This project was made possible through funding provided by the national Department of Arts and Culture to the Print Industries Working Group on Libraries, championed by the Centre for the Book.

In mid-2004 the Working Group on Libraries of the Print Industry Cluster Council (PICC), requested the Centre for the Book of the National Library of South Africa to coordinate research into the funding of public libraries in the nine provinces of South Africa. The Working Group’s particular interest was spending on purchase of books. However, the Group recognised that this issue could not be understood without having a broader understanding of how overall funding of public libraries happens in the country. The commissioned research involved the conducting of interviews in each of the nine provinces, and at provincial, municipal and library level, with persons responsible for library budgets.

The Constitution of 1996 seems to place responsibility for libraries firmly under provincial government. The situation on the ground does not, however, match the constitutional provisions. A large part of the reason is historical. Until July 2002, provinces and local governments partnered each other in the four provinces of ‘white’ South Africa to provide library services on the basis of powers given through pre-1994 provincial ordinances. However, in the larger metropolitan areas, local government was often responsible for all aspects of libraries services, with little or no provincial support. In homeland areas, and in the African townships of ‘white’ South Africa, there were virtually no library services at all.

In the past, local government budgets in respect of libraries were generally funded from income from rates. Usually when a function is shifted from one sphere to another, the money for the function is expected to move from the sphere which previously provided the service to that which is now responsible. There is, however, no mechanism for shifting own-revenue money from the local to the provincial sphere. This mismatch of the constitutional assignment and funding was one of the chief motivations for the PICC research into budgets for library services.

The library function within provinces falls under ‘culture’. The culture function is not accorded a full department of its own, but rather grouped with others.

The number of libraries per province ranges from 43 (Limpopo) to 516 (Gauteng). The number of libraries in a province is clearly not proportional to the size of the population. For example, while KwaZulu-Natal is the most populous province, it has less than half as many public libraries as Gauteng, and about two-thirds as many as Western Cape. In all provinces except Western Cape there was some increase in the number of libraries over the period 2002-2004. In most provinces, expansion of services was given as the reason for the increase in numbers.

Different sources give conflicting information on the provincial budgetary allocations for libraries over recent years. The official budget books suggest that the 2004/05 amount ranged from R11,4m in the Northern Cape to R54,4m in the Western Cape. If one uses Census population figures, the per capita allocation ranged from R2,4 per person in Limpopo to R13,9 per person in the Northern Cape.

There is significant variation between provinces in respect of the source of funding for different items. Municipalities are usually said to be responsible for building maintenance, furniture and equipment, salaries and books. In respect of building maintenance, furniture and equipment and books the province often steps in to assist. The province is more likely than the municipality to bear responsibility for construction of library buildings.

In many provinces there are no specific allocations for individual libraries. Often books are purchased centrally. Distribution between libraries depends on a range of factors, including circulation, membership, ‘equity ratios’ based on rural/urban and previously advantaged vs disadvantaged status, other measures of ‘need’, as well as indicators of capacity.

Only three provinces were able to provide a breakdown of the total amount spent in 2003/04 on books and related products for libraries for which they were responsible. For all three provinces the amount spent on books far exceeded the amount spent on other print materials and audiovisual.

Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape said there had been no significant change in library policy over the last three years. Gauteng said the only change was the specification of purchasing criteria. Further, ‘policy priorities’ (other than libraries) had ‘dictated’ a decrease in funding. North West reported that 2003/04 was the first year that the province had allocated conditional grants to support local municipalities in delivery of library services.

Some further changes were planned. Free State was planning to subsidise salaries of library staff in municipalities in the hope that this would give the province greater control over the qualifications and capacity of staff appointed. Mpumalanga was planning to phase in funding to meet its constitutional responsibility. In the first instance funds would be provided to improve library services, with funding for operations following at a later stage. In Western Cape, a departmental official reported that the province was eager to take on the functions, including libraries, that it had been allocated in the Constitution, but recognised that this would not be possible within the space of a single financial year. Instead, they planned to do it over a three-year budget cycle during which, as the province took up its responsibilities, the municipalities would have decreased responsibility. Another source reported that tentative agreement had been reached between the province and local government that library expenditure would be ‘managed down’ by 50% over the period to facilitate the province’s taking over the function. In contrast to these three provinces, Gauteng was planning to devolve the function to local government.

A total of 21 questionnaires were completed in respect of libraries and 22 in respect of municipalities. Within each province, the researchers attempted to survey a mix of larger and smaller municipalities, as well as a rural-urban mix. The largest municipality in the sample in population terms was Johannesburg, while the smallest was Ventersdorp. The municipal questionnaire was targeted at Community Services or the equivalent directorate or section as they are the ones with responsibility for libraries.

The number of libraries within the chosen municipalities ranged from one in Kgatelopele to 98 in Cape Town. In most cases the libraries were said to be funded by both province and the municipality. However, in Johannesburg, Ndlambe, Mogalakwena, Polokwane and Kgatelopele the municipality was said to be the only source of funding. In Limpopo and North West different municipalities reported different funding mechanisms while in the other provinces there seemed to be standardised practices.

Information on the total municipal budgetary allocation for libraries was provided by 12 municipalities. The amount for 2004/05 ranged from R144 833 in Katelopele to R111,6m in Cape Town. For all municipalities salaries accounted for over half the operating budget allocation for libraries. In some cases salaries accounted for more than 80% of the allocation. Some municipalities indicated that there was also a further allocation for capital expenditure.

Some municipalities provided a breakdown by library. Some of these showed significant variation between libraries. In other cases, each library obtained an equal share of the municipal allocation.

As in the provincial interview, the question about sources of funding for different items revealed great diversity. Building rental was the only item with a clear pattern, in that this was always paid by the municipality. Salaries are usually paid by the municipality, but in two North West municipalities the province was also said to make a contribution. In terms of furniture, province makes a contribution in some North West and Mpumalanga municipalities. The province was said to make a contribution in respect of books by most municipalities, but not in Johannesburg, Lephalale, Mogalakwena and Kgatelopele.

The questionnaire did not ask specifically for information on revenue from membership fees. This information was, however, available from the documents supplied by many of the municipalities. The policy on membership fees does not seem to be standard within all provinces. For example, the Potchefstroom budget has no indication of revenue from membership fees while other municipalities in this province do. In addition, many municipalities obtain significantly more revenue from items such as photocopies than from membership fees.

Cape Town, Ndlambe, Zeerust, Mangaung, Mbombela, Kgatelopele and Umjindi said there had not been any changes in library funding policy or practice in the municipality over the last three years. Lephalale and Nkomazi said there was no policy at all! Buffalo City said that apart from the lack of increase in budget, there had been no change.

Ventersdorp reported a significant change, in the form of the introduction of provincial grants. Ditsobotla also reported that they had started to receive grants from the province for projects and upgrading of libraries, whereas previously there was never money available for this. Mogalakwena said that the introduction of the integrated development plan (IDP) process had changed things as priorities were now set and implemented according to this plan. Polokwane said they had experienced changes in the form of zero-based budgeting and a procurement policy which required three quotations per item, and thus caused additional administration in respect of book purchases. Our Johannesburg informant said that minimum standards had been developed and approved by Council and that 1% of the Council’s income was meant to be allocated to libraries. However, the Council and budget office had not complied with this rule and at present only 0,57% of the metro’s income was allocated to libraries.

In several municipalities, there were some plans (or hopes) for the future to report. Several of the plans related to the division of powers and functions between spheres. There were also some very practical plans, for example in respect of computerisation, tendering, club fees or new libraries.

At the library level, the most common situation in respect of sources of funding was a combination of province and municipality/metro. This was the situation in respect of 13 libraries. A further five said they were funded only by the municipality, one (Zeerust, but the same informant provided contradictory information at another point in the interview) only by the province, and two by another combination of sources (generating own funds and donations).

In terms of sources of funding for different items, the general patterns are as follows:

• Funding of building construction is sometimes done by the municipality and sometimes by the province;
• Building rental is always, where relevant, paid by the municipality;
• Building maintenance is usually covered by the municipality;
• Furniture expenditure is sometimes covered by the municipality and sometimes by the province;
• Salaries are almost always covered by the municipality;
• The province usually contributes to book costs. However, the municipality also contributes for a large number of the libraries;
• There is no discernible pattern in respect of other print materials and audio materials.

There are exceptions to all the above general patterns except that in respect of building rental.

Only eight of the more than 20 informants were able to provide information on the total budget allocated to the library by the provincial department over the last three years. Four of the eight could not supply the information for all three years. For the most part the provincial allocations were said to be for books.

In contrast, all but one of the libraries were able to provide some information on the amounts allocated by the municipality/metro. For 2004/05 these ranged from R2 000 in Umdoni to R114,6m in eThekwini. The estimates are not directly comparable across libraries as in some cases the estimates provided are for more than one library. Where libraries provided a breakdown of their operational budgets according to the standard items, salaries always constituted the largest item.

Seventeen libraries were able to provide some information on the amount spent on books and related materials for 2004/05. Overall, apart from eThekwini, the amounts are relatively small. Umjindi, Breede River and Ngwathe reported that they had no expenditure on books and related items.

Several libraries reported some changes in policy over recent years. These included a mix of positive and negative developments but more negative than positive. Some informants expected policy to change in the foreseeable future. Most of these responses referred to the constitutional situation. Our eThekwini informant was the only one to argue for the responsibility for funding to lie with provincial government, on the grounds that libraries and heritage were presently unfunded mandates administered by local government.

One of the most striking findings of the research is the lack of information available, even to those intimately involved, on library funding. Although there were serious problems with information at all levels, the difficulties were perhaps greatest at municipal level.

The research revealed differences between provinces, between municipalities and between libraries. There were sometimes differences between municipalities within a province, and also differences between libraries within a municipality. Some of these differences can be explained by practices from the apartheid years. Some, but not all, of the differences between municipalities and between libraries can be explained by factors such as differences in needs or past usage patterns.

The constitutional issue as to which sphere of government bears responsibility for library funding and, if it is shared, which sphere bears responsibility for which aspects, is clearly a significant factor in the current funding problems faced by libraries. It is not, however, the only problem. In particular, in many cases the budgets are under strain because of the need to serve new areas.

The National Treasury is clearly a key player in sorting out the problems, as it has overall responsibility for determining the distribution of national revenue between the three spheres. A recent report in Business Day suggests that the Minister of Finance is aware that problems exist and is keen to address them. We hope that the information contained in this report can assist those most directly affected to take advantage of the Minister’s concern.

In mid-2004 the Working Group on Libraries of the Print Industry Cluster Council (PICC), requested the Centre for the Book of the National Library of South Africa to coordinate research into the funding of public libraries in the nine provinces of South Africa. The PICC is an industry-led non-governmental organisation (NGO) which represents the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA), the Printing Industries Federation of South Africa (PIFSA), the Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA) and the South African Bookseller Association (SABA). The Working Group’s particular interest was spending on purchase of books. However, the Group recognised that this issue could not be understood without having a broader understanding of how overall funding of public libraries happens in the country. In particular, it could not be understood outside of the problems being experienced in respect of delegation of functions in terms of the country’s Constitution of 1996.

