South African Library Week (SALW) 2014 will be celebrated from 17-23 March 2014 with the themeCelebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy: check in @ your library
In 2014 South Africa celebrates 20 years of democracy and this theme serves as an opportunity to focus attention on:
- Celebrating the role of libraries in strengthening South African democracy
- Highlighting how libraries are making the right to freedom of access to information, as enshrined in the Bill of Rights, a reality
- Enhancing nation building and community development by opening the doors of learning to all
- Showcasing libraries as desired spaces for:
- connecting people to each other, learning resources, communities, government, the world and the environment
- advancing literacy through the intellectual and aesthetic development of all ages
- providing access to global knowledge and information in different formats to advance research and create new knowledge
- fostering a spirit of enquiry and desire for lifelong learning
- challenging one’s own beliefs and inculcating a respect for diverse beliefs, opinions and views all
- contributing towards the development of an informed nation, and South Africa becoming an information society
This theme also speaks to Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and YouTube, which are widely used by libraries globally for marketing, communication with various user groups and outreach. South African libraries are no different! The theme provides us with an opportunity to reach out to those who are unaware of how libraries have embraced technology to enhance access and learning. So, to the “Born Frees,” born in 1994 and voting for the first time in the 2014 national elections, and all those who belong to Generation C (connected digital natives & techno-savvy), it is definitely cool to check in @ your library!
Furthermore, the “Librarians' Choice of Top 20 South African Books” will be launched during this Week. In celebrating this theme, library workers across South Africa have been requested to identify the top twenty South African books published during these 20 years that reflect South African life by South Africans; focus on issues of democracy or contribute to the consolidation of our democracy; that examine who we are and where we are heading as a nation. The nominations are open to all genres, all types of literature from fiction to non-fiction, adult and even children’s books. It must be written by a South African author in one of our official languages and must be published for the first time between 1994 and 2014. The Librarian’s Choice should be available to all when they “check in” at their libraries!
Related links
