Cape Town: The librarians of the City of Cape Town boasted more than three millennia of service to their communities. They commemorated the National Librarian’s Day today on July 10, 2024 by raising the awareness of the profession.
Reportedly, Cape Town has 268 librarians with a collective 3,743 years of service. Out of them 45 had more than 25 years of service on their shelves and 48 who joined in the last five years.
Considerably, 80% of the city librarians were women, 38% were people aged 50+ and 23 members of the staff complement were under 30.
The National Librarian’s Day aimed to safeguard libraries as valuable community spaces that advanced the community development. It also promoted the love for reading through marketing of reading and writing activities.
It also advocated for and promoted libraries as the hub for accessing valuable information for general knowledge, education, development and recreation.
The day was initiated by the Library and Information Association of South Africa and the theme that reflects on 30 years of democracy in the South African Library and Information Sector.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Services and Health – Councillor Patricia Van der Ross said that the librarians are the proverbial glue that holds the service together and so National Librarians’ Day simply has to be celebrated.
The library membership numbers continued to grow a sign of just how valuable these facilities are to communities but also proved that they remain in step with the changing landscape. The blend of staff and the different levels of experience and interests are key to ensuring that they can meet the needs of all the patrons, irrespective of their age.
Councillor Ross explained that the aim of National Librarian’s Day is to create awareness about the importance of librarianship as a profession and the critical role librarians play in nation building.
She further explained that being a librarian is about more than helping to educate the communities. They are the teachers, research assistants, social workers and entertainers.
Librarians are champions of equity as everyone can access the knowledge housed there and they keep them all grounded by connecting to the past. She tipped her hat to the librarians for being part of a creative and important profession.