Why Libraries should be open on Saturdays

Accessible libraries support learning, bridge the digital divide, and contribute to the social life of the neighborhood.

I remember being in Grade 5 and having to do research and make copies at the library for a school assignment. I had a vague idea of where our local library was, but I had never used it. It was too far out of the way home for me to go there to do homework on weekdays, and further still for me to go there for casual reading.

So on Saturday at noon after doing all my chores —the only time I could make it to the library—I gathered all my friends and we walked 4 kilometres to the library. It was closed when we got there. I don't know what time it was, but it must have been after 1pm, the Saturday closing time for City of Ekurhuleni libraries. These days they are closed on Saturdays but the first of the month.

Up until that point, my brother and I didn't read much. It wasn't because my parents didn't think reading was important; they just didn't have the time, or the emotional bandwidth to read us or find children books for us to amuse ourselves with. We just read our textbooks, newspapers and magazines.

Sadly, this is the story of most families in South Africa. A 2023 survey by the National Reading Barometer project showed that many homes still lack access to reading materials. The most common form of reading materials in South African homes were religious books (58% of homes), followed by newspapers (42%), dictionaries (39%), magazines and textbooks (38%). Over 60% of households did not have a single fiction or nonfiction book. The survey found that the biggest barrier to reading with children in the home was a lack of time: 47% of adults who did not read with children said it was because they did not have the time, and 82% of adults who did read with children said they would read more if they had more time.

The closure of libraries on Saturdays effectively denies the public access to library services and does not bode well for our communities’ reading culture. There is extensive writing about the importance of public libraries in society, and I want to hone in three aspects that particularly affect low income people in the South African context.

Supplementing classroom learning

Many years after my failed attempts at going to the library, a neighbor gifted us an encyclopaedia set from 1976. As outdated as it was, it met all our research needs from researching topics for assignments, additional information about topics we learnt at school, and just boredom.

Learners need consistent access to library resources to support their learning throughout the school year. As the current administration doubles down on underfunding education, libraries play an invaluable role in bringing educational resources to learners. Libraries have staff that have the training to retrieve information and make it accessible to learners.

Bridging the digital divide

Back when I was poring through an encyclopaedia set to find homework answers, we didn't have the internet and this is still the reality for most people in this country.

In 2022, access to the Internet at home for South Africans in the big metros was around 17% of households, while in rural areas it sat at a staggering 1%, with the high cost of internet being the main contributor to the usage gap¹. Other contributing factors were the lack of internet literacy, and the inability of users to find relevant and useful content.

Public libraries can close this gap by providing communities with equal, free access to information and communications technologies, and offering information and computer literacy training.

A safe space away form turbulent homes

Many learners in low-income communities also face harsh conditions at home that are not conducive to effective studying. Low-income families live in one-room rentals where everyone is trying to go about their day—cooking, watching TV, and making noise. This makes it hard for learners to focus on their homework and study. The distractions don’t stop there: with neighbours running businesses from their yards and pavement, and the constant noise of taxis and weekend parties, studying can feel nearly impossible. Libraries serve as safe spaces where learners can go to study, relax, talk, eat and socialise. They are a neutral place where learners can feel a sense of community away from turbulent homes.

Libraries are also generally more inclusive than many other public spaces and are generally welcoming of people from all backgrounds. These characteristics of being open, accessible and inclusive to all make libraries amazing third spaces.

The mobilizing to save libraries

There are numerous individuals and organisations doing the hard work of advocating for the restoration and modernization of public libraries in South Africa despite the government’s commitment to austerity budgeting. You can help by simply visiting your local library and using the services they have on offer. If you want to do something crazy,you can sign the petition for libraries to be opened on Saturdays below.

1. The usage gap refers to populations that live within network coverage areas but who do not use the internet.