South Africa’s National Library

Based by the Company’s Garden and Anglican cathedral, Cape Town’s National Library was founded in 1818. The State Library, founded in 1887, in Pretoria is also the National Library. There are two campuses. They both receive a gratis copy of every book, serial, newspaper, government publication or other printed item published in South Africa. In South Africa legal deposit, in some form or another, dates back to 1842. As a result, there are extensive collections of material of great scholarly value which researchers from around the world use.

On this tour we will learn how to make the most of this resource, especially for researching family histories. Najwa Hendrickse of the Reference Department will give us a quick overview of how to access information. She will organise for some fascinating newspapers and magazines to be specially put on display for us.

In Special Collections, our host is its principal librarian, Melanie Geustyn. She will put out some of the gems of the collection, including from the Gray Collection.

The National Library of South Africa
5 Queen Victoria Street
Cape Town
South Africa

+(27) 21 424 6320 (switchboard)

info@nlsa.ac.za specialcollections@nlsa.ac.za

This tour is a follow-on to our tours to the Provincial Archives on Roeland Street. Many Culture Connectors came to discover how to research their family histories (the Deeds Office is also good for this). Like the Archives, it is free to visit. (An appointment is needed only to use the Special Collections.)

Wednesday 22 May 2024

10am to noon

Cost: R400 per person paying on the day, R300 paying in advance; if paying this amount is hard for you, please ask

To book and get my banking details: kate@cultureconnectsa.com +27 (0)72 377 8014

Do join me for a light lunch nearby; details will be sent with the briefing.