The National Council for Library and Information Services briefed the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Arts and Culture on 2 June 2010.    The minutes and audio recording of the session is available from this Parliamentary Monitoring Group link.  [not reported elsewhere in the media]

 <snip from the summary>

 The National Council for Library and Information Services briefed the Committee  on the drastic under funding, the lack of policy and structure,  a deterioration of the professionalism of librarianship, and other challenges facing the Library and Information Services sector. A transformation charter had been drafted. The Council suggested that the Library and Information Association of South Africa become a statutory body to stem the de-professionalisation of the library profession.

Members asked about the lack of funding and the bad state of libraries in the country,  requested information on the spending of the Community Library Services Conditional Grant,  expressed regret that inequality, especially in rural areas, was not being redressed, agreed that a culture of reading needed to be inculcated in the country, and vowed to deal with the sorry situation that libraries were in.

SABC News reports on the national launch of SA Library Week which took place at the National Library of South Africa (Pretoria) on Saturday 20 March 2010.

Amongst the dignitaries who attended the event was Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer. She donated a few books and emphasised the importance of reading.

Gordimer says, "My mother made me a member of the children's library when I was six years old. I was a white child and I could use that library. If I was a black child I would not have been able to use it. And, I didn't think then that I would grow up to be a writer because the only training for a writer is reading."

The LIASA President, Rachel More, will be interviewed  on 

• SAFM on Monday 22 March at 3 pm   and
•  Morning Live with Vuyo on SABC 2 on Tuesday 23 March at 6:00 am.  The President will be joined by Mr Brendan Smith on braille reading to give testimony on how reading changes lives.

 And on Tuesday 23rd at 3.30pm,  CRAZ-E on E-TV will broadcast an interview with Dino Ramahlo, a second year Engineering student from Wits University, to promote and encourage reading amongst youth.  A repeat show will be on Friday, 26 March on the same channel at the same time.

SABC Radio News will broadcast an interview with LIASA PR, Mokgadi Senyolo on Tuesday 23 March at 18:00 specifically on Ukhozi FM and Ligwalagwala FM and possibly on SAFM Wednesday 24 March . 

And the LIASA President had an interview on Lesedi FM Tuesday 23 March at 22:45 – 22:55.

UPDATE

Although the province was making great strides, KwaZulu-Natal still had a long way to go in developing a healthy and active reading culture, said experts at the launch of Library Week, reports IOL.  Reading and access to libraries was still a challenge for poorer KZN communities, says Mandla Ntombela, the KZN Chairman of the Library and Information Association of South Africa. 

South African Library Week (SALW) affords the library and information services sector the opportunity to actively promote and enhance libraries nationally. SALW 2010 will be observed from March 22-27 2010 with a difference. The Department of Arts and Culture is partnering with LIASA to create a campaign for libraries, books and reading with national impact. We urge all libraries, librarians and information workers to embrace this opportunity wholeheartedly so that we may actively contribute towards the development of an informed and reading nation.

SALW 2010 Theme: Reading Changes Lives

Libraries are encouraged to showcase this theme by acknowledging our Nobel literature laureates; local writers and authors; indigenous languages and texts; testimonies of overcoming illiteracy and reading achievements of users of all ages; etc.

SALW 2010 Launch

SALW 2010 will be formally launched at the National Library of South Africa in Pretoria on Saturday March 20 2010 from 09:00 to 12:30. This is an acknowledgement of the opening of the first public library on March 20 1818, which subsequently became the State Library in Cape Town. It also acknowledges Human Rights Day which is celebrated on 21 March. As the freedom of access to information is enshrined in our Bill of Rights, there is an important link between this important event for libraries and promotion of the freedom of access to information to ensure that democracy flourishes.

Library and information workers are invited to attend. All libraries, service providers and vendors to the sector are invited to participate in this launch by displaying their banners as a show of their support towards contributing to the development of an informed and reading nation.

"Every Child a Book" - A month-long campaign in celebration of libraries, books and reading, 20 March - 23 April 2010

SALW 2010 forms the precursor to a month long promotion of libraries, books and reading, which will culminate on April 23 2010, World Book Day. During this month it is our intention to launch and actively promote the idea of "Every Child a Book". This campaign is to ensure that every child in South Africa is given a book to commence their journey towards a lifetime of reading. This may be in the form of an individual gift, presentations to schools, book collections for children's homes, etc.   

South African Librarian' Choice 2010

This was a campaign first held in 2004 in celebration of a Decade of Democracy. We would like to pick up this campaign to promote South African authors and the recommendations/choices of librarians. Please submit your list of ten titles by March 12 2010 so that the South African Librarian' Choice may be announced at the SALW 2010 launch. This list will be actively circulated and promoted in all libraries and book shops. So librarians, please do take up the challenge and let our voices be heard.