City librarians shine from cover to cover on Librarians’ Day

10 July 2017

City of Cape Town librarians gathered at the Kuyasa Library in Khayelitsha today to celebrate South African Librarians’ Day.

They were joined by the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith, and the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Area East, Councillor Anda Ntsodo. South African Librarians’ Day was established in 2014 to create awareness about the importance of the profession.

‘We use this day to acknowledge the value of our librarians, who are also critical in nation-building. They help to develop reading skills, foster a love for life-long learning, and help to make us stronger as a nation and more able to develop our economy and our democracy to ensure social and economic freedom for the next generation. The perception of librarians with spectacles and huge buns who stamp books and tell students to be quiet is outdated. Librarians are unsung heroes, and in the City our librarians boast a diverse set of skills and experience,’ said Alderman Smith.

While a number of librarians have penned novels (some of which have been published), Alderman Smith said he was surprised by the level of athletic ability among the librarians – from Comrades Marathon runners to karate champions.

‘I would like to make special mention of Johannes Esterhuyse of the Ndabeni Library, who is the longest serving librarian after 45 years of service. The next in line for this title is Glen Etson who has been a librarian at the Macassar Library for 32 years. I think there must be very few professions in the world where this level of enthusiasm and dedication for one’s work is displayed. Our librarians put so much of themselves into their libraries and this is why each library feels different and feels like home.

‘It’s because of them that the people of Cape Town keep coming back and when they visit, it’s not just to pop in and out to grab a book. Patrons feel comfortable enough to stay for hours, enjoying the space that has been created. Our librarians make it easier to level the playing field by making our facilities places where everyone has equal access to information and opportunities. It’s just one of the goals of the City’s Organisational Development and Transformation Plan and lays the foundation for all of our residents to access economic opportunities,’ said Alderman Smith.

Councillor Ntsodo commended the librarians and the facility, and encouraged the community to make use of it.

‘On this special day I want to urge the young ones to pursue becoming a librarian as a worthwhile professional career. The possibilities are endless. I urge the youth to make use of the libraries such as this one, other than for reading and studying. You can use the internet and interact with others during the social activities offered by our libraries. These crucial community facilities are more than just places where you can borrow books, CDs or DVDs. They are an important part of our access to information and this is an integral part of building a literate society. Let us make use of the libraries, let us change the world,’ said Councillor Ntsodo.

Interesting facts about the City’s librarians and libraries:

Our teams are talented and have a multitude of interests and skills: the Senior Librarian at Sir Lowry’s Pass Library, Phindile Memani, is a published author; the Assistant Librarian at Central Library, Craig Victor, is a talented guitarist; the librarian at Tokai Library, Bomikazi Mpuma, has completed the Comrades Marathon five times; while Gilbert Isaac of Wynberg Library has done 15 Cape Town Cycle Tours and six Two Oceans Half-Marathons; Area Manager Carmen Holtzman has also completed the Two Oceans Marathon
Nicolaas de Bruin of Delft Library has been selected as team member for South Africa to participate in the fourth World Goju Ryu Karate Federation Championships in Bucharest, Romania from 14 – 17 September 2017
The first public library in Cape Town was established in 1880 from the proceeds of a wine tax – the building now houses the National Library of South Africa in the Company’s Garden
Tygervalley Library is in a mall and Pelican Park Library is based in a school
Children’s Librarian at the Milnerton Library, Elmarie Waltman, has been on television on the fun musical competition ‘Noot vir Noot’ where she did very well
Central Library has an annual march through the streets of Cape Town to promote library services and is typically joined by Library Services staff and external departments
Two libraries have art galleries, Central Library and Bellville Library; there is also a special Performing Arts and Music Library at Central Library
• We have an online library database with 4,5 million items; in 2016, 7,3 million items were borrowed at our libraries
• Harare Library has a gaming room
The City’s mobile libraries have 30 service points.

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