National Library of South Africa calls local authors to deposit reading material
The National Library of South Africa is a preservation library where every physical copy of anything that has been published in the country is kept.
Authors are being requested to build up the National Library of South Africa (NLSA) reading collections as part of Library Week (March 15-24).
This was announced during a tour of the National Library in Pretoria Central to commemorate the week.
Libraries still play a big role in the metro, country and the world.
The NLSA Pretoria campus has been a book collection, preservation and conservation stable.
Home to the only de-acidifying lab on the continent, it also houses some of the country’s most important historical documents and processes and records over 28 000 new pieces of literature that require legal certification every year.
NLSA spokesperson Jolene Bhadais said: “We are mandated to collect and preserve a copy of everything made in and about South Africa. So every newspaper, book, magazine, government publication – anything that is published in South Africa – a copy has to be in the National Library.”
This process is called “legal deposit”.
This year’s Library Week theme is “Libraries foster social cohesion”.
Bhadias said this theme emphasises their commitment to bridging gaps, fostering inclusivity, providing a space for intellectual growth, enabling informed community participation, stimulating dialogue, and promoting mutual respect among people from diverse backgrounds.
The NLSA is not a public library, meaning you cannot take out documents from it, though it is available on-site.
It is a preservation library, meaning they preserve the physical item so it lasts. It is also mandated to grant public access.
The copies of the first all-black newspaper Ilanga, Khoisan drawings from hundreds of years ago, and photo collections, including posters from the 1994 elections, are among many other artefacts and interesting rooms one can visit.
The NLSA is the only agency in the country permitted to grant an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) which identifies the book, newspaper, journal, maps and all copies of literature produced in South Africa.
It will take another 150 years to fill up the available storage on the Pretoria Campus.
The Cape Town campus storage, a national heritage site, doesn’t have enough space and NLSA rents offsite spaces.
The Legal Deposit Act requires a copy to be sent to the Pretoria and Cape Town campuses.
Residents, organisations and publishers are also encouraged to submit their works for legal certification and to donate more historical works to the library’s collection for generations to come.
“There are some consequences. If you don’t follow the Legal Deposition Act and provide a published copy to both campuses, you can be fined starting from R20 000,” said Aureous Mambelane of the bibliographic services and collection management department.
Publishers are also warned to watch out for scammers, as legally depositing a book with the national library is free.
The NLSA said there have been instances where authors have been charged by criminals looking to make a quick buck.
“We reaffirm our commitment to promoting information awareness and information literacy. Working together with the Department of Arts and Culture, provincial library services, and other stakeholders in the library and information services sector, we strive to ensure that even the most remote communities have access to the wealth of information that libraries provide by bridging the digital divide,” said national librarian and CEO of the NLSA, Kepi Madumo.
In a research survey published last year, led by the Nal’ibali Trust and partners, including the NLSA, it was found that 83% of South Africans read in some way, whether for pleasure, to learn new things or to communicate with others, and 32% read books regularly.
The study also found significant challenges in accessing reading material, especially in African languages, and that most children are growing up without any children’s books at home.
For more information on the NLSA’s Library Week celebrations, visit their website at www.nlsa.ac.za.
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