The conundrum of school libraries in South Africa

Abstract

Introduction: The first democratic elections in 1994, leading to the end of apartheid education, new educational legislation and a new curriculum, brought fresh optimism to South African school library circles. This was prompted by two lines of thought. First, it was hoped that the merging of the 19 racially based departments and fairer provisioning might redress the unequal distribution of school libraries across previously advantaged and disadvantaged sectors. Second, South African educational reform echoed international trends in its emphasis on developing lifelong learners who are able to compete in the information society.