dyton mupawaendaThe Herald, 26 April, 1984
EVERY district in Zimbabwe will soon have a library following the establishment of the National Library and Documentation Service recently.
The NLDS was jointly established by the Zimbabwe Library Association and the Ministry of Youth, Sport, and Culture and will strive to provide free reading material to all Zimbabweans, especially in the rural areas.
The chairman of the Zimbabwe Library Association, Cde Stan Made, said in an interview with The Herald yesterday that the NLDS had been formed so that the rural population could have access to all development information.
He said the NLDS would:
Promote the expansion and development of public, school, departmental, and research libraries, and information services.
Promote the optimum use of the National Library resources by coordinating libraries of all kinds.
Promote a free library service throughout the country so that no one is denied access to books for failing to pay a fee.
Supply library books to all areas by means of regional libraries.
Set up district libraries to take the library services to the rural areas. Operate mobile libraries. Recruit qualified staff to operate the service and provide professional expertise to libraries in all areas. Set up a training centre to ensure a continued supply of trained librarians and library assistants.
Through the NLDS, said Cde Made, 55 cultural houses would be built throughout the country one in every district. A prototype had already been built in Murehwa.
“Each culture house will have a library, a hall, a mini-theatre, and several other rooms for other activities which might be of interest to the local people.
“Strictly speaking, libraries in Zimbabwe are mainly found in Harare and Bulawayo, and they are all on subscription basis, but all culture houses will be free of charge and this is in line with Government policy of developing the rural areas,” said Cde Made.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Libraries play an important role in communities by providing access to information and resources; supporting literacy and education; promoting lifelong learning and serving as the community grows.
Despite the technological developments, libraries still play a pivotal role in promoting a reading culture in the society.
Online Reporter