SPEECH BY HELEN ZILLE
MAYOR OF CAPE TOWN
OPENING CEREMONY FOR THE NEW CAPE TOWN CENTRAL LIBRARY
29 JULY 2008 – 18H00 – DRILL HALL
Programme Director, Mr Nico Panagio, Acting Consul-general of the USA, Mr Paul Patin,
Western Cape Provincial Government Minister for Cultural Affairs and Sport, Mr Whitey
Jacobs, President of the Carnegie Corporation, Dr Vartan Gregorian, Vice-President of
Carnegie Corporation, Deana Arsenian; Carnegie Corporation Trustees Governor Tom Kean
and Dr Bruce Alberts, Carnegie Corporation Programme Manager, Dr Rookaya Bawa,
Trustees of the Rowland and Leta Hill Trust, Members of Parliament, City of Cape Town
Mayoral Committee Members, councillors and officials, performing artists, ladies and
gentlemen.
On behalf of the City of Cape Town I welcome you to the opening ceremony for the new
Cape Town Central Library.
For those of you who have travelled from abroad to be here today, I would like to wish you a
special welcome to Cape Town.
As Dr Gregorian has indicated, the construction of this new library in the Drill Hall is the
result of a partnership between our local government and the Carnegie Corporation of New
York.
In particular I appreciate the Corporation’s decision, announced this evening, to extend their
initial $2 million grant of 2003 by a further $2.45 million, bringing their total contribution to
$4.45 million.
Their investment in our new Library now matches the City of Cape Town’s own R36 million
investment.
I would like to extend our deepest appreciation to Dr Gregorian and the Carnegie Corporation
for their ongoing involvement and commitment to increasing access to opportunities and
knowledge.
This partnership is also in line with our core programme of infrastructure-led economic
growth and job creation.
Like other developing cities around the world, we are aiming to increase Cape Town’s
competitiveness in the global economy, an economy whose most sought-after commodity is
knowledge.
Through the increased resources available at this library, both electronic and print, and the
connectivity it offers via the internet to databases and information sharing, this library will
increase public access to knowledge and skills development.
The new Central library will house 200 000 books, an increase from the 125 000 previously
held in the old City Hall venue. The reference section in particular has been greatly extended.
In addition, a new Knowledge Commons, similar to those available at our top universities,
will open with 40 PCs providing public access to internet, e-mail, office applications and eresources.
Following the second grant from the Carnegie Corporation, we are considering making more
public access PCs available throughout the library, and increasing access to electronic
databases.
In addition, we are considering the digitization of our pamphlet collection, which will enable
all libraries to electronically share in this information, the commencement of an indigenous
knowledge project at the library, and creating services for the visually impaired using the
latest technology developed for this purpose.
The Knowledge Commons takes our SmartCape initiative to a new level. For some years now
we have made PCs available in city libraries in an effort to promote computer literacy and
related skills. However, in the past, a maximum of only 5 PCs per library has been available
via SmartCape. In this case, we have had to develop a whole new network and server system.
We have made full use of every possible space in this building to ensure that we get
maximum value for our citizens. Aside from the library material and ICT sections, this new
facility also includes meeting rooms and large study areas. In the future we are also looking at
setting up video conferencing facilities.
Funding has been allocated for additional furniture, and particularly "theme furniture" to
make the children's library inviting to children.
Looking ahead, we intend to continue building our book and electronic resource collections,
and to introduce programmes and manuals to train and develop our staff.
We want the Central Library, together with the Bellville Library, to function as an anchor
library that can serve the City as a whole, with extended opening hours, adequate staffing and
comprehensive materials coverage.
In turn, we want Regional libraries to provide an extended collection to their surrounding
community libraries, creating a three-tier library system in Cape Town.
Each category of library will have its own standards with respect to collections of materials,
staffing and operational open hours.
There are several challenges to this initiative.
The first is a shortage of library staff.
This has been due to a moratorium on staff appointments under the City of Cape Town since
the amalgamation of seven municipalities into one during 2000.
Although this moratorium has now been lifted, and posts are being filled, more funding is still
needed to fill all vacancies, as in the case with so many other departments that are struggling
with staff shortages. This situation is exacerbated by uncertainty over the responsibility for
library funding, which has made Council tread carefully when allocating additional funds to
libraries in the budget. The Constitution makes library funding a Provincial Government
function. However, prior to the Constitution, libraries were a municipal function. This issue
will need to be resolved as we move to fill more posts.
We are also focusing on building further partnerships along the lines of the one that has
worked so successfully in this case.
For example, we are in the process of developing a partnership with the US Embassy to
provide the Central Library with information and resources relating to the USA.
We have also obtained funding from the Provincial Government for books, and I would like
to thank Minister Jacobs for his contribution in this regard.
And I am happy to announce that we have just heard today from the Rowland and Leta Hill
Trust that they have agreed to provide a R100 000 grant to have the battlements restored to
the Drill Hall, following an application by the architect working on this project.
Originally the Drill Hall was fitted with battlements, as you will see in the brochure handed
out this evening, but these were removed when the building was restored in the second half of
the twentieth century. Yet they are an important part of its architecture.
I would like to thank the Rowland and Leta Hill Trust for this contribution to our heritage.
All of these contributions are helping to make this a world-class centre of knowledge and
learning for our citizens, and an improved part of our CBD.
It is important to note that the relocation of the Central Library to the Drill Hall will also be
beneficial to the public of Cape Town in other ways.
The old Library space in the City Hall will be making way for the larger revamp of the Hall
that we announced earlier this year.
A special purpose vehicle (in the form of a section 21 non-profit company), is to invest an
estimated R40 million in restoring the interior of the City Hall, as well as parts of the exterior
where necessary, with a view to creating a special venue for acoustic musical performances
drawn from the diverse musical heritage of Cape Town, such as the Malay Choirs, African
Choirs, Minstrel performances, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and acoustic jazz.
Together with upgrades to the Grand Parade and the Cape Town Station, the plan to restore
the City Hall and our new Central Library in the Drill Hall are part of our bigger programme
of revitalising the centre of our city, and making it more attractive and accessible to our
citizens, investors and tourists.
In closing, I would like to thank all of the staff and officials from the City who have driven
this wonderful initiative to fruition.
I thank you.