Mpumalanga libraries link up
Thandee N'wa Mhangwana
22 July 2004
Bookworms in Mpumalanga will soon be able to access books from libraries across the province if these are not available at their local library.
A programme called Electronic Bridges aims to connect all 89 libraries in the province via computers by the end of the year.
The 1.2 million books currently at libraries in the province will be listed on a searchable database.
"People will be able to access information from other libraries in minutes", said Francois Hendrikz, who heads library services in the provinices department of sport, recreation, arts and culture.
Readers will then be able to order books that they cannot get at their local library, and will receive them within two weeks.
"The idea is to level the playing field, because people in deep rural areas have libraries with very few books, and we don't want them to feel left", said Hendrikz.
The programme is funded through a R5-million grant from the Carnegie
Corporation in New York.
The money will be used to equip all libraries in the province with computers, to train librarians, as well as set up the database and a website.
Source: BuaNews
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