History of libraries in South Africa

The history of libraries in South Africa had its start with libraries formed for private use which later were made available for the general public. In 1761, the most extensive of these early private collections, owned by Joachim von Dessin, the secretary of the Orphan Chamber, was left to the Cape consistory of the Dutch Reformed Church specifically to form the basis of a public library for the advantage of the community.[1]

The National Library of South Africa was the first library to be established in South Africa by proclamation on 20 March 1818 by Lord Charles Somerset when he stipulated that a wine tax would be levied to pay for it.[2][3]

The issuing of the "Molteno Regulations", in the Cape Colony in 1874, was a turning point in the development of public libraries in southern Africa. Their provision of a pound-for-pound government grant for the establishment and maintenance of libraries - even in rural areas - led to the Cape Colony having one of the greatest concentrations of libraries anywhere in the world. Due to their simplicity and success, the regulations were adopted elsewhere in southern Africa, especially after union in 1910, and remained in force until 1955.[4][5]

Types of libraries
  • National and legal deposit libraries (for example the National Library of South Africa)
  • Public libraries
  • School libraries
  • University and college libraries
  • Special libraries (for example the South African National Library for the Blind in Grahamstown)
  • Libraries in museums, art galleries and archives
  • Professional associations[6]

See also

References
  1. Taylor, Loree Elizabeth (1967). South African Libraries. Clive Bingley.
  2. Dick, Archie (2007). "DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTH AFRICAN LIBRARIES IN THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES" (PDF). World Library and Information Congress : 73rd IFLA General Conference and Council : Libraries for the future : progress and development of South African libraries, 19–23 August 2007, Durban, South Africa / sponsored by the Department of Arts and Culture ; Theo Bothma, Peter Underwood & Patrick Ngulube (editors). LIASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  3. "Libraries in the Republic of South Africa". Encyclopedia of library and information science. 28. Marcel Dekker. 1980.
  4. R.J.Holloway: The History and Development of the Kimberley Africana Library and its Relationship with the Kimberley Public Library. UNISA: South Africa. Sept 2009. p.49.
  5. Friis, Theodorus (1962). The Public Library in South Africa: An Evaluative Study. Afrikaanse Pers-Boekhandel.
  6. "Libraries". Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa. 1972.
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