Khayelitsha library urges people to use its services

Khayelitsha library assistant Agnes Dyanyi had her hands full with young people who registered to get library cards.

In a quest to dispel myths about libraries and encourage residents to use them, staff from the Khayelitsha library visited numerous informal settlements including BM, RR and France on Monday March 20 as part of National Library Week.

The staff also encouraged young and old people to read and to make use of library programmes.

The staff assisted residents to sign up as members and for other library benefits such as free wi-fi.

Once the library cards are made, staff will return to the three communities to hand them over. Acting senior librarian Vuyokazi Rani-Njambatwa said the library used the week to showcase some of its programmes and to bring services closer to the people.

National Library Week began on Saturday March 18 and runs until Saturday March 25.

“It is part of our job to get people informed about what is happening at the libraries,” she said.

“There are perceptions that libraries are not easy to access. But we are visiting these areas to quell that myth.

“We want them to know the activities and other programmes that benefit them.”

Ms Rani-Njambatwa said Khayelitsha library was one of the best in the province.

She said unemployed people could use their resources to search for jobs and surf the internet.

“The culture of reading needs to be encouraged to empower our people so that they can reap the benefits.

“We all know that knowledge empowers and we are giving it to people for free. We have books, computers, magazines and newspapers so that people can read,” she said.

Mother of two, Nosipho Mvinjwa, said she was willing to have library cards made for her and her children.

“We are grateful for the opportunity. The truth is some of us are lazy to go anywhere,” she said.

“If you look, the distance between us and the library is very short, but we are not going there. I think they made a good decision to bring services to the people.”

An ecstatic Ms Mvinjwa promised to visit the library, saying staff had made their job easy. “We do not have to go and fetch the cards. They will be brought here again,” she said.

Little Anethemba Zinganto said he was happy he would have a library card. He said the card would help him access the library.