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Introduction
All public libraries face challenges at one time or another. In the case
of public libraries in South Africa, a unique challenge has had to be
dealt with: overcoming the inequalities in service and collections after
the end of Apartheid. For most of their history, public libraries in
South Africa were created for, and used by, a white minority. Most of
the materials in the libraries were in the two official languages,
English and Afrikaans. This bias in acquisitions has had lasting effects
on South Africans’ perception of public libraries, and in the
collections that those libraries contain. In 1993, as the racist
Apartheid regime was nearing its end, nine other indigenous languages
became official. The inclusion of resources in indigenous languages in
South African public libraries is an essential step in reconciliation
and cultural preservation.
After a brief overview of the history of South African public libraries,
the current state of the public libraries will be discussed. Relevant
questions the public libraries need to consider will then be posed and
explored. Interlibrary loans, literacy, and a shortage of school
libraries will also be looked at, to demonstrate the internal and
external issues that are affecting South African public libraries. The
paper finishes with a discussion of the potential public libraries have
for language and cultural preservation, followed by the conclusion and
areas of future research.
Overview of the history of South African public
libraries
A brief overview of public libraries in South Africa is necessary for an
understanding of the current problems. In 1928 the Carnegie Corporation
of New York sent two librarians to South Africa to survey the library
resources of the country. There had been a few attempts at developing
small libraries for the black population, but most library development
focused on white communities. One of the recommendations that came out
of the Carnegie Commission’s survey was that all library services should
be available to the black, coloured, and Indian populations (Taylor,
1967). According to Irene Owens (2002), the Carnegie Corporation
“regarded a library as a way to promote racial uplift, foster
interracial understanding, and maintain social order” (p. 54). The
Carnegie Corporation also gave grants to initiate these services, which
began in the late 1930s. There is no indication, however, that these
small collections contained any amount of material in indigenous
languages.
These efforts at servicing the entire population were a positive step,
but were not long-lasting. Bertha Mostert (1999) explains further:
“Although several service points were in operation countrywide for the
‘non-white’ race groups, services for the black population fell into
total disarray due to the lack of financial support when they were
transferred from the provincial councils to the Department of Native
Affairs in 1954” (p. 19). It was not until 1974, in Johannesburg, that a
public library was open to all ethnicities in South Africa. This was an
encouraging development, but there were still many problems to overcome.
By the time public libraries were open to all people in South Africa,
the library collections were quite well established in English and
Afrikaans materials. These materials clearly no longer reflected the
needs of the community being served. Mostert (1999) highlights one
outcome: “In reaction to the unequal distribution of information
sources, alternative information services were established in an effort
to empower and bring the necessary information sources and services to
the disadvantaged groups in society” (p. 20). What developed were
community libraries and resource centers. These alternative services
differed from public libraries, from the beginning. They had a
pro-active approach to service and the types of materials they acquired
were in any useful format, not necessarily print (Mostert, 1999). The
less-educated population is better served by varied materials that do
not depend on the borrower being literate. These alternative services
were a reaction to the passivity of public libraries. Disadvantaged
people need someone to show them what information is available, to show
them how to let go of limitations, and embrace the right to relevant
information. A pro-active approach is especially important in a
political climate like South Africa, where for many years a large group
of people were denied information. Since the end of Apartheid, there
have been progressive steps in equalizing service and in evaluating
library services.
Current state of South African public libraries
The evaluation of public libraries is ongoing. Karin de Jager and Mary
Nassimbeni (2005) write, “The National Library of South Africa has
started to distribute the questionnaires to libraries throughout the
country” (p. 43). These questionnaires, called the “Annual Public
Library Statistical Report: Core Measures,” will attempt to measure
exactly how many resources each library has in each official language
and what amount of their yearly budget was spent on these purchases.
Although the Report does not address the current needs of the community
it will be an undeniable indicator of what measures need to be taken
next to better serve the community.
The current state of indigenous language resources in public libraries
is quite poor. In a 2003 study, Fredericks and Mvunelo found that:
“books in indigenous languages made up less than 1 % of the collections
of most responding libraries” (p. 139). There can be no real progress
until the government aids authors, publishers, and libraries with
increased funding for indigenous language material. To initiate positive
change, “authors and publishers should be encouraged to produce more
books in indigenous languages by promoting the languages at all levels
of education, setting up government subsidized publishing houses and
facilitating the marketing and use of the languages” (Fredericks &
Mvunelo, 2003, p. 139). English and Afrikaans hold a privileged place in
the South African public libraries, and this needs to be changed so that
each official language has an important role in the libraries. The
issues raised about support for indigenous language materials in this
section will be further developed later in the paper.
