BIBLIOTECA

In 1955 the Cape Province passed the Cape Provincial Library Ordinance. This event was to prove of great significance for the future of libraries in the Cape Province and not least for the Kimberley Public Library.

In essence, the Ordinance provided for a free Library service to all parts of the Province provided the larger local authorities were prepared to assist the libraries concerned financially. At that time the Kimberley Public Library received a Municipal grant of £1000 (KPL Annual Report, 1955).

The Kimberley Public Library’s Annual Report for 1955 records that the Director of Library Services for the Cape Province had been asked

to make a survey of the area and provide an estimate of the area and an estimate of the probable cost of a free library service for Kimberley (KPL Annual Report, 1955).

Little progress in this regard appears to have been made during 1956 as the Kimberley City Council debated whether or not they were financially in a position to meet the obligations required of them were they to join the Cape Provincial Library Service.

As has been mentioned previously (See 3.2.5.1) the Provincial Library Organiser addressed a meeting of the City Council and Library Board on 1 March 1957. During

the course of this meeting, the Library Organiser undertook to make a survey of Kimberley’s library requirements. The Annual Report of the Library of that year states that the promised report of the survey had not been received nor had the City Council reached a decision regarding the establishment of a free library service for Kimberley (KPL Annual Report, 1957).

This state of affairs was a source of great concern to the Library Committee as they had been informed that the current year was the last in which the Library would be eligible for a full grant-in-aid from the Provincial Administration unless steps were taken towards joining the Provincial Free Library Service (KPL Annual Report, 1957).

The uncertainty regarding the City Council’s plans for the Library’s future combined with the difficult financial position in which the Library Committee was obliged to function at that time made the provision of a satisfactory library service for the people of Kimberley extremely difficult. With the cost of a new novel exceeding that of a quarterly subscription to the Library for three books at a time i.e. 9/-, it was obvious that without a major injection of revenue, the Kimberley Public Library would be obliged to curtail its services to the Subscribers and the public.

The decision taken by the Kimberley City Council in 1959 to finance a free library service for the city marked a turning point in the development of the Kimberley Public Library and brought this institution in line with the larger cities and towns in South Africa, many of which had ‘enjoyed the benefits of free libraries for a number of years’ (KPL Annual Report, 1959). These developments were conveyed to the Subscribers and the public in the Library’s Annual Report for 1959 and the Subscribers were also informed that every precaution would be taken to safeguard the assets of the institution.

The issues involved were fully appreciated by your Committee and the conditions of transfer submitted to the Council were given the most careful consideration in consultation with the Library’s legal adviser.

These conditions ensure that the present assets of the Kimberley Public Library, particularly the Africana and Reference Collections will remain,

through the Kimberley City Council, the property of the citizens of Kimberley (KPL Annual Report, 1959).

A Special General Meeting of the Subscribers was called for 12 November of that year and once again the Subscribers were fully informed of the position after which, it was unanimously agreed that the Committee be authorised to negotiate an agreement with the City Council (KPL Minutes of Special General Meeting, 12.11.1959).

A Deed of Agreement was drawn up which, provided it was acceptable to the Provincial authorities, would be signed by the Trustees of the Kimberley Public Library and the City Council.

The Memorandum of Agreement was duly signed by the Trustees on behalf of the Kimberley Public Library on 23 December 1960 and the Mayor and Town Clerk on behalf of the Kimberley City Council on 20 January 1961. In terms of this Agreement, the Library agreed to cede and transfer to the Municipality its properties in Dutoitspan Road and Woodley Street with the existing buildings. The Library also agreed to cede, assign, transfer and donate to the Municipality the total contents of the Library which included furniture, fittings and equipment, books, all Africana, manuscripts, documents, publications, pictures, works of art. Special provisions were included in the Agreement to safeguard the future of the collections, particularly the valuable and irreplaceable Africana and Special Collections which, it was stipulated, should not be removed from the present Library building.

Furthermore, these collections were to be kept apart from the Library material to be provided in terms of the Provincial Library Scheme. Wisely, the Library Committee included in the Agreement a further stipulation (Clause 8) which provided for a monitoring mechanism which would ensure that future City Councils could not act irresponsibly in respect of the Library’s valuable collections -

Whereas it is recognized that upon this Agreement coming into operation, the Kimberley Public Library as presently constituted, shall be dissolved and wound up with a consequent loss of office of its Committee and its Trustees; and whereas it is necessary and desirable that an appointment be made of certain persons who shall be vested with

the necessary power and authority to carry out and enforce stipulations, reservations and conditions which have been imposed by the Library in terms of this Agreement; now, therefore, it is hereby stipulated that the General Manager and the Secretary for the time being of De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd. shall for the purpose of this Agreement, be appointed as the Trustees of the Library and shall be vested with the power at all times of enforcing the due and proper fulfillment by the Municipality of the reservations, stipulations and conditions made by the Library in its favour in terms of this Agreement. It is further recorded that the aforesaid two trustees shall at all times be vested with the power for and on behalf of the Library, to sue and be sued in respect of any matters arising out of this Agreement (KCC/KPL Agreement 1960/61).

Although the change to the free library system would officially become effective from the beginning of 1961, the City Council assumed financial responsibility for the running of the Library from 1 January 1959. The Kimberley Public Library would no longer operate as an independent institution according to its own rules and regulations. In future it would be governed in terms of those of the Kimberley Municipality and the Ordinances of the Cape Provincial Government.

4.4. Subscribers