The Centre for the Book recruited nine volunteers, all of whom were people with knowledge of library operations, and each of whom undertook to conduct interviews in their province. The names of the persons responsible for each province are as follows:

• Eastern Cape: Nomzamo Mbandla (self-completion)
• Free State: Helen Duminy
• Gauteng: Johanna Meyer
• KwaZulu-Natal: Carol Slater (self-completion)
• Limpopo: Morongoenyane Ntsala
• Mpumalanga: Francois Hendrikz
• North West: Rene Schoombee
• Northern Cape: Lorato Trok
• Western Cape: Elisabeth Anderson

Debbie Budlender of the Community Agency for Social Enquiry was commissioned to assist with design of the research instruments and analysis of the results. Elisabeth Anderson of the Centre for the Book oversaw the whole process.

In each province, interviews were conducted with:

• Persons knowledgeable about funding from the provincial department responsible for arts and culture, and thus for library services, as well as about how the provincial library service uses and distributes the funds available to it;
• Person/s knowledgeable about funding from the metropolitan/municipal level, from the department/section (usually social development or community services) at this level responsible for library services; and
• Persons responsible for individual libraries or groups of libraries within the chosen municipalities and metros.

The three levels of interviews were conducted according to pre-designed interview schedules containing a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions. This approach was chosen so as to facilitate comparison of responses across the provinces, municipalities and metros and libraries. The initial drafts of the instruments were discussed by the Working Group and amended based on their advice. The amended instruments were then discussed in a one-day workshop with the provincial volunteers. The workshop with volunteers provided the opportunity for refinement of the instruments based on participants’ knowledge and experience. It also ensured that all interviewers understood the instruments and the questions they contained in the same way.

This report is based primarily on the results of the primary research conducted through the interviews. Each of the three main sections of the report thus describes the situation at the level of one of the instruments. These three sections are preceded, in this section, by background information on the issue of library funding and the particular problems currently faced in South Africa. This section is based on the limited local literature available on this topic as well as interaction with key informants.

The main limitation of the research is that it covers only small samples of the 284 municipalities in the country and the even larger number of public libraries. Unfortunately the limited resources available for this research prevented the use of a larger sample. The method attempted to limit the impact of the small samples by choosing municipalities and libraries within each province in a way that should give some idea of the diversity. A second limitation is that the wide diversity of funding practices and policies across the provinces, municipalities and libraries meant that the standard questions of the pre-designed questionnaires could not always adequately capture the complexity. It was also not possible to analyse all the nuances of an interview. Despite these limitations, we hope that the findings will help to solve the many problems in this area that are highlighted in the research.

The current problems being faced by public libraries cannot be understood outside of the history of the uneven development of local government in South Africa.

The apartheid system envisaged people of different population groups living in separate areas, and local government reflected this conception. The Group Areas Act tried to enforce residential segregation of white, coloured and Indian people within the ‘common’ areas of South Africa. The Group Areas Act and influx control legislation attempted to restrict the number of African people in urban areas and to remove them to separate areas. This system had the aim, among others, of limiting the financial burden on white urban municipalities of servicing areas in which black people lived. In particular, much of the income of white areas came from property rates and revenue from provision of services such as water and electricity to households and business. Because of the poverty in black areas, the lack of services and the lack of businesses, they generated very little revenue. Most forms of business were, in fact, illegal in African areas. In rural areas water and electricity were nevertheless provided to white residents despite the significant cost of doing so, but this was not done for black people.

Apartheid envisaged a limited system of local ‘own management’ for black areas. In the homelands traditional leaders were given powers in respect of land allocation and control of communal land, but there was no system of local government beyond this. There were also a few small rural townships (R293 towns) which were given their own very limited administrations. In the coloured and Indian areas, management and local affairs committees were set up from the 1960s onwards to ‘advise’ white municipalities. The African townships experienced a series of different systems. The Bantu Affairs Administration Act of 1971 provided for Administration Boards, which took the responsibility for these areas away from the white municipalities. From 1977 there were elected Community Councils, but these were not given any power or resources and evoked strong political opposition. In 1982 Black Local Authorities replaced Community Councils. The Black Local Authorities Act also provided for rent and service charges to be paid by township residents. This Act again faced strong opposition and was a key motivation for the establishment of the United Democratic Front. Very little revenue was generated.

In response to the opposition, the apartheid government introduced a number of grants for townships. It established Regional Services Councils and Joint Services Boards to channel resources. In the words of the Green Paper on Local Government (Ministry for Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Development, 1997:5), this was ‘too little too late’. In a few areas, such as Soweto, some of the money was used to provide services such as libraries. In most black townships, however, there would have been no such services. In homeland areas, none at all.

During the last years of apartheid some white municipalities started negotiating with civic organisations representing the townships. These negotiations formed the basis for the later system of local government. However, the local government system developed more slowly than the national and provincial systems. The Local Government Transition Act of 1993 laid the basis for a process of change which was to take another six years to complete.

During the pre-interim phase local forums were established to negotiate the appointment of temporary councils. This phase ended with the first local elections of 1995/6, which saw the establishment of more than 840 councils across the country. These councils included a range of different types. In the urban areas there were three different types: metropolitan councils, metropolitan local councils and local councils. The newly established municipalities brought together relatively well-run and well-serviced white areas and very deprived black townships. This amalgamation proved difficult, even at the administration level, and differences in levels of service often continued. In rural areas there were five types: district councils, rural councils, representative councils, local councils, and local area councils. In the homeland areas, local government had to be established from scratch.

In terms of finances overall, local government raised 24% of its revenue itself. However, while some urban municipalities made a ‘profit’ on sales of electricity and water, many rural municipalities had virtually no revenue at all apart from what they received from national grants.

The final stage began in 1999, after the second local government elections. Since 1999 there have been 284 municipalities in the country. Each municipality falls into one of three categories – metropoles, district councils and local councils. The six metropoles are Tshwane, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Ethekwini, Cape Town and Nelson Mandela. Each metropolitcan council has a single budget, a common property rating and service tariff system, and acts as a single employer. The metropoles can, however, decentralise powers and functions between different administrations. Three of the metropoles were included in our study. There are 231 local and 47 district municipalities. The district councils cover a larger area and are mainly responsible for capacity building and planning, while the local councils bear the main responsibility for delivering services.

The legacy of the uneven and racially-based development of local government in the country can still be seen today in the distribution of public libraries in the country. Table 1 shows that generally provinces which are largely made up of ex-homeland areas have a much higher population:library ratio than those which contained few or no homeland areas. At one extreme, Limpopo has a mean population per library of 112,041. At the other extreme, Northern Cape and Western Cape have mean populations per library of 7,807 and 16,287 respectively.

1. Provincial distribution of population and libraries

Source: Van Helden & Lor, 2001: 8

Schedule 4 of the 1996 Constitution lays down concurrent national and provincial legislative competences (the functions that both national and provincial spheres are responsible for), while Schedule 5 lays down exclusive provincial legislative competences (functions that only the provinces are responsible for). Legislative competences as regards local government are included in Part B of each of the two schedules.

Part A of Schedule 5 of the 1996 Constitution demarcates ‘libraries other than national libraries’ as one of the areas of exclusive provincial legislative competence. State legal advisors maintain that the wording of Part A means that the term ‘local amenities’ in Part B of Schedule 5 does not include libraries. The constitution thus seems to place responsibility for libraries firmly under provincial government.

The situation on the ground does not, however, match the constitutional provisions. A large part of the reason is historical. Until July 2002, provinces and local governments partnered each other to provide library services on the basis of powers given through pre-1994 provincial ordinances. In terms of these ordinances, the provinces provided books and other information materials, coordinated activities, and provided some common professional services. The municipalities generally appointed and paid library personnel, and also contributed towards buildings and other infrastructure. However, in the larger metropolitan areas, local government was often responsible for all aspects of library services, with little or no provincial support. In 1999/2000, for example, the local councils which today make up the City of Cape Town allocated R127m for library services, compared to a provincial allocation of only around R50m for the province as a whole (Heymann, 2003: 141). As will be seen in the sections which follow, this situation in respect of division of responsibilities still holds despite the constitutional provisions and the Local Government Municipal Structures Act. In homeland areas, and in the African townships of ‘white’ South Africa, there were virtually no library services at all prior to 1994.

In the past, local government budgets in respect of libraries were generally funded from income from rates. The Local Government Municipal Structures Act, No 177 of 1998, is based on the 1996 Constitution and therefore excludes libraries from the responsibilities of local government. Some local governments argue that if they allocate any money for libraries, this would be unauthorised expenditures in terms of public finance legislation. Usually when a function is shifted from one sphere to another, the money for the function is expected to move from the sphere which previously provided the service to that which is now responsible. There is, however, no mechanism for shifting own-revenue money from the local to the provincial sphere.

The Local Government Municipal Structures Act does not prevent local government from providing libraries services. The Constitution also gives provinces the authority to assign libraries and other functions to local government. When they do so, however, they need to ensure that the necessary budget is available to fulfil these functions. This money might be available in some wealthier municipalities and metros which provided these services during the apartheid years. It is not, however, available in poorer municipalities which had limited or no library services in the past. It is the financial issue related to the constitutional assignment that does not seem to have been addressed, and which therefore motivated the need for research into budgets for library services.

The Department of Arts & Culture (DAC), as the national department with responsibility for libraries, has been aware of the constitutional problem for some time. In an attempt to address the problem, it established a technical committee on ‘Constitution Schedule 5 Problems relating to archives, arts, culture, heritage, library matters’. This committee included representatives of DAC, as well as of the Departments of Provincial & Local Government (DPLG), and Justice & Constitutional Development (DoJ), the National Treasury and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). Inclusion of all these agencies was necessary because the issues touched all their areas of responsibility.

In one of the papers prepared for the technical committee, the National Archivist, Dr Graham Dominy, argued that the constitutional and associated budget situation in respect of libraries, museums and cultural facilities ‘represents a unique constitutional anomaly (2004, Annexure A, para 3.7). At a meeting in February 2004, however, DPLG representatives argued that the issues were not unique to libraries, but also applied to areas such as community health. The DPLG representative reported that they had commissioned a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)-led consortium to research the impact of the constitutional problems on service delivery in all affected sectors. At this same meeting, the representative of SALGA said that members of the association accepted the need to deliver library services, but felt unable to do so without the necessary funds and a clear mandate.

The February 2004 meeting agreed that proposals to amend the Constitution should be considered after the general elections, and should be based on ‘sufficient’ data and ‘satisfactory service delivery models’. The HSRC research was intended to contribute in both respects. It seems also to have been accepted that constitutional amendments should be done at a single sweep for all affected services. The HSRC research has not yet been completed, and the constitutional amendments have not yet been effected. We hope that this research can make a contribution in terms of data, and help to speed up the process of addressing the problem.

The DAC has itself done some information-gathering on the topic of library funding. The recent information-gathering was initiated after the Director: Library and Archive Service of the Western Cape submitted a situation analysis to his Head of Department in October 2003. The report was discussed at a meeting of the Heads of Provincial Library Services in late February 2004. Dominy requested that the other eight provinces provide similar situation analyses for their provinces.

Dominy summarises the 2004/05 budget information obtained from the provinces under three headings, as follows:

• Funding allocated by the Provincial Library Service (including human resources, building programmes, stock, etc.)
• Funding allocated by municipalities for public libraries (human resources and running costs)
• Total.

This categorisation assumes that provinces cover all costs of stock. As will be seen below in the main body of this report, this does not seem to be true in respect of all municipalities.

1. Provincial and municipal budget allocations for 2004/05

* estimated, including budget for new buildings

These figures suggest that municipalities contributed 79% of the combined provincial and municipal budgets for library services.

