National Library of Namibia
Encyclopedia
The National Library of Namibia is the legal deposit and copyright library for Namibia
. The library is situated in Windhoek
,
The roots of the library are in the "Bibliothek des Kaiserlichen Gouvernements" which belonged to the government of German South-West Africa
.
Historical Background
The library was established in 1926 as the Legislative Assembly Library, with a core collection from the German colonial Bibliothek des Kaiserlichen Gouvernements. It was resorted under the clerk of the Legislative Assembly and received professional guidance from the South African librarian of Parliament. It became the South West Africa (SWA) Administration Library in 1957, and, in 1960, the Department of Education took over the responsibility for the library.
The administration library served as the reference and subject library for the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat, and the departments of the administration. The first qualified librarian was appointed in 1965, when the library was open for public use. The administration library, within the SWA Library Service and reporting to the director of education was housed in the Tintenpalast (today's Parliament).
In July 1980, the SWA Library Service, including the administration library became part of the newly established Division for Cultural Promotion of the Administration for Whites as stipulated by Proclamation AG8. All the public libraries and the administration library became part of the second-tier government. This was an unfortunate step, which resulted in fragmentation of library services from which the country is yet to recover. In October 1984, the library was renamed as the Estorff Reference Library and focused on providing reference, inter-lending and professional services to the general public.
On April 1, 1994, the Estorff Reference Library officially became the National Library of Namibia and is now part of the Ministry of Education. The National Library stopped activities in the Estorff House on February 24, 2000 and reopened in the new building (between Kenya House and Trustco) the day before Namibia’s 10th independence celebrations on March 21, 2000.
References
1. Johan Loubser (2003). National Library of Namibia. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
. The library is situated in Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
,
The roots of the library are in the "Bibliothek des Kaiserlichen Gouvernements" which belonged to the government of German South-West Africa
German South-West Africa
German South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
.
Historical Background
The library was established in 1926 as the Legislative Assembly Library, with a core collection from the German colonial Bibliothek des Kaiserlichen Gouvernements. It was resorted under the clerk of the Legislative Assembly and received professional guidance from the South African librarian of Parliament. It became the South West Africa (SWA) Administration Library in 1957, and, in 1960, the Department of Education took over the responsibility for the library.
The administration library served as the reference and subject library for the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat, and the departments of the administration. The first qualified librarian was appointed in 1965, when the library was open for public use. The administration library, within the SWA Library Service and reporting to the director of education was housed in the Tintenpalast (today's Parliament).
In July 1980, the SWA Library Service, including the administration library became part of the newly established Division for Cultural Promotion of the Administration for Whites as stipulated by Proclamation AG8. All the public libraries and the administration library became part of the second-tier government. This was an unfortunate step, which resulted in fragmentation of library services from which the country is yet to recover. In October 1984, the library was renamed as the Estorff Reference Library and focused on providing reference, inter-lending and professional services to the general public.
On April 1, 1994, the Estorff Reference Library officially became the National Library of Namibia and is now part of the Ministry of Education. The National Library stopped activities in the Estorff House on February 24, 2000 and reopened in the new building (between Kenya House and Trustco) the day before Namibia’s 10th independence celebrations on March 21, 2000.
References
1. Johan Loubser (2003). National Library of Namibia. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science