Behind plain, unassuming walls in rural towns across the Western Cape lie rooms filled with stories and colour. Public libraries, often carefully curated by staff, offer access to books, computers and learning opportunities.

It would be easy to assume libraries have lost their relevance in our increasingly digital world, but in rural regions throughout the province they continue to serve as community hubs. For many residents, the resources to which they provide access are not available in the home, or even at school.

“[As a] rural community, it’s very good having a library here because we only have one school here, with a lot of kids inside in one class – maybe 40, 50. So, the learners don’t do well in the class [sometimes],” said Thelma Ambraal, assistant librarian at Prince Alfred Hamlet’s library.

Prince Alfred Hamlet is a small town about two hours outside Cape Town, in the Witzenberg Municipality. Many children at the local primary school live on farms in the surrounding area, with parents who work long hours, according to Ambraal.

“The parents are working from 6am till 6pm, 7pm… so there may not be enough resources at home, or your mother can’t help you at home because she comes back tired and there’s not a lot of attention for you,” she explained.

“Every Wednesday, we have a [reading] programme here… and then we go to the hall to do activities there, or we can go outside in the sunshine… That motivates the children to come to the library… We also have programmes on holidays.”

Stolen equipment

Providing a library service is not without its challenges. In the town of Ceres, about 20 minutes from Prince Alfred Hamlet, the John Steyn Library was forced to close for three years after a wall and part of the ceiling collapsed.

Soon after it reopened in October 2022, thieves took its computer equipment, according to librarian Geraldine Warries.

Residents who don’t have computers at home often rely on those at the library. The equipment has since been replaced, with Warries and her team working hard to create a comfortable environment in which local children can learn.

In this community, the people only work seasonally, so by doing outreach programmes we… show love to them.

“We put this [workspace] up for them to sit, and they can read anything they want in here, because many of them don’t get that time at home,” she said.

“They’re waiting for their parents to come and pick them up, [so] they sit here and they can read or do their projects.”

Geraldine Warries, librarian at John Steyn Library in Ceres, Western Cape. (Photo: Tamsin Metelerkamp)

It is not only children who find the library a good place to get things done. Matthew Veerapen, a financial adviser at Old Mutual, often spends his workday there.

“It is a chilled environment and peaceful to work here,” he told Daily Maverick. “I think it keeps children busy as well and helps keep them from doing unnecessary things on the street.”

Read more in Daily Maverick: When art imitates life — lessons from Yizo Yizo for South Africa’s literacy crisis

In Gouda, a small town in the Drakenstein Municipality where many residents rely on seasonal farm work, staff from Gouda Library offer reading programmes for children at local schools, crèches and service centres, according to library assistant Andrid Pieters.

“We’re in a community where everything is scarce… In this community, the people only work seasonally, so by doing outreach programmes we… show love to them… We help the children with their schoolwork, with research work,” she said.

“From reading you get knowledge, and to sharpen your knowledge is the most important thing… [For] schoolchildren, if they cannot read they cannot go on to further education and training, university.”

Youth literacy in South Africa was identified as an area of concern earlier this year, when the release of the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study results showed that 81% of Grade 4s in the country were unable to read for meaning in any language.

Community hub

Staff at several different libraries reported that jobseekers in their communities often used library resources to create CVs and work on applications. Ambraal said: “We have a lot of adults who take books… and [others] come for CVs… We have a template on the computer; you can do your own CV.

“If you’re struggling, you can ask us for assistance. And so it helps you to do something for yourself.”

What I’ve noticed is that young people are not into books… and they don’t know the importance of the library.

Simone Afrika, a user of Prince Alfred Hamlet Library, said it had helped her in her search for work and study opportunities.

“[The library] helps me… because it is a place where I come to do my CVs and applications. I want to further my studies next year and this place helps me when I am applying,” she said.

Libraries can be sites of skills development. At Mbekweni Public Library, in Mbekweni township between Wellington and Paarl, Emihle Mwezo is working as a reading champion.

The paid position forms part of the YearBeyond programme, a youth service partnership between the Western Cape government, the Community Chest of the Western Cape and various other groups.

Thelma Ambraal, assistant librarian at Prince Alfred Hamlet Library. (Photo: Tamsin Metelerkamp)

“I’m assisting here in the library… My focus is [on] books [and] changing the interest of children in books,” she explained. “What I’ve noticed is that young people are not into books… and they don’t know the importance of the library…

“[When reading to children], I just bring the book to life… I make sure I’m more active, so that it can [pique] their interest.”

Mbekweni Library sometimes hosts information-sharing sessions for local residents, according to Mwezo. These cover subjects ranging from taxes to social issues.

Read more in Daily Maverick: South Africans are readers, but face a number of barriers

“For example, yesterday [the South African Revenue Service] was here, just to meet the community halfway to [teach them about] their tax numbers, tax returns and all that,” she said. “Also in things like job opportunities, we… have websites where you can find job opportunities. The library is very important to the community.”

Across the board, the library workers who spoke to Daily Maverick reported satisfaction with the role they played in their areas – a role that often required the wearing of many hats.

As Ambraal put it: “For me it is very nice to do the things I do because I love kids; I have a heart for kids… And I love my community and I live in my community… I know my community.” DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R29.

Front page P1 02 September 2023 Page 1