Dominy suggests that there are three possible ways to solve the funding problem in respect of public libraries:

• A constitutional amendment to parts A and B of Schedule 5;
• The passing of provincial legislation which allows Members of the Executive Council (MECs) and Premiers to assign library functions to local government; or
• Financial monitoring and control through National Treasury guidelines to provinces and local government, and a requirement that provincial and local treasuries report to National Treasury in this respect.

The HSRC consortium referred to above was commissioned by DPLG to do research on Schedules 4 and 5 of the Constitution. The main HSRC study included separate studies on each of a range of sectors, one of which was Arts and Culture. These separate reports are not in the public domain at present. Nor, as noted above, is the final report available. However, the phase 1 report of the HSRC report, based on research conducted in 2002, is in the public domain.

The HSRC report described the constitutional problem as follows:

The HSRC team selected ten case study municipalities, across five provinces, where they conducted interviews to investigate who was performing different functions, as follows:

• Cacadu District Municipality: (Port Elizabeth hinterland) – Eastern Cape;
• Makana Local Municipality: (Grahamstown) – Eastern Cape;
• Ndlambe Local Municipality: (Port Alfred, Bathurst, Kenton on Sea, etc.) – Eastern Cape;
• Mangaung Local Municipality: (Bloemfontein) – Free State;
• Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality: (Pretoria, Winterveld, Garankuwa etc.) – Gauteng;
• Kgetleng River Local Municipality: (Koster, Coligny, etc.) – North West;
• Potchefstroom Local Municipality: (Potchefstroom) – North West;
• Southern District Municipality: (Potchefstroom, Klerksdorp etc.) – North West;
• Siyancuma Local Municipality: (Douglas, Griquatown) – Northern Cape;;
• Umsobomvu Local Municipality: (Colesberg, Noupoort) – Northern Cape.

The sample included four ‘small’ municipalities (Umsobomvu, Siyancuma, Ndlambe, Ketleng River), two medium-sized (Makana and Potchefstroom), one large (Mangaung), one metro (Tshwane) and two district municipalities (Southern and Cacadu). The sample thus overlaps with ours in respect of Ndlambe and Potchefstroom.

The consortium’s findings in respect of libraries are discussed in the Phase 1 report together with other ‘cultural matters’ functions, namely museums and cultural events. They report that two small municipalities did not ‘have the authority’ for cultural matters. This is interesting as in our sample all municipalities reported some activity and budget in respect of libraries. The more detailed descriptions in volume 2 (page 22) of the HSRC report suggest that one of these municipalities (Ndlambe) was, in fact, performing the function although they said they did not have sufficient staff, skills or funding to do so. The other two small municipalities were performing the functions on an agency basis, with the municipality providing the facilities. Both medium-sized municipalities performed the function, although Potchefstroom only did so in urban areas. The large municipality and the metro performed the function, although they felt it was a ‘provincial responsibility’. Neither District Municipality performed the function. All the municipalities that performed the function felt it was an unfunded mandate.

The summary report suggests that some municipalities were performing the library services function ‘as provinces have no capacity’ (2003: para 5.6). A table listing all the activities and programmes considered by the HSRC as being affected by the constitutional problems describes the current municipal involvement in respect of ‘community libraries and resource centres’ as management ‘on an agency basis’ for Provincial Departments of Arts & Culture’ (Table 1). (The report does not refer to ‘public libraries’ and we therefore assume that the term ‘community library’ includes public libraries.) The use of the word ‘agency’ suggests that the province concerned would be paying the municipality to perform this function. However, as will be seen below, this does not seem to be the case for many municipalities and libraries.

The report suggests that what is primarily happening in respect of libraries is ‘delegation/assignment’, which it defines as municipalities managing libraries on behalf of provincial departments (2003: 99). In other cases, it says, municipalities are delivering library services because they are an inherited function from the pre-1994 period.

The HSRC’s international scan of five countries revealed that local government was responsible for libraries in the United Kingdom, Canada and Uganda, but not in India or Hungary (Table 2.3). This provides no clear picture in terms of a developed-developing country distinction.

The team was asked, among others, to look at principles informing devolution to the provincial/local levels. The report notes that while national departments generally see decentralisation to local government as a ‘good thing’, this is not the view of provincial departments (para 6.7). In proposing principles, the team distinguished between developmental and administrative competences. The HSRC team argued strongly that ‘developmental’ functions should be devolved to local government. The team felt, in particular, that meaningful community participation and intersectoral coordination were more likely to happen at local level. However, the phase 1 report notes that South Africa allocates a smaller number of functions to local government than many other countries. In South Africa, most developmental services are devolved to provincial level (2003: 61). The team’s strong support for devolving functions to local government level might therefore not be the direction in which government itself decides to move. In particular, it might not be supported by provincial governments.

In 2002 Van Helden & Lor were commissioned by the Working Group on Libraries to compile an inventory of public and community libraries in South Africa. The inventory excluded school libraries, because they had been surveyed by the Department of Education. The inventory did not distinguish between public and community libraries and noted that the distinction was not always clear. It also did not distinguish between ‘depots’ and other libraries, as the definition of a ‘depot’ varied between provinces.

The report (van Helden & Lor, 2002: 3) notes that before 1994 one could distinguish between affiliated and non-affiliated libraries. The former were run by local government, with support from provincial authorities or, where there was no local government in an area, the provincial authority was responsible for all parts of the service. Non-affiliated libraries were run by local government without any support from provincial authorities. The report notes, however, that this distinction, too, had become ‘blurred’.

The research on which the inventory is based was conducted in February and March 2001. The primary research instrument was a questionnaire, which was returned by 817 (65%) of the total of 1 249 public and community libraries in the country. In terms of financial information, the researchers attempted to collect information on operating costs (expenditure during the previous financial year including amounts spent on new books and materials, salaries, and operating and capital budgets; sources of funding during the previous financial year in terms of the categories, provincial government, local government, donations, user and service fees, fund raisings, fines and payment for lost

information resources). The researchers were, however, only able to obtain good response rates for three variables, all non-financial, namely the number of books in stock, the number of registered members, and the number of loans.

Questionnaires were completed for each of the nine provincial departments responsible for libraries. In two cases – Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal – the questionnaire was completed by the responsible official rather than through interviewing. The respondents who provided information held the position of director (7), deputy director or senior manager and should thus have had good information on the situation in the province. In the Northern Cape the researcher experienced difficulty as appointments were not kept and responses to questions were not forwarded as promised. There are therefore more gaps in the information in respect of Northern Cape than for the other provinces.

The library function within provinces falls under ‘culture’. The culture function is not accorded a full department of its own, but rather grouped with others. Table 3 gives the names of the nine provincial departments and shows that culture is commonly grouped with sports and with arts.

Table 4 shows the number of libraries supported from different sources in each of the nine provinces. In most provinces, all the libraries were said to be supported by both province and municipalities. The exceptions were Mpumalanga, North West and Western Cape, where libraries were said to be supported only by the municipalities. This difference in reporting is, however, misleading as in Western Cape the province allocates funds which are used to buy books that are used by the municipal libraries while Table 11 shows the North West department supporting a wide range of different expenditures in respect of libraries in the province. In the Northern Cape all libraries with both municipal and provincial support were said also to enjoy support through donor funding, especially the Carnegie Foundation. Only Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West reported any public libraries supported only by provincial government.

The number of libraries in a province is clearly not proportional to the size of the population. For example, while KwaZulu-Natal is the most populous province, it has less than half as many public libraries as Gauteng, and about two-thirds as many as Western Cape. Northern Cape is the least populous province, but has more libraries than Limpopo and North West.

Such comparisons must, however, be undertaken with some caution. The 516 libraries reported for Gauteng include 229 community libraries, 242 community library depots, and 45 libraries in depots such as prison libraries and NGOs. In other provinces, the depots were not always included in the count. Our Free State informant was explicit that the number included only libraries affiliated to municipalities, and excluded depots and library services provided to other parts of the provincial government. Questionnaires for the other provinces did not indicate whether depots were included or excluded. The figures in the table might thus not be completely comparable.

When asked for reasons for any increases beyond inflation or the ‘normal’ medium term expenditure framework (MTEF) increase, or for any decreases in the allocations over the three-year period, the following reasons were offered:

• Gauteng (increase): The regions and capital expenditure for facilities were previously covered by separate programmes, but are now included under LIS;
• Mpumalanga (decrease): The larger amount for 2002/03 reflects a one-off allocation to LIS to purchase books;
• North West (increase): The increase reflects an increase in the budget as a whole.

While Northern Cape did not give figures, the respondent noted that increases have not been sufficient to address backlog in servicing libraries. Eastern Cape said that there had been an increase in the number of libraries as well as in the price of materials. This suggests, although figures were not given, that allocations increased in this province.

The following reasons were given for differences between allocations and expenditure:

• Eastern Cape: The tender process causes delays in spending.
• Free State: In addition to spending the full allocation, LIS also tries to get permission to use savings in other areas.
• Gauteng: Under-expenditure in 2002/03 reflects unfilled staff vacancies. 4% over-expenditure occurred in 2003/04 as a result of funding celebrations of ten years of freedom and democracy.
• Mpumalanga: Under-expenditure reflects non-deliveries or invoices received too late to be paid within the financial year.
• North West: Under-expenditure reflects the inability to transfer R1,39m to municipalities because they did not submit the required documentation in time

1. Sources of funding for different items

Respondents were asked how the allocations for the different libraries were derived. This question was confusing to many respondents as often there are no explicit allocations. Eastern Cape was the only province which talked about direct allocations. The respondent said that Buffalo City Library and Nelson Mandela Metro received subsidies in terms of an ordinance of 1982 for their city and satellite libraries. In respect of other libraries, our Eastern Cape informant reported that funds were transferred to the district municipalities which then took responsibility for the library services. Mpumalanga said that budget allocations were made in respect of book purchases but were administered centrally rather than being provided to the libraries concerned. Free State explained that the service was run as a network, and that the number of books received by a particular library was based on the ‘extensive statistics’ collected on a monthly basis of community use of each library.

When asked what factors were taken into account in determining allocations for the different libraries, responses were varied but tended to focus on either statistics of past use and/or need, as follows:

• Eastern Cape: 60% of the direct allocation goes to Buffalo City and 40% to Nelson Mandela Metropole, with this allocation based on their respective revenue generation capacities;
• Free State: Library statistics on circulation, membership, visitors, special requests, enquiries;
• Gauteng: ‘Equity ratios’, rural/urban divide; previously advantaged/previously disadvantaged;
• Mpumalanga: Size of collection, size of municipality, size of staff, books issued per annum. (The interviewee provided a detailed list of book fund allocations per library for several years.)
• North West: Need of municipalities, with priority placed on staff, refurbishing of library furniture, purchase of equipment, and upgrading of physical infrastructure;
• Northern Cape: Equity; ‘capacity level in municipal service standards’, balance in circulation.

In general, focusing on statistics of use could tend to perpetuate any existing patterns of inequality and thus work in the opposite direction from considerations of need. In Northern Cape, however, the response suggested that circulation figures were considered in a way that promoted ‘balance’.

We asked informants what expenditure the provincial department had incurred from its own budget for the direct benefit of public libraries for which it was responsible. In asking this question, we were interested in expenditures beyond allocations for books and materials. Most of the reported expenditures related to infrastructure. Amounts reported for 2003/04 were as follows:

• Eastern Cape allocated R4,2m for infrastructure;
• Free State allocated R5,25m for buildings and R4,95m for library materials. The informant noted that these expenditures were possible because of savings on salaries;
• Gauteng allocated R3,3m for information resources and R833 000 for information and communication technology (ICT);
• Mpumalanga allocated R2,7m for two new libraries and R4m for renovations;
• North West allocated R3m for infrastructure and R5,34m in transfer payments. The informant did not give further details on the transfer payments.