Issues to be faced
Questions arise about South Africans’ library needs. In South African
communities, is there a demand for indigenous language materials? If
not, is it still the responsibility of the library to provide the option
of accessing materials in all 11 official languages? And finally, what
is the current state of collections with regard to indigenous languages?
All these questions are important to the future of South African public
libraries.
Reader demand
The current demand for resources in indigenous languages is not very
high in South Africa. One reason may be that “the reception of this
literature has been influenced for years by corrupt and morally bankrupt
publishing for schools” (Fredericks & Mvunelo, 2003, p. 135).
Originally, indigenous African language publications were published to
promote certain ideas and values. For example, Christian societies
wanted their message to reach all Africans, so using the indigenous
languages was the only way to communicate with many of them. Another
constraint was that:
The only viable market for books in the vernacular was the educational
market, and as a result the only books published in the vernacular tend
to be didactic and to lack originality. The majority of books that are
made available in South Africa for all cultural groups, in the
bookshops, schools and libraries, were selected and published by whites.
(Fredericks & Mvunelo, 2003, p. 134)
This point of view can be disheartening. The majority of books may have
been selected by whites, but this does not mean that they are only
accessible by whites, or that white people do not include in their
selections works that will be relevant to the entire population.
A contrasting, more positive, view about the selection process is given
by Owens. For selections after 1994:
“In terms of the representations of Africans in the book and reading
culture, progress has been made and is still ongoing. The selection
policy in terms of progress has been one of redress, not only in terms
of supplying books to the deprived, but also in terms of trying to
choose books that are relevant to the lives of black children. Selectors
have tried to move away from the Eurocentric books often found in South
African schools. They have sought out books with black characters and
local settings.” (2002, p. 57-58)
In Owens’ view, there has been notable progress in some areas of
selection. She does not mention, though, if any of the books being
selected are in indigenous languages. Fredericks and Mvunelo (2003) go
on to state: “Many of these books that were selected for the black
community libraries and schools are totally unsuitable, because the
values and attitudes reflected in them are those of white selectors
rather than those of children for whom the books are intended” (p. 134).
Are the values of white selectors really so different from those of a
black selector? No one will be satisfied with a library’s selections if
one believes in such a dichotomy. However, the books selected during
Apartheid are still sitting on the shelves of libraries and it is true
that many of these are not relevant to today’s library clients. The
library has a certain responsibility to provide its clients with
materials they will use.
Library responsibility
The South African Constitution states, “everyone has the right to use
the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice” (qtd.
in Fredericks & Mvunelo, 2003, p. 137). This choice cannot happen if an
individual is not able to access adequate, current information in the
language of his or her choice. The government should be at least
partially responsible for ensuring its citizens’ rights of language and
choice as stated in the Constitution. It remains a fact that “English
and Afrikaans, the home languages respectively of 8.68% and 15.66% of
the population” (Nassimbeni, 1995, p. 290) dominate the information
society in South Africa.
A major problem is that the libraries in Fredericks and Mvunelo’s study
did not have any written policies on the collection of indigenous
language materials. Fredericks and Mvunelo (2003) believe that this
suggests: “that these libraries do not regard it as a policy issue or
service goal deserving serious attention. In other words…these public
libraries do not seem to be making serious efforts to cater for the
reading needs of members of their communities who are only literate in,
or want to read books in, indigenous languages” (p. 138). The libraries
counter this by reasoning that there is not enough interest in
indigenous language material and few books are published in these
languages (Fredericks & Mvunelo, 2003). So, the publishers do not
publish because there is no interest and the libraries cannot acquire
the books because the publishers do not offer enough of them. If no one
takes the initiative in supplying indigenous language materials it seems
that nothing will change.
If resources in indigenous languages are important why are not more
authors taking charge and writing for their communities? The problem
lies in three main areas: “[I]nadequate public interest in books written
in indigenous languages, insufficient income from writing books to make
it a full time occupation, and lack of government support” (Fredericks &
Mvunelo, 2003, p. 136). With an increase in effective marketing public
interest would also likely increase. South African writers may have to
help change the public’s perception of literature in indigenous
languages; they have to make it known that writing in African languages
is just as relevant and worthy as writing in English or Afrikaans.
Authors need the help of government and publishers in this endeavor.
