Librarians from across Mpumalanga gathered at Ndalo Lodge on Friday 12 to celebrate the annual Librarian’s Day.
Librarian’s Day is celebrated in the second week of July and aims to raise awareness about the significance of librarianship as a profession and the crucial role librarians play in society.
This year’s theme is “Reimagine libraries in the fourth industrial revolution”. Currently, the province has 120 public libraries.
The goal of these initiatives is to establish new and improved connections between libraries and their communities, providing individuals with the information skills needed for the digital world and enhancing the skills and competencies of librarians.
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During this celebration, Musa Sibambo, the general manager of library and archives services in the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, said: “We are here to celebrate librarians’ hard work, resilience, commitment and dedication. We are aware that we are not fully there in terms of performing, and we know that in your libraries you are supposed to have fully integrated systems, but gradually we are getting there.
We are aware that the majority of the libraries still need to be maintained, renovated and upgraded. We are aware of all the challenges this profession is facing in terms of working conditions. These are the issues we need to take on so that the people out there take our profession seriously.”
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The president of the Library and Information Association of South Africa, Charlie Molepo, said: “Colleagues, we must promote reading. We are not going to be in the battle of the matric pass rate, because our learners cannot read to understand. The reason why learners fail maths is because the understanding of English is not there.
If your learners cannot read a Grade Five book, don’t give them one; give them a Grade One book and let them learn step by step until they understand.”
During an interview with one of the librarians, Shobi Mudaka, she said this day means a lot to her. “When I see librarians celebrated for their hard work, this makes me happy. Sometimes when librarians are sitting in their own corner somewhere in the library, one might think they are not adding value to the community. Sitting as a group like we did today, I got to see how far we have come and the achievements we have made.”
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