Only three provinces provided a breakdown of the total amount spent in 2003/04 on books and related products for libraries for which they were responsible. As expected, for all three provinces the amount spent on books far exceeded the amounts spent on other print materials and audiovisual. Free State noted that there was a further small amount spent on toy libraries. In KwaZulu-Natal, our informant reported that R15,55m had been allocated for library material, but that they had requested a virement of R3,7m from subsidies to the library materials vote so as to achieve a total of R19,25m.

1. Expenditure on books and related items (R’000), 2003/04

We asked whether the Provincial Library Service provided guidelines to the libraries on how they should spend the allocated funds. Many felt this question was irrelevant because they did not transfer any money to the municipalities. Gauteng and Mpumalanga said that they specified criteria or provided guidelines for book purchases. North West said that libraries should consider as priorities those things – such as equipment, air conditioning, fencing for security – that affect the smooth running of services. Northern Cape said that criteria were aligned with service delivery objectives such as outreach and infrastructure.

Most informants said that the guidelines were intended to provide guidance rather than to be viewed as strict rules. However, Mpumalanga said that theirs were a mixture of guidelines and rules, while Northern Cape said that libraries were required to submit monthly expenditure progress reports.

When asked what sanctions are available if the rules or guidelines are not followed by a library, Mpumalanga said that if the library exceeds the allocated amount, the province reduces the selection to fit. If the library underspends, the province adds orders to ‘fill up’ the allocated amount. North West said ‘outstanding amounts’ – implying this was referring to overspending – would be claimed by the province and further payments discontinued. Northern Cape said that no funding would be allocated in the following financial year until the library concerned had addressed the issue.

Mpumalanga said that they used the sanctions relatively often, while Northern Cape said that they had used them only once or twice. North West said they had never applied the sanctions.

We asked what would happen to the allocated money if a particular library did not spend it in the year in which it was allocated. Mpumalanga said this never happened. However, in response to a later question as to what proportion of libraries underspend, our Mpumalanga informant chose the option ‘fewer than half’ rather than ‘none’. North West said that the money would need to be returned to the province. Northern Cape said that they would give the province a chance to rectify matters. The interviewees from both North West and Northern Cape also chose the option ‘fewer than half’ to the later question.

We also asked what would happen in a case where a particular library spent more than they were allocated. Gauteng had not responded to previous questions on the grounds that money was not actually transferred. However, the representative said in response to this question that a library which overspent would have to find the extra money elsewhere. The same response was given by Northern Cape and North West. Mpumalanga noted, as before, that the book order would be adjusted to fit the available amount.

Gauteng and Mpumalanga said that fewer than half of the libraries overspent. North West, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape said that none did so.

We asked our informants whether the province specified what amount or proportion of the allocation the libraries should spend on purchases of books. Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape said that they did so. Eastern Cape added that this was done only in respect of the two municipalities that received subsidies. Northern Cape added that the province specified that only books should be bought. North West said that they did not specify any proportion of amount.

When we asked how the amount or proportion to be spent on books by each library was determined, it seems that some of the responses described how the total allocation was divided between libraries rather than how the amount allocated to a particular library was spent.

Free State said that they had previously allocated fixed amounts to each library, but this had caused problems with individual libraries. They therefore now issued only very broad guidelines. Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape said that they used a standard percentage. Gauteng added that this was based on an ‘equity ratio’, presumably referring to the urban/rural and disadvantaged/advantaged distinctions referred to in response to an earlier question.

Gauteng said that where a library deviated from the percentage, they would request an explanation and ‘accommodation’ would usually result. Our Gauteng informant said that fewer than half of libraries deviated from the percentage. Northern Cape said that libraries could only deviate if they first submitted a letter of approval for reallocation.

Western Cape said that the question about amounts or percentages was not relevant as all books in the province were in a single pool, which could be accessed by all libraries on a continuous basis. Individual libraries were responsible for covering the cost of books that were stolen or lost. However, our informant noted that some libraries had stopped covering this cost as they claimed it was now ‘not their responsibility’.

Eastern Cape said that none of the libraries deviated from the specification.

Responses to the question as to who participated in decision-making on the level of funding for the Provincial Library Service and the different items within it varied quite widely. Western Cape and Northern Cape emphasised the role of the provincial treasury, but said that the treasury made its decisions in consultation with the department. In Northern Cape our informant said that the provincial cabinet first decided on funding priorities before the treasury decided on allocations. Similarly, Gauteng reported that political priorities guided the decision-making process.

In Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West the responses focused on the individuals involved within the department. The following were named as participants in the decision-making process in each of the provinces:

• Free State and Limpopo: Head of Department, Chief Financial Officer, Senior Manager, Managers;
• Mpumalanga: Deputy Director, Assistant Directors of Department Finance section; and
• North West: Director with inputs from district libraries and head office divisions and in consultation with the Management of the Department including the administrative and political heads.

Our Eastern Cape informant said that the Director for LIS was a member of the departmental finance committee, implying that this committee was the main decision-making forum.

In KwaZulu-Natal the decision-making process was said to start with the National Treasury allocating money to the province, which then allocated to department. This starting point is relevant because provinces obtain about 95% of their revenue from revenue collected nationally. The KwaZulu-Natal informant noted that heads of directorates submitted motivations each year to justify their allocations, as well as to request adjustments where these where necessary. She gave the example of wanting to shift money allocated for building and equipment to expenditure on library materials.

Western Cape and Free State went into some detail on how books were chosen. Our informant said that the province informed the libraries as to what was available ‘in the market’. Libraries then made their preferences known through selection meetings as well as through one-on-one meetings with the provincial librarians in each area. In Western Cape, as in some other provinces, the libraries are organised into regions (14 in the case of the Western Cape), and the librarians submit their request on a regional basis. This approach is intended to achieve equity in terms of number of materials rather than funds, with equity judged on the basis of both usage (use both in the library and borrowing) and demand. After hearing the preferences from the regions, the provincial library staff choose a selection from the books which are submitted to them by publishers and book sellers. Individual libraries may then ask for any of the books which enter the pool.

In Free State, too, the libraries are organised into regions. In this province our informant reported that staff of individual libraries can participate in book selection on a monthly basis. When these librarians are unable to attend, the Regional Librarian does the selection. The provincial selectors monitor the decisions of the Regional Librarians ‘to maintain a degree of stability’.

Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape said there had been no significant change in library policy over the last three years. Gauteng said the only change was the specification of purchasing criteria. Further, ‘policy priorities’ (other than libraries) had ‘dictated’ a decrease in funding. North West reported that 2003/04 was the first year that the province had allocated conditional grants to support local municipalities in delivery of library services.

Limpopo said there were no plans to change library funding in the foreseeable future. North West and Western Cape said what was done would be determined by decisions around schedule 5 of the Constitution. Northern Cape said what was done would depend on the provincial allocation and recognition of libraries by decision makers. Eastern Cape said that while there would be no ‘drastic’ changes in the department’s allocation, they hoped to focus on different directorates in different years. Our KwaZulu-Natal informant said that there would almost certainly be changes because of the creation of a new department, but did not know what the nature of the changes would be.

Some provinces had more definite plans, despite the lack of clarity over schedule 5. Free State was planning to subsidise salaries of library staff in municipalities in the hope that this would give the province greater control over the qualifications and capacity of staff appointed. Mpumalanga was planning to phase in funding to meet its constitutional responsibility. In the first instance funds would be provided to improve library services, with funding for operations following at a later stage. In contrast to these two provinces, Gauteng was planning to devolve the function to local government.

The person who led the HSRC research felt that the department responsible for local government in the Western Cape was ‘streets ahead’ of those in other provinces in thinking about, and dealing with, the constitutional issues as they related to libraries, as well as other services such as primary health care, roads, disaster management and museums. We therefore attempted to get more detail on the plans in the Western Cape from additional sources.

A provincial official reported that the provincial Department had planned to put out a tender for work in this respect on arts and culture, transport and health. It also planned to establish a committee, and working team, composed of provincial heads of department, municipal managers and the Western Cape Local Government Association (WECLOGO) to sort out the problems. However, this process was put on hold in early 2004 in the run-up to the elections because there were disagreements between the province and some district municipalities.

An official working for the Budget Office in the Western Cape Treasury said that there was a move to ‘provincialise’ library services within the province. The provincial departmental official confirmed that the province was eager to take on the functions that it had been allocated, but recognised that this would not be possible within the space of a single financial year. Instead, they planned to do it over a three-year budget cycle during which, as the province took up its responsibilities, the municipalities would have decreased responsibility. Another source reported that tentative agreement had been reached between the province and local government that library expenditure would be ‘managed down’ by 50% over the period to facilitate the province’s taking over the function. This agreement was, of course, not acceptable to those who felt strongly about the importance of library services. The province hoped to deal with the staff movements that would be required for this to happen through natural attrition, ‘losing’ staff, and/or moving staff from municipalities to the province.

In line with the HSRC’s observations about prevailing provincial and municipal views, our informant said that the Western Cape district municipalities that objected to the process in the run-up to the elections were not happy with the province taking over some of their functions. Instead, they wanted to retain the functions and be given the necessary funds to do so. They argued that the province should only take on the function if it could establish that it would be more efficient than local government (the subsidiarity test). This approach would be in line with section 156(4) of the Constitution which states that national and provincial governments must assign the administration of a function to local government if the local government has the capacity to administer it more effectively.

The provincial official acknowledged that there were some district municipalities which were better equipped than the province to perform the functions in question, and the province was therefore unlikely to adopt a uniform approach despite their overall inclination towards provincialisation. Where municipalities wanted to take over a function, the province would phase out funding, but would retain the power to regulate. The Department hoped to get the process going again in late 2004, through a memorandum of understanding between the province and local governments.

Most informants had definite ideas about the type of changes they wanted to see. The majority of the responses related to increased funding, although KwaZulu-Natal asked only that the funding be ‘retained’. Several of the responses relating to increased funding were justified on the basis that insufficient funds were currently allocated to fulfil the province’s mandate in respect of libraries. Some wanted to see increases for particular items – Eastern Cape for new libraries and infrastructure, Free State for printed materials and computers; Mpumalanga for additional staff for one-person libraries, as well as for maintenance and new facilities. Gauteng asked that funding be allocated according to a scientifically determined formula.

Free State and Northern Cape pointed to the need to resolve the constitutional issue around schedule 5. North West suggested that municipalities should be allocated money to fund LIS. Western Cape felt that provinces might need to receive money from national government as municipalities would never have money to give to provinces for this purpose.

Free State, Mpumalanga, North West and Western Cape said that the lack of clarity over the constitutional provisions were preventing the desired changes from happening. On a related note, Western Cape and Northern Cape referred to ‘unfunded mandates’. Northern Cape suggested that national government must find a way to fund the function, while Western Cape suggested that all three spheres needed to work together to find a solution. Limpopo said that municipalities lacked ‘capacity’, which could also have been a reference to financial weakness.

Gauteng said that until recently LIS had not been a political priority, but that this had now changed. Mpumalanga said that the ‘rigid’ MTEF allocations made it difficult to increase the LIS budget. Eastern Cape also referred to budget limitations.

Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Northern Cape and Western Cape felt there were no significant differences between the provinces in respect of library funding, at least in terms of processes. Eastern and Northern Cape noted, however, that the funding capacity of the provinces differed. Mpumalanga said that the main difference was the number of libraries served, which resulted in different amounts.

