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South African Library Week celebrated by the Department of Library Services
3 April
The Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) celebrated South African Library Week from 18–26 March with the theme ‘My library, your library’ and sub-themes ‘My library, my home’, ‘Mind your library’ and ‘Tell me about your library’.
The theme ‘My library, your library’ was chosen to awaken a sense of ownership in each community member. A library nourishes and sustains its community and this is not widely recognised. This theme motivates members of our society to reflect on the role and value of libraries in their lives. It encourages people to take libraries to their hearts and to treat them as their homes so that destroying libraries and burning books becomes unthinkable.
On Thursday, 23 March, between 11:00 and 14:00 the Department of Library Services and the Library MakerSpace took the library to the clients by hosting an exhibition and a number of student activities in the Piazza:
- The DLS announced a South African Library Week video competition with two drones as prizes. Read more at http://www.up.ac.za/en/department-of-library-services/news/post_2432756-enter-the-library-video-competition.
- Students who love to talk joined STUKU and UP Arts & Expressio to ‘Tell us about their library in Vernac’. The three best students each received a gift hamper sponsored by Wiley/Bookmark.
- Students who love to write were encouraged to ‘Tell us about their library on one page’ and have their photographs taken.
- Students who love to pose had their photographs taken with the ‘I love my library’ frame.
- Creative students were encouraged to ‘Have a hand in their library’ by leaving their handprint on an artist’s canvass, which will be displayed in the Merenky 2 Library.
‘My library, your library’ is a reminder to everyone that the library is a communal space that caters to their needs, whether educational, social, recreational or informative. The Department of Library Services reminded University of Pretoria students that libraries are an indispensable part of their everyday lives.
– Author Department of Library Services