Should the library supply its clients with a selection of indigenous
language materials if there is no perceived interest? Perhaps that is
the role of another institution, maybe the National Library of South
Africa. However, even the National Library has its critics. Gabrielle
Ritchie and Mandla Hermanus (2004) challenge the idea that the National
Library is neutral territory:
“The content of the National Library’s collections necessarily influence
what is judged to be historically important. More specifically, it is
the way that these collections are managed, profiled, promoted and
researched that elucidates what is judged to be significant as South
African history.” (p. 3)
It is the duty of the public library to provide neutral access to
information for its clients. If the public libraries conducted a
community wide survey of the interests of information seekers, instead
of judging by what people who already use the library want, they might
discover that there is a greater interest in indigenous language reading
material than they expect. It is the library’s responsibility, mission
even, to serve the community to the best of its ability even if it means
being more pro-active than in the past. Having materials in indigenous
languages available in public libraries may validate the native
languages of many Africans and create a greater demand for such
resources. This endeavor to increase indigenous language resources will
require support from other institutions but public libraries need to
show initiative. There are also internal and external issues that South
African public libraries have to consider in order to become more
effective, such as interlibrary loans, literacy, and the shortage of
school libraries.
Interlibrary loans
It is difficult to become information literate if one’s access to
information is limited. Interlibrary loans between South African
libraries would seem to be one internal solution to limited resources.
Interlibrary loans would also be useful in circulating scarce indigenous
language materials. However, according to Jenny Raubenheimer (1998):
“[Public and community] libraries make very little use of the
interlending system, owing to a lack of funds and the inability of
clients to meet costs” (p. 73). Costs is a major problem because it is
causing clients to become unsatisfied with available resources. If
neither libraries nor their clients can meet these costs, the government
could provide some assistance.
Literacy
Literacy plays an important role in South African public libraries.
Historically, a 1911 census “found that only 6.8 percent [of native
Africans] could read or write” (Owens, 2002, p. 54). At that time, the
main focus of libraries was on print material, most often in English or
Afrikaans. Not only could most native South Africans not read the
material available for reading was in a foreign language. Of the
available books “few books were in African vernaculars, and even fewer
written by Africans themselves to present a more balanced viewpoint”
(Owens, 2002, p. 54). In addition, the government did not want the black
population to become literate. Owens (2002) states: “The most important
struggle concerned the use of reading as a route to self-awareness and
self-advancement, which was not in agreement with the intent of the
Bantu Education Act” (p. 55). When there is such powerful opposition to
a goal, accomplishing it can seem impossible.
Public libraries in South Africa were “based on the Western library
model, i.e. print-based and mostly for leisure purposes…[l]iteracy has
thus always been a precondition for the use of these services” (Mostert,
1999, p. 20). South Africa is a case where the traditional library model
does not fit with the current cultural context. The school age
population in South Africa is one that is becoming increasingly literate
and public libraries have to take this fact into account, and work on
solutions that serve the needs and wants of the historically
disadvantaged populations.
Shortage of school libraries
Another external challenge public libraries in South Africa are facing
is the lack of school libraries. This lack places strain on the
resources of public libraries. In fact, some librarians claim to feel
victimized by recent educational changes. South Africa’s 2001 Revised
National Curriculum Statement states that one of its goals is to produce
learners who “can gather, analyse, organise, evaluate & communicate
information” (Hart, 2004, p. 111). However, less than 30% of South
African schools have adequate school libraries that allow learners to
gain this attribute (Hart, 2004). Instead, students rely on public
libraries. This has led to many complaints from public librarians. Some
of the complaints are: “teachers do not come to the library; they do not
inform the library of school projects in good time; and learners are not
being taught how to use the library effectively” (2004, p. 114).
The last complaint voiced by the South African librarians is
problematic. Should it not be their responsibility to teach students how
to use the library effectively? It could be the case that many educators
themselves do not have experience with public libraries, so teaching the
effective use of the library rests with librarians (Hart, 2004, p. 113).
Another road block is “there is no catalogue or database or subject
index available for public use” (Hart, 2004, p. 118). Librarians take
the students to the shelf area required (Hart, 2004). Students cannot
learn to use the library independently when there are not enough tools
available to help them. The National Curriculum Statement may state that
it is trying to produce a certain type of learner, but the statement
alone does not ensure that the goal is becoming a reality.
Educators do not recognize the stress they are putting on library
resources and public libraries are not receiving any additional
assistance from the government to support this increased usage. Hart
(2004) notes: “As long as public libraries perform their educational
role in ad hoc improvised ways, with no formal recognition of their
work, they will remain victims” (p. 119). Librarians are not being vocal
enough about their concerns. Hart (2004) advocates that libraries
embrace their role in education, so that attention will shift “from how
the curriculum has impacted on libraries towards how libraries are
impacting on the curriculum” (p. 119). If South African school children
are spending so much time in public libraries, and public libraries
begin to promote their indigenous language materials, there could be a
positive effect on both sides. The school children would be reinforcing
their own native languages while increasing the interest in indigenous
language materials allowing libraries to buy more materials from
publishers.