Free State said they differed from others in that in most cases library buildings belonged to the province. Another perceived difference was that the province transferred no money to municipalities, but instead itself bought books which it delivered to municipalities. Limpopo also felt it was different from others in not providing a direct subsidy to municipalities.

North West said it differed from others in having increased the library budget significantly and having introduced conditional grants to local municipalities. Our KwaZulu-Natal informant was sure there were differences between provinces but did not know the nature of the differences.

When asked for any final comments, Eastern Cape and Western Cape provincial informants reiterated the importance of addressing the constitutional issue as to where responsibility for libraries lies. Eastern Cape said that while legislation existed, the province did not have ‘full control’ over libraries, including issues such as closures, fines and personnel. Western Cape proposed that National Treasury should providing funding to the province for books and for building new libraries. There should also be allowance for municipalities to provide funding as the province would require a ‘huge increase’ in staff if it had to take over all library services.

Our Free State, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape respondents stressed the need for libraries to be accorded higher priority by decision-makers so that they could be seen as a ‘national asset’ rather than a ‘liability and financial drain’.

In each province we conducted between two and four interviews in the local government sphere, as well as interviews at the library level, mostly within the chosen municipalities and metros. In Potchefstroom, however, it was not possible to secure an interview with the municipality and interviews were thus only conducted at the library level. In a few other cases, too, interviews were conducted only with the municipality, or only with a library within a municipality. A total of 21 questionnaires were completed in respect of libraries and 22 in respect of municipalities.

Within each province, the researchers attempted to survey a mix of larger and smaller municipalities, as well as a rural-urban mix. Table 11 gives the names of the municipalities and metros in which interviews were conducted in each province. To allow for the possibility of provincial patterns, most of the tables in this section cluster the municipalities by province rather than alphabetically.

Zeerust could not give figures as there is reportedly no specific allocation for libraries. For Mogalakwena the same figures were given in response to this question as to the previous one. The Ndlambe figure was also the same as for the department/section, apart from the exclusion of a special building grant.

Respondents were asked whether there were any allocations from other directorates in the municipality which benefited libraries. The only municipalities to report such expenditures were Ndlambe and Johannesburg. Ndlambe said that there was a special grant from the regional council to build a library. This is, in fact, from a different municipality rather than another directorate. Johannesburg said that in 2003/04 they had received R20 000 for maintenance of the Bibliobus and R350 000 for casual staff from the Information Technology Department, as well as R30 000 for printing and stationery. Cape Town pointed out that as municipalities started working according to generally accepted municipal accounting practice (GAMAP), such allocations would all be reflected in the library budget. Several other municipalities said that all library-related expenditure was already included in the library budget.

We asked our informants to provide the line items for libraries for 2004/05. The answers were provided in many different formats, and at different levels of detail, making comparison difficulty. One common trend was the large percentage of the budget allocated to salaries and allowances. The following examples illustrate this point:

• Zeerust: R289 920 (78%) out of R372 920
• Potchefstroom: R4 130 211 (88%) out of R4 679 728
• Ditsobotla: R1 201 978 (87%) out of R1 388 309
• Polokwane: R4 535 915 (61%) out of total of R7 350 075.
• Mogalakwena: R980 914 (55%) out of total of R1 157 646
• Lephalale: R994 323 (77%) out of total of R1 291 828
• Mbombela: R2706059 (83%) out of total of R3253564
• Ndlambe: R725 600 (84%) out of total of R862 300
• Nkomazi: R374 507 (81%) out of total of R462 607
• Umjindi: R433708 (62%) out of total of R701 719
• Kgatelopele: R77 337 (53%) out of total of R144 837
• Johannesburg: R56,4m (79%) out of total of R71,1m
• Sol Plaatje: R3 705 539 (87%) out of total of R2 248 460
• Metsimaholo: R1 856 590 (83%) out of total of R2 224 400

In most, if not all, of the above cases the totals refer to the operating budget and thus do not include capital expenditure. In Mbombela the breakdown of the salaries and allowances item included allocations for relief staff (temporary), acting allowances and overtime and redemption of leave. These items suggest that there are insufficient core staff.

Some interviewees provided information on capital expenditure. In Ndlambe, our informant said that he had ‘stolen’ R500 000 from the allocation for another section to allow for computerisation. In Ventersdorp, R100 000 had been allocated for upgrading of Tshing Branch library building, R21 000 for study facilities, R10 000 for furniture and R2 500 for equipment. In Potchefstroom a separate list showed capital budget allocations for portable radio cassette players and ‘books/tapes’. In Sasolburg the separate list for the capital budget had an allocation of R32 360 for typist chairs, television and other items. Johannesburg provided draft capital estimates which showed a total of R13,9m to be spent on items such as computer equipment, security, upgrading, making buildings accessible to people with disabilities, and a library promotion and development programme. The bulk of the planned expenditure in Johannesburg is listed as ‘new’ capital, with R1,0m listed as replacement.

A few of the budgets provided a breakdown by library. These give a sense of the differences between libraries within a given municipality. For example, the Metsimaholo budget provided information on four libraries, of which Sasolburg accounted for R1 859 980 (84%) of the total expenditure of R2 224 400. In Johannesburg the total expenditure in 2003/04 ranged from R90 395 for Blackheath library to 10,3m for Johannesburg Central.

As for the province, we asked our local government informants for reasons for any increases or decreases in the amounts allocation. Cape Town, Umjindi and Johannesburg said that the patterns were the same as for the municipality as a whole. In Johannesburg, our informant explained that the Council had taken a blanket decision that there should be only inflation-related increases and that any improvement of services must be funded from ‘savings’ from the existing operational budget. Cape Town said there was a ‘stable, slightly downward’ trend. In Umjindi the patterns were said to reflect inflation.

Ditsobotla, Polokwane, Buffalo City said that decreases, or lack of an increase, were due to lack of funds. Ndlambe also gave lack of funds as a reason, but felt that 10% increase was ‘normal’. Buffalo City reported that while in previous years they had received a percentage increase, in the last financial year there had not been one. Polokwane said that money for libraries had been decreased because of the need to increase spending on basic services in rural areas. Lephalale said that the budget had decreased as a result of a decision not to buy more equipment and to restrict travelling.

Several municipalities gave reasons for increases. Mogalakwena said that increased salaries and hiring of new staff accounted for their increase. In Mbombela, salary increases as well as increases in book prices and maintenance costs were responsible. In Nkomazi, more staff had been employed and there had also been expenditure on items such as furniture. In Lephalale the increase was said to be due to the realisation ‘that people utilise the library’. In Ventersdorp additional money was allocated for staff and other expenditure on the new Tshing Branch Library. Kgatelopele reported that in 2004/05 amounts had been budgeted for administrative charges and materials and supplies.

Zeerust said the change in their budget was due to provincial grants replacing municipal funding. Zeerust also said the change was due to the salary allocation.

We asked informants how actual expenditures compared with allocations for 2003/04. We did not always obtain detailed figures. Nkomazi explained that the way the budget and financial system were structured made it impossible to provide a printout only for libraries rather than for the whole department. Nevertheless, many respondents were able to provide some information.

A range of municipalities reported over-expenditure on salaries. In Zeerust salary expenditure in 2003/04 had been R272 049 of a total of R328 532, compared to the budgeted R259 250 of R342 250. Zeerust spent more than planned on salaries when relief staff had to be appointed to fill in for an ill librarian. Mogalakwena said that expenditure on salaries and allowances had been more than budgeted as a result of unforeseen overtime. However, the municipality had spent less than planned on equipment, repairs and maintenance, perhaps to balance out the overspending on salaries. Kgatelopele also reported that there had been under-budgeting for salaries.

When asked for the reasons between allocations and expenditure, our Mbombela informant said that they had never underspent, and seldom overspend by 10%. Cape Town, similarly, said that expenditure was always with 5% of the accepted budget. Ndlambe said there were no differences between allocations and expenditure. In other cases, too, (such as Ventersdorp, Nkomazi, Umjindi and Mbombela) the expenditures were virtually exactly the same as the allocations.

Several municipalities gave reasons for underspending. These included lack of funds (Ditsobotla and Lephalale), delays caused by the procurement policy (Polokwane), and political interference. Lephalale reported that the decrease had affected the budget for equipment, travelling and subsistence. Mbombela said that insufficient money was allocated for librarians to attend conferences and meetings as politicians had insisted on going forward with expenditure on other items which had not been budgeted for.

We asked our informants whether the municipality or metro had received funds for library services from any external sources in the past three years. In responding, some mentioned funds received from provincial government. We exclude discussion of these monies at this point as they are covered elsewhere in this section of the report. In terms of other sources, only the two metros – Johannesburg and Cape Town – mentioned significant outside funding:

• Johannesburg has received money from Carnegie. A new project which was added in 2004/05 aims to draw up a Centre of Excellence Strategic Plan for Johannesburg City Libraries. If the proposal is accepted, further funding will be available. Johannesburg has also applied for funding from the lottery for a Literary Festival because they would like to make Johannesburg the ‘literary hub’ of South Africa;
• Cape Town has received R1m over the past three years R1m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for free public internet access. The City also received about R11m from the Carnegie Foundation in 2004;

Mbombela said that they had not received funding from external sources, but had received in-kind donations, such as books. This is almost certainly the case for a range of other libraries. In particular, many receive assistance from Friends of the Library groups.

As in the provincial interview, we asked about the source of funding for different items. As before, there was a lot of diversity in reported patterns. Building rental was the only item with a clear pattern, in that this was always paid by the municipality. Where Table 16 gives no information for this item, it could be because the building is owned by the municipality and rental is therefore not necessary. In Cape Town, for example, all libraries except Plumstead and Tygerberg, are housed in Council-owned property. Salaries are usually paid by the municipality, but in to North West municipalities the province was also said to make a contribution. In terms of furniture, province makes a contribution in some North West and Mpumalanga municipalities. The province was said to make a contribution in respect of books by most municipalities, but not by Johannesburg, Lephalale, Mogalakwena and Kgatelopele.

1. Sources of funding for different items

The questionnaire did not ask specifically for information on revenue from membership fees. This information is, however, available from the documents supplied by many of the municipalities. In many cases ‘membership fees’ is indicated clearly. In a few other cases there are items which could reflect membership fees. These municipalities, listed in order of increasing (expected) revenue from these fees in a single year (usually 2004/05), are:

• Ditsobotla: R405 in library fees and R672 in ‘annual fees’
• Ventersdorp: R500 (for ‘consumersfunds’)
• Metsimaolo: R1 500
• Umjindi: R1 867
• Ngwathe: R3 250 (as against R6 500 in 2003/04)
• Lephalale: R15 000
• Nkomazi: R19 000
• Mogalakwena: R35 000
• Mbombela: R71 516 (‘library fees’).

The policy on membership fees does not seem to be standard within all provinces. For example, the Potchefstroom budget has no indication of revenue from membership fees while other municipalities in this province do. In addition, many municipalities obtain significantly more revenue from items such as photocopies than from membership fees.

When we asked our informant what amount was directly spent by the municipality on each public library for which it was responsible, Buffalo City, Polokwane, Mbombela, Nkomazi and Umjindi said that there was a single budget rather than a separate budget for each library. This situation probably prevails in some other municipalities. However, Ndlambe, Ventersdorp, Johannesburg and Cape Town all could give separate amounts for each library.

