Title: Presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture
1Presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio
Committee on Arts and Culture
John K. Tsebe
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SOUTH AFRICA
11 MARCH 2005
2Outline
- Introduction
- Objects of the National Library
- Functions of the National Library
- Achieving the objects in relation to the
functions - Family of organisations in Arts Culture
- Regional international connections
- Relationships with other organisations
- Conclusion transforming the National Library of
South Africa
3Introduction a brief history
- The NLSA is the most senior library in South
Africa and must play a strategic leadership role - Previously two national libraries
- the South African Library (Cape Town), started in
1818 - the State Library (Pretoria), started in 1887
- Now one single national library (National Library
of South Africa Act no. 92 of 1998) - Both former national libraries merged into one
institution, launched on 1st November 1999 as the
National Library of South Africa.
4Objects of the National Library
- The objects of the National Library are to
contribute to socio-economic, cultural,
educational, scientific and innovative
development - by collecting, recording, preserving and making
available the national documentary heritage - and promoting an awareness and appreciation
thereof, - by fostering information literacy,
- and by facilitating access to the world's
information resources.
5Functions of the National Library
- (a)
- (i) to build up a complete collection of
published documents emanating from or relating to
South Africa - (ii) to maintain and extend any other collections
of published and unpublished documents with the
emphasis on documents emanating from and relating
to Southern Africa - (iii) to promote the optimal management of
collections of published documents held in South
African libraries as a national resource and - (iv) to supplement the national resource
contemplated in subparagraph (iii) with selected
documents
6Functions of the National Library
- (b)
- (i) to record the documents contemplated in
paragraph (a) and - (ii) to render a national bibliographic service
and to act as the national bibliographic agency - (c) to promote optimal access to published
documents, nationally and internationally - (d) to provide reference and information
services, nationally and internationally - (e) to act as the national preservation library
and to provide conservation services on a
national basis - (f) to promote awareness and appreciation of the
national published documentary heritage and - (g) to promote information awareness and
information literacy.
7Achieving the objects in relation to the
functions
- (2) In order to achieve its objects and promote
the development of library and information
services in South Africa, the National Library
must, in relation to the functions referred to in
subsection (1)-
- (a) provide appropriate information products and
services - (b) provide leadership, guidance and advice to
South African libraries and information services - (c) undertake planning and co-ordination in
co-operation with other library and information
services - (d) present, in consultation and co-operation
with appropriate educational institutions and
professional bodies, courses of training and
education relating to the functions referred to
in subsection (1) - (e) undertake research and development and
- (f) liaise with libraries and other institutions
in and outside South Africa.
8Family of organisations in Arts Culture
- National Heritage Council
- National Arts Council
- National Archives and Records Service
- South African Heritage Resource Agency
- National Film and Video Foundation
- Freedom Park
- PANSALB
- South African Library for the Blind
- (amongst others)
9National international connections
- National Council for Library and Information
Services (NCLIS) - Library and Information Association of South
Africa (LIASA) - Standing Conference on African National and
University Libraries in Eastern, Central and
Southern Africa (SCANUL-ECS) - Conference of Directors of National Libraries
(CDNL) - International Federation of Library Associations
(IFLA) Division One
10Leadership Role of the NLSA
- Initiate strategic partnerships
- Lobbying and advocacy for LIS development
- Develop international relations and connections
- Professional LIS development
- Pro-active and positive influence of government
policy regarding LIS
11Transforming the NLSA national focus
- Promote and foster close collaboration with all
the LIS sectors in the country (without
exception) to address the role of Information in
development - Initiate and Engage in joint developmental
Projects, like the PaCLISA inventory with a
follow-up in implementation and review for
sustainability - Develop a very close working relationship with
LIASA - Paradigm shift from Self/Institutional interest
to National Interest.. Projecting the NLSA as a
locus of power in organising and mobilising the
nations knowledge resources - Partnership with Business South Africa for funding
12Transforming the NLSA African Context
- Play a leading role in the SADC member states
- Be actively involved in the SCECSAL (Standing
Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern
African Librarians) countries - Forge working relationship with the West and
North African countries - Explore the role of African National Libraries
in enhancing the achievements of the AU and NEPAD
objectives - Maintain partnership with the UNECA for the
development of the Information Society by taking
part in the AISI activities
13Transforming the NLSAfocus outside Africa
- Develop working relationships with national
libraries in other parts of the world - Work with COMLA to highlight the role of
information for development in the developing CW
countries - Play an active role in IFLA and CDNL to address
pertinent issues relating to the role of national
libraries in the development of respective NIIs
within the overall GII - Contact with international funders
14Thank you for this opportunity to present the
National Library of South Africa