Library assistant Tebello Sengoara joined the Linden Library team in September 2021.

On February 18, the paper headed to the library to meet with her and find out a little about her.

She reckons libraries are beautiful, because of how they help feed communities. Not with food, but with knowledge and imagination.

Read more: Linden Library assistant’s eco-friendly green shelf network concept gets international recognition

She grew up loving books – a love fostered by her mother. “She bought me quite a few books. One of my favourite books, that she bought me, was When Hope Whispers by Zoleka Mandela.”

Sengoara advocates for people to make good use of their public libraries. Not only are they free and a hub of knowledge, they can also serve as safe spaces, that allow for the imagination to come alive.

@caxtonjoburgnorth Tebello Sengoara shows us the Linden Library, showing us what her daily work life looks like. Video: Neo Phashe #caxtonlocalmedia #News #Community #Localnews #2026 #johannesburg #Fyp #SA #Northcliff #educationtiktok ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North

Read more about her in one of our upcoming editions of the Northcliff Melville Times.

There, she shares on her journey to becoming a library assistant, as well as the value that unemployed youth of South Africa could find in their local libraries.

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