KNYSNA NEWS - Chairperson of the Knysna Municipality Community Services Committee, Patriotic Alliance PR councillor Waleed Grootboom, has announced that his committee will suggest to the Knysna Council that a satellite library be established in Dam-se-Bos.
“This was already listed as a priority for ward three during the previous term of Council,” he said in a municipal press release issued yesterday.
The Norms and Standards for Libraries in the Western Cape provide for the establishment of a satellite library service where a community is too small or too close to the nearest library to establish a formal library.
In this case, the nearest formal library is in Khayalethu, in Ward 7. The proposed satellite library in Dam-se-Bos will be operated by staff from the Khayalethu Library, with material allocated from this library too.
“The vacant caretaker’s house on the sport field in Dam-se-Bos is the ideal premises to convert to a satellite library,” said Grootboom. “It will cost R97 043 to start this conversion, an amount that can be allocated to the Repairs and Maintenance vote. Additional funding for shelving and items like furniture can be allocated in the next adjustments budget.”
According to the municipality, Schedule 5, Part A, of the Constitution of South Africa stipulates that libraries, other than national libraries, are provincial functions.
“This means that, as the costs of establishing a bigger library can be justified, council may apply for funding directly to the Western Cape Provincial Library Services,” he explained.
“Libraries are gateways to knowledge and play a fundamental role in society,” Grootboom concluded.
“The resources and services they offer create opportunities for learning and support literacy and education. Our libraries act as a portal for community information and socio-economic, cultural and educational development, and these services must be available to everyone. A satellite library in Dam-se-Bos will make these services more easily accessible to the people of Ward 3, bridging the gap to an inclusive, innovative, inspired Knysna.”
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