As shown in Table 16, Cape Town is one of the municipalities which provide money for books rather than relying only on provincial funds for this purpose. Our informant provided a long listing showing the amount allocated for each cost centre (i.e. library or district) for books, periodicals and subscriptions. The total amount allocated in the 2004 budget for books, periodicals and subscriptions was R3 305 826. In 2004 the same item was R3 532 189. For 2005, district managers received R100 000 plus each for books. The overall largest amount was R150 000 for Bellville Library while the smallest was R17 507 for Southern Strand. In Johannesburg, Johannesburg Central was allocated R237 627 for books while Bosmont received only R265.

We asked what criteria were used in determining how much to spend on each library. Ditsobotla, Mbombela, Ventersdorp and Johannesburg mentioned need as a key criterion. Mbombela said that each library communicated its needs to the head librarian, who then ‘pooled’ them into the municipal library budget. In Polokwane, too, staff were said to make submissions on what was required. Beyond that, allocations for books in Polokwane were based on evaluation of stock and usage statistics, and maintenance expenditures dictated by need. Cape Town, Johannesburg, Lephalale and Kgatelopele said expenditure was based on various statistics, such as fixed costs, membership and circulation statistics, and the types of services offered by different libraries. (Kgatelopele has only one library, so distribution is not really an issue.) Buffalo City said that money would be spent on emergency repairs, on new libraries ‘to get things going’ and on replacing old stock, but there was never enough money to cover the needs.

Several referred to political elements of the decision-making process. Zeerust said that the decision lay with the councillors, who prioritised projects according to ‘importance’ and size of the service area. Mogalakwena said the Council had a priority list. Ndlambe said that they tried to ‘spread the money as fairly as possible, but were frustrated when the council instructed them to build but the necessary money was not available for salaries. The Mangaung interviewee did not know how the decisions were made and was clearly deeply frustrated by her lack of knowledge as it hampered her in carrying out her duties.

We asked our informants whether a formula was used in determining the amounts for each library.

In Cape Town, our informant said that the first 10% of the budget was allocated equally between all libraries. Beyond that the amount was determined by the number of books issued. However, the book allocation amount for black areas was ‘bumped up’ a bit to avoid low current usage perpetuating past patterns. The Mangaung librarian said she continued to allocate equal amounts to each of the seven libraries under her care whenever funds became available.

Ndlambe, Ditsobotla, Lephalale and Buffalo City said they did not have a formula. Their responses suggested that they used some sort of measure of need, although this was not always quantitative. Lephalale said that they checked allocations against user statistics and membership. Buffalo City said that they tried to balance stock, and that the administrative officer visited the different libraries to establish need and to hear staff motivations for particular expenditure. Ditsobotla and Ventersdorp’s responses were vaguer. Ditsobotla said that they allocated ‘as the need arises’. Ventersdorp said that ‘different needs determine different projects’.

Nkomazi and Umjindi indicated that they based allocations on previous budgets. Mogalakwena said that Council priorities determined allocations. Johannesburg said that allocations were driven by a policy document guide, and also informed by statistics generated by the central computer system which monitored expenditure.

When asked what guidelines the municipality provided to libraries on how money allocated as a transfer should be spent, many did not respond because they did not transfer any money. A few indicated guidelines provided in respect of money that is allocated to a library, perhaps notionally, rather than transferred. For example, Ventersdorp said that a pro forma budget had to be drawn up by the librarian before the end of March each year. Ditsobotla said that the money had to be spent in line with the original budget. In contrast to these two, Lephalale said that librarians ‘decide how much they want’.

When asked what form the guidelines took, one informant said they were simply guidelines, two said they were stricter ‘rules’, and three said they were a mixture of guidelines and rules. The remainder did not answer this question.

Understandably, given the limited responses in relation to guidelines, there were also few responses to a question asking what sanctions were available to the municipality if rules and guidelines were not followed. Cape Town said that the central person would pick up the problem, but that there was, in fact, ‘very little room for mistakes’. Johannesburg said that the municipality would address the problem with the Regional Manager LIS and Regional Director and, if there was no compliance, recommend disciplinary action. Somewhat similarly, Buffalo City said that they would use the disciplinary code or financial mismanagement procedures.

Our Ndlambe informant said that where problems arose the central person would need to report to Council and take the ‘flak’ as the individual libraries did not themselves handle the money. Kgatelopele also said that the matter would be reported to Council, but seemed to imply that in this municipality a particular library’s behaviour could be under discussion rather than the library budget as a whole. Kgatelopele was the only municipality in our sample that said that sanctions were used very often. Ventersdorp referred back to their previous response about libraries needing to submit pro forma budgets and said that no money would be allocated if this was not done.

When asked what would happen if a particular library did not spend its allocation in the year for which it was allocated, 11 respondents said this never happened. Ndlambe, Mangaung, Lephalale and Mbombela explained that this never happened because of the small amount of money available. Ditsobotla and Mangaung said that the money would be lost. Ditsobotla added that because of the shortage of funds, they usually did not get even what they budgeted. Cape Town said that the problem would be sorted out in the following year. Our informant from Cape Town said that variations were not a problem unless they affected the bottom line (presumably of the metro as a whole) or affected service delivery.

There were even fewer responses to a question as to what happened if a library overspent its allocation. The lack of responses probably reflects the fact that in most cases overspending is impossible because the libraries do not have direct access to the funds. Eleven municipalities stated categorically that underspending never happened. In four municipalities, respondents said that the library could apply for top-up funds. In the case of Ventersdorp, our informant said that transfers from other votes would be possible and/or the money would be deducted from the following year’s allocation.

We asked whether the municipality specified what amount or proportion of the allocation should be spent on purchases of books. Nine respondents said that they did so and five said they did not. The relatively low response rate is probably a result of the fact that this question was not relevant for the many municipalities which rely on provinces to supply books to the libraries. Cape Town said that, as noted above, the Metro also provided a book amount for each municipality. Our informant said that this money was used to replace lost or stolen provincial books rather than to buy new books. Mbombela said that they specified a standard percentage for each benefiting library, but that the amount would be determined by the budget. Our informant from Buffalo City did not talk about a particular amount or percentage, but said that they prioritised children’s books, study books and books in the vernacular.

Johannesburg supplied us with a copy of its new policy for the selection of materials for public libraries. The 14-page document goes much further than specifying an overall percentage or amount to be spent on books. In terms of percentages, it suggests that 40% of the books and publications budget for each region should be spent on fiction – 12% on adult fiction, 20% on fiction for children, and 8% on fiction for young adults. Of the remaining 60%, half should be spent on non-fiction reference materials for adults and students, and the other half for reference materials for children, young adults and scholars.

Most of the municipalities which answered the question as to what would happen if a particularly library deviated from the specified amount/percentage to be spent on books said that this never happened. Cape Town and Johannesburg said that the problem would be addressed by different officials in the hierarchy. In at least some of the cases, these deviations would be due to lack of understanding of new systems. In Kgatelopele the matter would be reported to the council.

We asked for the total amount spent on books, other printed materials, audio and video and other book-related materials in 2003/04. Very few informants could provide this information. Mangaung and Ditsobotla said that they did not buy any such materials, and there are probably others who were also in this position. However, Ditsobotla said that they had started a project with the community to buy new books for the library. Zeerust said that their only purchase was 6 000 magazines. Among the seven that could provide information, some could not separate out the amount for books from the amount for other book-related categories.

Ndlambe, Zeerust, Ventersdorp, Ditsobotla, Mangaung, Polokwane, Lephalale, Mogalakwena, Kgatelopele and Umjindi said the Council played a role in decision-making around the level of funding for the municipal library service and the different items within it. Some named specific players within the Council such as the Budget Committee or Finance and Administrative Committee.

Of those who said Council played a role, Ndlambe, Ventersdorp, Polokwane, Lephalale and Umjindi said that municipal officials also played a role. In contrast, Mbombela, Nkomazi, Johannesburg, Buffalo City and Ditsobotla named only officials as the decision-makers on this issue. Most named officials responsible for the library section, but Ditsobotla also mentioned the role of the Treasury and municipal consultant and Buffalo City gave the Finance Department as the only decision-maker. In Nkomazi, our informant explained that suggestions were fed upwards from the library workers, through the administrative and chief administrative officer and Manager of Corporate Services to the Municipal Manager for the final decision. Our Polokwane informant also noted that all staff members were invited to make inputs. Johannesburg’s policy on selection of materials states that ‘as far as practicable’, it does not specifically mention decision-making over budgets but states that materials should be selected by the librarians closest to users. In other municipalities participation in budget-related decision-making seemed to be confined to more senior people.

Cape Town, Ndlambe, Zeerust, Mangaung, Mbombela, Kgatelopele and Umjindi said there had not been any changes in library funding policy or practice in the municipality over the last three years. Lephalale and Nkomazi said there was no policy at all! Buffalo City said that apart from the lack of increase in budget, there had been no change.

Ventersdorp reported a significant change, in the form of the introduction of provincial grants. Ditsobotla also reported that they had started to receive grants from the province for projects and upgrading of libraries, whereas previously there was never money available for this. Mogalakwena said that the introduction of the integrated development plan (IDP) process had changed things as priorities were now set and implemented according to this plan. Polokwane said they had experienced changes in the form of zero-based budgeting and a procurement policy which required three quotations per item, and thus caused additional administration in respect of book purchases. However, our Polokwane informant said that they had not seen the expected change of the provincial library service taking over the services. Our Johannesburg informant said that minimum standards had been developed and approved by Council and that 1% of the Council’s income was meant to be allocated to libraries. However, the Council and budget office had not complied with this rule and at present only 0,57% of the metro’s income was allocated to libraries.

Umjindi and Kgatelopele reported that there were no plans to change library funding in the municipality in the foreseeable future. Our informants in Mangaung, Polokwane and Lephalale did not know if there were any such plans. Mogalakwena said that they had plans but could not implement them because of the financial constraints. Johannesburg said that they had plans if the minimum finance standards were adhered to, but would otherwise not be able to implement the plans.

In several other municipalities, there were some plans (or hopes) for the future to report. Several of the plans related to the division of powers and functions between spheres. Mbombela reported that they expected constitutional change in the foreseeable future. Ditsobotla said that they hoped that the amount of the grants received from the province would increase. Cape Town reported that they hoped that they could come to an agreement with provincial library services about books as the city-province issue had ‘caused great upset’. Buffalo City said that the province did not want to continue to provide the subsidy currently provided to the City and Nelson Mandela Metro, but that these municipalities would be ‘in trouble’ if the province withdrew.

There were also some very practical plans:

• Ndlambe had allocated an amount of R20 000 per annum over a period of five years for computerisation. (The 2004/05 budget showed only R2 000 allocated for this purpose);
• Our Johannesburg informant reported that up until now they had used tendering for book purchases. However, they planned to introduce a new procedure for 2004/05 where there would be an approved list of suppliers and ‘appro’ meetings;
• Ventersdorp was planning to introduce club fees for use of the private book collection; and
• Nkomazi planned to acquire two new libraries, one renovated and the other ‘brand new’, so as to expand the number of libraries.

In terms of planning more generally, Buffalo City said that no surveys had been done to establish the need for libraries in different areas. This had resulted in libraries being established where they were not needed, while some needy areas were not served at all.

We also asked our informants what changes they would like to see happen in respect of library funding in the municipality. As expected, most of the responses were about wanting increased funding.

