City of Cape Town, Bloemfontein and the Bessie Head Library in Pietermaritzburg.

We salute all Librarians!

By JAY RANGIAH,
SA Booksellers, Library Chairperson