Municipal Libraries

There are 40 branches of the Durban Metropolitan Library with the Central Lending Library also containing a music library, the Don Africana Library and the Reference library.

There are also other services performed by the library: the conservation of rare books, cataloguing, computer services, community liaison and the junior library section.

With large numbers of children under 15 in the Durban area, it is important that they are taught to make the best use of the library.

To this end, staff are trained in assessing the needs of this section of the community including a programme on early childhood development.

The library is most used during school terms by those scholars who have projects to complete. There is a stock of more than 40,000 books. Programmes are run using story telling and puppets to introduce new users to the library. Average attendance is 400.

The section operates a number of specialized libraries for the Council. These include museum, art gallery, water, city health, fire department and information services libraries.

The library comprises a reference collection on sub Saharan Africa. The nucleus was donated by David Don in 1916. The library specializes in history, law, politics and education. Copies of local newspapers are held on microfilm.

With access to libraries now being granted to many who previously had no conception of libraries, it is important that they know how to use a library and make the best use of it. The Community Liaison section focuses on educating such disadvantaged groups.

From a beginning in a small thatched house has become the Durban Metropolitan Library with more than one million items and over 300,000 members.

Four books and two magazines may be borrowed and books may be reserved and ordered from other libraries. The loan period is 14 days but can be extended to 28 or 42 days on request. The books are in English, Afrikaans and Zulu.

The department is responsible for ensuring the smooth processing of all library transactions. The one system enables all members to use each library, to reserve books from different libraries (50,000 pa) and to withreturn overlibw books (4 million pa) from a total of 1.5 million books. Peak transactions can reach 14,000 per hour.

The section purchases and catalogues all new acquisitions using the Dewey system. In addition to the 10,000 new books purchased each year, there are over 100,000 cataloguings with an additional 2,000 tapes and CDs.

The library is available to those over 16 and is most used by those attending educational institutions in the greater Durban area. Included in the library is a Shakespeare collection of 5,500 books.

Weekdays 9:00 - 17:30 Saturdays 8:30 - 16:00

The library contains a large collection of CDs, records and cassettes.

8:00am and 17.30pm, Monday to Friday, and 8:30am to 13.00pm on Saturdays.

For those who are unable to leave their houses.