The contribution of the (Carnegie) Non-European Library Service, Transvaal, to the development of library services for Africans in South Africa : an historical and evaluative study

Abstract

This survey aims at reflecting the historical development of the Carnegie Non- European Library, from 1950 known as the Non-European Library Service, Transvaal, and attempts to evaluate the contribution of a small private library organization to the development of library services for Africans in South Africa. Since 1931 the (Carnegie) Non-European Library Service, Transvaal, has been engaged in its self-appointed task of promoting the reading habit and the use of libraries among Non-Whites, and amongst Africans in particular. The administering Committee consists of officials from government, provincial and municipal authorities as well as representatives of various organizations, who all serve in a voluntary capacity. With their active assistance and interested co-operation a considerable amount of work has been achieved despite the many difficulties encountered. The (Carnegie) Non-European Library Service, Transvaal, administered its own lending library services between 1931 and 1962; encouraged the training of Non-Whites for library work; entered the publishing field to produce two hand- books of library methods and two books for children written in the Bantu languages. The administering Committee has also provided many opportunities for the exchange of information on various aspects of library development for Non- Whites, and particularly for Africans. In its efforts to promote through reading, the intellectual development of the African, and so further his understanding of the cultures of his own peoples and other civilizations, the (Carnegie) Non- European Library Service, Transvaal, has also emphasised the role of the library in the African's spiritual quest for cultural awakening and upliftment.