Community libraries: a brief review of their origins and nature with particular reference to South Africa

Abstract

This review of the development of community libraries draws upon a wide range of sources Public libraries in Africa were established by colonials for colonials, and the needs of the colonized were subservient In South Africa, public libraries have been retarded by the racial policies of a succession of governments, and by the class implications of education and library provision Their lack of relevance has resulted in a certain neutrality but this has positive implications for their potential role in information provision at present