There were a range of responses that related to division of responsibilities between the spheres:

• Ndlambe wanted funding from national government ‘to enable the municipality to be self-sufficient’;
• Mogalakwena felt there should be direct funding from the province to municipal libraries;
• Cape Town wanted to see bigger intergovernmental transfers from the provincial library service to the metro;
• Kgatelopele wanted the provincial government to fund libraries;
• Mbombela wanted the provincial library to be transferred to the council;
• Lephalale wanted authority in respect of public libraries to be given to municipalities rather than the province. Our informant felt that if municipalities had the budget, ‘they’ll support the library and empower the community’.

Others, such as Ditsobotla, which said that they wanted the municipality to allocate more funds did not specify the source, but instead said what items they wanted funded. For example, Mangaung emphasised the need for more staff and more books because of the ‘huge number of users’, Polokwane wanted more money for infrastructure, staff and books, Mogalakwena wanted money for computerisation, Mbombela focused on book purchases, equipment and maintenance, and Umjindi highlighted maintenance needs. Johannesburg was most concerned about books and staffing. Our informant explained that the Johannesburg Library Services emphasis focused on children’s services, and therefore allocated 75% of the capital budget to extend old library buildings to accommodate separate children’s libraries. While she agreed with this focus, she pointed out that the children’s sections did not have the contents (children’s books) to make them ‘truly functional’.

Nkomazi and Johannesburg had conflicting suggestions in that the former suggested membership fees should increase because of the limited income of towns, while Johannesburg wanted to do away with membership fees. Lephalale, too, felt that there should be no charge for library services. Lephalale also pointed out that local schools did not have libraries and therefore depended on the public libraries for information. A similar point was raised by librarians in various locations.

Buffalo City wanted greater say in how money was spent as our informant said that the chief financial officer currently ‘dictates spending’.

When asked what prevented these changes happening, Ndlambe, Polokwane and Lephalale said the constitutional uncertainty was the problem. Cape Town said the problem lay in ‘national inertia’, presumably also referring to the constitutional issue. Kgatelopele said that delays in comments from provincial government were delaying their desired change. Ditsobotla, Mangaung, Mogalakwena and Mbombela pointed more simply to the lack of funds.

Johannesburg and Buffalo City both thought the problem lay with the low priority attached to libraries – that they were seen as ‘irrelevant’, rather than as ‘essential services’. The chief director in Johannesburg agreed with this viewpoint and was also open about the lack of clarity among decision-makers: ‘The role of social development has been neglected in local government. It has always been an afterthought. The role is now changing. The new role is still not very clear. It is not even clear to me.’

Cape Town, Ndlambe, Ditsobotla, Polokwane, Mogalakwena, Mbombela, Umjindi and Kgatelopele felt that the way in which library funding happened in their municipality was the same as how it happened in others. Buffalo City said it was similar to others, except that both Nelson Mandela Metropole and the City had some say in book buying whereas other municipalities in the province did not. Lephalale and Nkomazi said that they could not answer the question. Our Nkomazi informant added that they had no contact with other municipalities.

Zeerust said it differed from other municipalities (in the province) because, apart from a budget for salaries and maintenance of buildings, it relied solely on funding from the province. In contrast, there was a ‘50-50 agreement’ with the other libraries. Our Johannesburg informant noted that they had the lowest provision for books and publications of all metros in the country. Manguang said it differed from others in terms of the main municipal library being a legal deposit library.

As noted above, we tried to interview both the person in charge of community development within the municipality as well as the head of a library in a range of smaller and larger municipalities within each province. For the most part we succeeded with both interviews, although in a few cases the interview was done only at the library level or only at the municipal level. Further, at the library level we discovered that in some cases a single person was responsible for several libraries. The number of libraries covered thus exceeded the number of interviews with people responsible for libraries.

In respect of libraries, our interviewees included city librarians (2), chief librarians (3), senior librarian (1), branch librarian (1), (acting) librarians (6), senior library assistant (1), regional manager (1), manager (1), assistant managers (2), acting director (1), division heads (2) and accountant: expenditure (1). These diverse designations already give some indication of the differences in levels of responsibility and decision-making of library heads. Our question as to the interviewee’s designation raised further pointers:

• In Ba-Phalaborwa we were told that the chief librarian is responsible for all community services including traffic and licensing and health. The title is clearly a misnomer;
• In Metsimaholo the Town Librarian post has been recast as Assistant Manager: Libraries. The person in the post had been ‘acting’ for 7½ years;
• In Ndlambe, the person has the title chief librarian, but we were told that the allowance for ‘chief’ was to be done away with;
• In Ngwathe we were told that placements had not been finalised and there was ‘major uncertainty’ about posts.

1. Sources of funding

Several interviewees noted that province was responsible for providing books. However, Lephalale reported that while the provincial library service had invited public libraries to select books to the tune of approximately R2m, no books had as yet been made available to the libraries. The librarian in question was planning to deliver 115 books to local schools on the day of the interview. She obtained the books by going to the district library after she realised that unless she did so, they would not obtain any books.

Sol Plaatje reported that they had spent provincial ‘project money’ on security, marketing/extension works, book stock, shift workers, equipment maintenance and the Africana Library. Expenditure on books accounted for the largest of these expenditures.

Ndlambe reported that they raised money, for example through booksales organised by Friends of the Library, and used the proceeds to buy secondhand books. The library lost an important source of own revenue when the municipality took over a photocopier which had been donated by Friends of the Library.

• Funding of building construction is sometimes done by the municipality and sometimes by the province;
• Building rental is always, where relevant, paid by the municipality;
• Building maintenance is usually covered by the municipality. However for some libraries, including all those in our Mpumalanga sample, this cost is borne by the province;
• Furniture expenditure is sometimes covered by the municipality and sometimes by the province;
• Salaries are almost always covered by the municipality;
• The province usually contributes to book costs. However, the municipality also contributes for a large number of the libraries. Our interviewee from Ba-Phalaborwa noted that the municipality had taken on this cost because of the failure of the province to fulfil its responsibility;
• There is no discernible pattern in respect of other print materials and audio materials.

There are exceptions to all the above general patterns except that in respect of building rental.

1. Sources of funding by item

Interviewees provided the following explanations in respect of ‘other’ sources or the ‘other’ category of expenditure:

• Sol Plaatjie was utilising a Carnegie grant to cover the costs of part-time staff;
• In Metsimaholo, Sasol had assisted with funding for computers;
• Ndlambe again reported assistance from Friends of Library, this time in respect of furniture and equipment (a TV projector, video, radio and CD) as well as donations for books. This library also received donations from overseas for other printed materials, magazines from the province, newspapers from the municipality, audio (for children only) from the province and other donations;
• Cape Town noted the assistance from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in respect of internet access;
• Merafong noted that the ‘other’ item provided by the municipality concerned educational toys;
• Umdoni reported donations from Sappi and members for books, sponsorships from Sappi and Lions for audio and electronic materials, and donations and use of own funds to by puzzles.

We asked our informants whether the sources of funding had changed over the last three years. Some said there had been no change. Several, including Metsimaholo, Sol Plaatje, Umdoni, Polokwane, Mogalakwena and Merafong, said that funds had decreased. Metsimaholo said the shortage of funds had sometimes resulted in delays in paying salaries. Sol Plaatje reported that libraries were losing out because of increased funding for sports. Umdoni said that in addition to cuts in municipal funds, it was more difficult than previously to obtain donations and sponsorships. Meanwhile a greater number of libraries were having to share the available municipal funds. Polokwane said that while previously the provincial library supplied 80% of their books, they had received very few books over the past three years. Mogalakwena reported that they had received no books or audiovisual materials at all from the province over the last 8-10 years whereas previously they received at least R500 each month.

Several informants had more positive developments to report. Ventersdorp and Ditsobotla noted that provincial subsidies had been granted from 2003/04 onwards. Potchefstroom reported a significant increase in the amount available for capital expenditure, from R9 000 to R197 500. Mbombela said that they had received funds regularly since 2002, whereas in the six years before that they had received no funds. Nkomazi said that they were now able to buy a limited number of new books and also had a new budget for computers. Our Nkomazi informant said that if they provided good motivations for specific items, ‘the municipality will then react positively depending on the funds available’.

Only eight informants were able to provide us with any information on the total budget allocated to the library by the provincial department over the last three years. Some of the eight that supplied this information could not provide it for all of the three years. Our Mogalakwena informant said openly that she had ‘no idea’ of the allocations. Our Lephalale informant said there was no budget or any other document which showed what the provincial department allocated. Similarly, Metsimaholo and Ngwathe said that they had no access to budget documents. The Ba-Phalaborwa person said that while they did not have exact figures, the value of the books supplied over the past three years would not amount to more than R50 000.

Zeerust, Ventersdorp and Merafong said that the reported amounts came from internal sources such as membership and user fees, printing, fines and lost books. Other sources reported by libraries included:

• Rental of the auditorium in Polokwane;
• Money for two libraries from the Phalaborwa Foundation in Ba-Phalaborwa in 2004/05;
• Sales of old material in Nkomazi;
• Recycling, donations, second-hand book sales and a concert in Metsimaholo;
• Friends of the Library in 2002/03 and 2003/04 for Ndlambe, as well as two-monthly talks at which collections are made;
• R4 500 from the Department of Housing in 2003/04 and R18 000 for security fencing for Brixton Library in 2002/03 in Johannesburg;
• Annual contributions from Sappi in Umdoni.

Several informants said that the changes in the allocations resulted from special efforts on their part. For example, Potchefstroom said that the change resulted from ‘persistent motivation’ or even ‘nagging’, Metsimaholo said that the additional funds came from a concert, but noted that staff shortages made fundraising very difficult, and Ba-Phalaborwa said that the money was allocated after they submitted project plans for security systems, additional staff, library material and equipment which could not be covered by the municipal budget. However, our Ba-Phalaborwa informant noted, too, that the donation had meant that the municipality had to increase its operational budget to cover additional staff.

Umdoni was less fortunate than Ba-Phalaborwa in that Sappi had informed them that the Scottburgh library, although within a 15km radius of the Sappi plant, was not the main library serving Sappi employees. The company therefore had cut the Scottburgh allocation in order to provide more funding to the South local council libraries.

Several informants said that the changes had resulted from shifting of responsibility between province and municipality. This was the case, for example, in Ditsobotla where the province had again started to assist with funding of libraries. The change in Breede River was also said to be due to changes in allocation of functions.

Johannesburg said the changes were due to ad hoc allocations.

Ngwathe said that with only three staff members left instead of eight, they were barely able to keep the doors of the library open.

Many of the libraries supplied a breakdown of their operational budgets according to the standard items such as salaries, general expenditure, repairs and maintenance, and capital. Some had a separate item for books and library materials and some had items for redemption of loans and furniture and equipment. Salaries were always the largest item. Among those which provided information on expenditure of books, Potchefstroom reported purchasing 365 items for an amount of R24 000, Mogalakwena had spent R39 200 on books and other printed material, and Umdoni had R10 000 against books, R2 000 against puzzles and games, and R3 000 against audiovisual materials.

1. Spending on books and related items 2004/05

* Amount for 2003/04 rather than 2004/05

Mogalakwena pointed out that the R31 500 for books and related material spent in 2004/05 was substantially lower than the R42 200 spent in 2002/03.

We asked informants how the funding position and practice of their library differed from those of other libraries in the municipality or metro. Sol Plaatje, Cape Town, Breede River, Merafong, Mogalakwena, Ditsobotla, Mbombela, Nkomazi, Ngwathe, Umjindi and Ventersdorp said that they did not differ from others. In some cases the libraries in our sample in fact shared a budget with the other libraries in the municipality. Ba-Phalaborwa has only one library, so there was no other library with which to compare. Lephalale municipality effectively also has only one working library as, although there is also a branch, there are no staff employed to work in it.

