Huguenot Square Public Library

Library Western Cape Libraries - Huguenot Square Public Library, Belhar, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

(CITY OF CAPE TOWN MUNICIPALITY)

LIBRARY HOURS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE.
Mon - Fri: 10:00 - 17:00
Sat: 09:00 - 12:00

WHATSAPP NUMBER: 067 852 7842

The City currently has 101 libraries, two satellite libraries and a mobile library service, that not only lends books but provide access to electronic resources and community events.

Huguenot Square Public Library services the community and residents of Belhar. Here community members can loan books and have access to computers, newspapers and a variety of other resources.
We also run a range of educational and fun programmes in all of our libraries.

This is just a write up to tell you a bit more what Huguenot Square library does for the community of Belhar. The community is our number 1 priority, and we strive to serve them to the best of our ability.

On the monthly SDBIP targets we do the following: Storytelling, Book Clubs (children/adult/teen), Digital literacy, Information literacy, and reading programmes.

We also do stationary drives at the beginning of the school year, to assist the underprivileged with some stationary. At some of our stationary drives, we also managed to give free haircuts to the boys and plaiting and blow-drying hair for the girls. When sponsors donate food, we also provide a meal at these drives.

Valentines’ Day we also invite community members and treat them with snacks and a movie. We know that people hardly take time out to spoil themselves, so this is just the little bit that we do to make them feel special.

Once a year we host a Reading Competition with primary schools in the area. The teachers are normally excited to attend with their learners. Before the competition commence, they are normally served with something to eat and drink, as we do not know if some of them has had the privilege to have breakfast. A winner in English & Afrikaans are chosen, as well as 2 runners-up. They are awarded with trophy’s/medals and gift bags.

After school programmes is also on our t-do list, where we assist learners with homework, reading to them, art club and availing games and colouring in after homework is done.

We managed to arrange Career Expo’s, Employment programmes, Learner’s license programmes successfully in the past and intend to continue with these.

Crèche, school and clinic visits is where we promote the library and brief them about all the activities, they can also be a part of by joining or visiting the library.

World read aloud day is never skipped, because we know it is important and make our voices known through stories read to especially the ECD’s in the area.

Flourish by Nads is another programme run @ the library. It is a free Antenatal and Postnatal programme which runs for about 3 months. It is quite essential we feel, for pregnant and new moms, to come and learn something new. At the end of these sessions, the participants receive gifts and treats, almost like a baby shower, all thanks to Flourish.

We also work with EPWP “Women for Change group”, where they slot in with us especially over the school holiday periods and assist us so diligently with whatever holiday programs we run. So, holiday programmes with us are constantly on our agenda, where we all strive to keep the kids happy and safe during the holiday periods.

Quarterly Stakeholders meetings are held with Senior librarian, Librarian, Friends of the library and various stakeholders in the community to take each other by the hand and see how all organisations can assist each other and be of aid to the broader community of Belhar.

Legal Aid has also partnered with us by availing someone from their department, to assist with legal queries. They send out their calendar and we make the community aware of the dates they come. This is also a great success, bring legal assistance to the community, instead of them going out to seek help.

We also have a chess programme called Chess@Libraries at departmental level which was started by our Librarian in Charge Daniel Arendse in 2017. The project has been met with a lot of success and has a substantial annual growth as more and more libraries request to participate in the project every year.