Hart points out that the public library “is a creature of the 19th
century” (Hart, 2004, p. 112). As a result, it is not a service that
directly relates to the unique situation of South Africa. Librarians
cannot expect to be exempt from the society around them. If needs are
not being met, librarians should change their policies to help the
community they serve instead of relying on how things have been done in
the past. In the case of South Africa “[t]his might imply a shift
towards playing a more active role in formal education rather than the
traditionally indirect supportive role of the Western model” (Hart,
2004, p. 112). Interestingly, the “Western model” may not even fit with
the “West” anymore. Librarianship everywhere is changing in our
information society and each library needs to assess the community it
serves individually and base its services upon that assessment. In South
Africa, these needs are a place for language and cultural preservation.
Language and cultural preservation
Some might argue that it is too late to bring indigenous languages back
into the social consciousness of South Africa. Most school children know
English or Afrikaans and the indigenous cultures they come from are
being lost. Information is kept and stored for preservation in an
information society. If no books are written in indigenous languages,
how will that language survive? Of course, there will be those who speak
the language. But, languages are dying out fast in our global village
where a common language is needed to communicate. This common language
is not going to be an African language. This means, however unfair, that
those who speak African languages must try harder to preserve their
language. One way to do this is to publish books in indigenous
languages. If these books are then stored in public libraries then the
language has a better chance of survival.
Technologies may be available that will help develop indigenous South
African languages more efficiently than a public library. Projects, like
the African Speech Technology Project, demonstrate that the government
is taking definite measures to promote and incorporate indigenous
languages into South African culture. The government needs to become
aware, however, of the potential role public libraries in this
promotion. A study was conducted which tested the ability to search an
English database in Zulu, the language spoken by the majority of South
Africans. A problem they encountered was that “Zulu does not have single
word translation equivalents for many technical and scientific terms” (Pirkola,
Cosijn, Bothma & Nel, 2002, par. 3.4). The solution was to either
paraphrase or borrow words from another language (2002, par. 3.4). The
purpose of this research was to assess the helpfulness of metadata in
cross-lingual information retrieval and it generally proved to be
useful. This study is a step in the right direction. Even if material is
not available in an indigenous South African language a searcher would
at least be able to find what information is available in the language
of his or her choice.
Conclusion
Though advances in technology are being made, there is still the
question of the availability of indigenous language materials in South
African public libraries. Books still have a strong impact. Owens (2002)
quotes a South African author who was greatly impacted by books: “I read
all the books on the shelf marked: American Negro Literature. I became a
Nationalist through the writings of men and woman who lived a world away
from me. To them I owe a great deal for crystalizing my vague yearnings
to write and for showing me the long dream was attainable” (Abrahams in
Owens, p. 56). It is inspirational to see a representation of oneself. A
South African child or teenager may aspire to be an author and there is
no reason why he or she should have to write in English or Afrikaans
just so the book will sell. If public libraries put more effort into
developing indigenous language materials, publishers would be able to
sell more books, and authors would be able to write more books.
There is also the element of reconciliation in the public libraries of
South Africa. If clients go into the library and are confronted with
only English and Afrikaans language materials, many of the clients will
not feel that the library is an accurate representation of the current
cultural reality. If nothing changes in the public library it is as if
reconciliation is being ignored. The public library should be a place
where no ethnic group feels either privileged or disadvantaged. It
should be a neutral area to interact with other members of a diverse
community and an area in which one can access information in the
official language of one’s choice. South African public libraries should
also react to the need for cultural preservation. One of the most
important aspects of culture is language, which is facing challenges in
South Africa. By adding more indigenous language materials to their
collections South African public libraries can play a key role in the
cultural preservation of the entire nation.
Future research
There are multiple areas for future research in this subject area.
Evaluating collections should occur in every library, but this
evaluation is particularly important in postcolonial societies. How
other postcolonial societies are coping with reconciliation and language
and cultural preservation would help contextualize South Africa’s
position. In addition, research on how South African public libraries
are progressing is needed. There is a potentially rich area of study in
the selection of children’s books in societies where people are trying
to promote native authors and subject material. Finally, a look into the
South African government’s response to the needs of public library
clients, and how the government can better serve its people through
libraries, would be helpful in clarifying what role the government
should play in supporting public libraries.
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