South Africa’s libraries in the digital age.

In 1979, the world was a challenging place, from which my nine-year-old self would escape into whichever literary universe was available. And then, my escape routes were abruptly removed when I finished all the books on the kids’ shelves at our local library. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the librarian who noticed that and brought me books from her own collection. She will always be my hero.

Libraries are different now. The internet has transformed how they operate and serve their communities. From physical repositories of information available to in-person users, libraries now provide remote access to their collections, making them accessible to users from anywhere at any time. This has significantly increased the availability of information and the way it’s consumed.