Among those who felt they differed from others in the municipality concerned, the differences were explained as follows:

• Polokwane felt that, unlike others, the library was ‘reasonably funded’;
• The library where the questionnaire was completed in Metsimaholo was the main library, which did all the budgeting, administration and purchasing both for itself and the three other libraries;
• Ndlambe library was in the same position as others in the municipality, except that one of the others had a computer. However, this made minimal difference because the computer ‘was not linked to anything’;
• Johannesburg region 4 receives less than the other regions within the Johannesburg metro on the basis of the 2001-2002 Egoli baseline. As a result, it has received only inflation-related increases and must fund any improvement of services, such as appointment of new staff, extension of services, and the Children First programmes, out of ‘savings’ from the existing operational budget.
• Umdoni is the only library of the seven in the municipality that accepts donations and has received money from Sappi.

We went on to ask whether the library’s funding position and practice differed from that of libraries in other municipalities and metros. Our informants in Ventersdorp, Potchefstroom, Mbombela, Lephalale and Umjindi said they did not know whether they differed from other municipalities.

Ditsobotla, Breede River and Ndlambe felt that libraries were all very similar, at least within the province in which they were situated. Metsimaholo said that although the situation was similar (and negative) for all libraries in the Free State, the librarian in charge could make a difference. Cape Town felt that the situation was similar across all provinces except ‘perhaps’ Free State, where the province played a bigger role. Johannesburg felt that their situation was similar to that of other metro libraries in getting only inflation-related increases. Umdoni, on the other hand, felt that metro libraries had additional funding. Similarly, Ba-Phalaborwa felt that bigger municipalities tended to have bigger budgets, which allowed them to provide better funding for their libraries, while the small libraries in rural areas were unlikely to obtain this support.

Our informants in Ngwathe and Merafong felt that they differed from others because of the serious funding difficulties of the municipalities in which they were situated. Our Merafong informant attributed the difficulties to non-payment of service charges on the part of residents. Polokwane, on the other hand, felt that they differed from others in being reasonable funded. Similarly, our Mogalakwena informant said that Gauteng libraries might be better off than those in other provinces since they could obtain support from large companies whose employees used their services.

Nkomazi felt that libraries with a senior librarian might have more control over spending and monitoring of their budgets. Our Umdoni informant also felt that in some other libraries the librarian had more decision-making power than was the case for Umdoni. However, this informant also noted that ‘often it seems that there are no policies in place’.

Zeerust (Librarian), Umdoni (Librarian) and Umjindi (Assistant Director: Corporate Services) named only one person as participating in decision-making around how much is spent on different items. Merafong said it was the librarian within each library. Lephalale mentioned only two participants – the Librarian and Manager. Mbombela said the City Librarian and heads of branch libraries were involved, while Potchefstroom named the City Librarian, Assistant City Librarian as well as departmental and branch library heads. Nkomazi said the Librarian make the final decision but the proposal then went to the library managers. Ba-Phalaborwa said the initial decisions were made by the Chief Librarian and other staff members but the final decision lay in the hands of the Head of Department or Director. Similarly, Mogalakweni said that the Divisonal Head made the decision with other staff members but the final say lay with the Manager: Community Services. Ngwathe said that the Director and Head of Department took the decisions, and might consult the Librarian when compiling the budget but would not necessarily do so. Some of the differences between the processes described above relate to differences in the size of libraries and their staff, or to the number of libraries within a particular municipality.

All the above brief descriptions described the decision-making as being confined to the library and community services. Other libraries named other decision-makers beyond this. For example, Ventersdorp pointed to the roles of the Director: Finance and Municipal Manager, Breede River said that the Senior Librarian liaised with the ‘municipal authority’, Ditsobotla referred to the roles of the provincial government and local councillors, Sol Plaatje said that the City Treasurer, Finance Department and Council were part of the process, Metsimaholo referred to budget guidelines issued by National Treasury as well as to the Municipal Treasurer, and eThekwini said the Treasury Department played a role. In Johannesburg, local librarians were said to be involved in decision-making only in relation to books, while the rest was decided by officials responsible for contracts, human resources and other items within LIS. However, any change to generic allocations would need the approval of the Council. Cape Town said that the 98 libraries in the province informed the provincial library service of their needs, but these needs were not dealt with in a satisfactory manner.

Polokwane and Potchefstroom were the only libraries which said that users participated in decision-making. Our informant in Polokwane said that user requests were one of the factors which influenced staff when they identified needs. Our Potchefstroom informant said that the community, by stating their ‘needs or interests’ made an input into purchasing decisions.

Zeerust, Johannesburg, Ventersdorp, Lephalale, Umjindi, Metsimaholo, Ngwathe, Breede River, Ndlambe, Cape Town and Ba-Phalaborwa said there had been no changes in library funding policy or practice for the libraries concerned over the previous years. Ba-Phalaborwa commented that the lack of change was not necessarily a negative thing.

Changes mentioned in respect of other libraries included a mix of positive and negative developments but more negative than positive, as follows:

• In Metsimaholo, fundraising was said to have become an ‘essential’ part of the job. There was also questioning of the municipality’s responsibility because of the constitutional uncertainty;
• Ditsobotla said that none of the projects proposed over the last three years had been approved by the municipality because of the lack of funds;
• Polokwane reported that a newly-introduced procurement policy which required three quotations per item had put strain on bookshops and other suppliers;
• Mogalakwena said that in comparison to ten years previously, libraries were receiving less funds as municipal money was concentrated on providing water, electricity and other services to rural areas;
• Sol Plaatje said that since 2002/03 they had received project money from the province as a result of the constitution’s placing responsibility for libraries on the province;
• Mbombela said that branch libraries were not able to purchase books on their own, whereas previously the main library had been responsible for all purchases;
• Nkomazi said 2002/03 was the first year that they had an integrated library budget. Since that date both the two older libraries and the new one each received the same amount;
• Merafong said budgets were cut each year while new libraries were opened. This resulted in the libraries operating with skeleton staff and the absence of the necessary literacy and vernacular books;
• Umdoni said it was focusing on electronic media, educational games and puzzles for children. Book money had been allocated to more expensive tertiary books, computer books and reference rather than children’s books and popular fiction. Where fiction was purchased, the focus was on literacy-level literature. All these changes were taking place in a situation of funding cuts by both the municipality and Sappi.

Our informants in Ventersdorp, Potchefstroom, Umjindi, Breede River, Ngwathe, Johannesburg, Ndlambe, Merafong, Umdoni and Ndlambe said they were not aware of any plans to change library funding in the foreseeable future. Ndlambe blamed the lack of plans on inactivity by the provincial government.

Most of the other responses in respect of plans referred to the constitutional situation. For example, Polokwane, Ba-Phalaborwa and Lephalale said they might experience cutbacks as the municipality no longer regarded library services as a core function. Metsimaholo said that the province was meant to ‘pick up the total cost’ but had not yet been able to afford to do so. Mbombela and Nkomazi were hoping that some change would be made in terms of the assignment of functions, but did not specify what changes there were hoping for.

We asked our informants what changes they personally would like to see happen in respect of library funding. As expected, the majority of the changes related to increased funding. Some of the proposals related to sources of funding, some to what items should be covered, and some to the amount.

Cape Town argued that libraries should be a local function as working ‘with other people’s money leads to complex controls’ and also results in increased need for staff at the provincial level. Merafong also felt that municipalities should bear responsibility for the libraries function. If this was not to be the case, provincial government should play the agreed role in respect of library materials to the same value as the contribution of municipal government, rather than‘90%-10%’. Ba-Phalaborwa thought that municipalities should bear the responsibility for libraries as they were closer to ‘communities’ than provincial government. Ndlambe felt that each library should decide on its own needs in respect of reading materials and report to the municipality. Our eThekwini informant was the only one to argue for the responsibility for funding to lie with provincial government, on the grounds that libraries and heritage were presently unfunded mandates administered by local government.

In terms of additional sources of funds, Ventersdorp suggested that members should pay a basic membership fee and the funds generated be used to purchase books. Mogalakwena wanted to be able to use the money currently accumulated through membership fees and fines rather than passing it on to the municipality. Johannesburg, too, felt that income generated in and by libraries should be allocated for book purchases.

In terms of items to be funded, Lephalale wished to see the provincial government allocate more for computers to cater for public interest in using the internet. Sol Plaatje wanted to see more allocated for staff and marketing of library services. Nkomazi argued for the appointment of an additional staff member at all the one-person libraries. Umjindi wanted funding for newspapers and furniture. Metsimaholo wanted more money for books, funding for a security system to prevent theft of material, as well as adequately trained staff. Breede River’s focus was on an increase in the capital budget to allow extensions to the library. Umdoni wanted more money for newspapers, puzzles, educational games and maps, as well as for textbooks and recommended tertiary reading.

In terms of amount, Ditsobotla asked simply that the money allocated by the municipality for projects be made available. Polokwane wanted more money for book purchases. Mbombela argued that the R25 000 allocated for books was far too little given that they had 19 000 members. Our Mbombela informant also suggested that the limit of R1 000 on signing powers of the City Librarian was too low.

Potchefstroom wanted to see a funding policy put in place in respect of purchasing of library material, with due acknowledgement of the role of libraries in ‘the development and informational empowerment of people’. Similarly, our informant in Ngwathe argued that if the educational role of libraries were recognised, there would be ‘lots more money for everything’, and especially for staff, books and internet access.

When asked what prevented these changes from happening, Lephalale, Ditsobotla, Umjindi, Ngwathe, Ba-Phalaborwa, Mbombela and Metsimaholo blamed budget constraints. Our Mbombela informant noted, in addition, that the Financial Management Act was making procurement more bureaucratic and difficult. In Nkomazi the municipality had frozen all posts.

Breede River, eThekwini and Polokwane thought the constitutional provisions were the reason for non-implementation of changes. Informants stressed, in particular, that the uncertainty militated against positive changes being effected.

Ngwathe, Ndlambe and Cape Town said ‘politics’ was the cause of non-implementation of changes. Our Mogalakwena respondent said more specifically that the council was responsible for implementing changes.

Other responses suggested that lack of recognition of the importance of libraries militated against change. For example, our informant in Ventersdorp said that the views of the Provincial Library about free services was obstructing change. Our Potchestroom informant felt that the absence of legislation and lack of recognition of the importance of libraries and information were behind the problem. In Johannesburg, our informant said that budget inputs from regional LIS were not considered important enough by budget decision-makers. Visible service delivery got preferred because ‘nobody looks more clever when they leave a library.’

A substantial number of our informants said that forums existed in which they had the opportunity to meet with librarians responsible for libraries in other municipalities and metro. The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) was named in this respect by Mbombela, Nkomazi, Umjindi and Merafong. The Library & Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) was mentioned by our informants in eThekwini, Zeerust, Ventersdorp, Polokwane, Mogalakwena, Ba-Phalaborwa, Mbombela, Nkomazi, Umjindi and Johannesburg. However, several informants noted that this was an informal forum. Metsimaholo said that they utilised this forum in the past, but had allowed their membership to lapse due to lack of funds. Metsimaholo and Ngwathe said that the annual general meeting of the provincial public libraries provided a forum for discussion. Nkomazi, Breede River, Ditsobotla, Polokwane, Ndlambe and Ventersdorp also referred to provincial gatherings of various kinds, most of which seemed to be organised by the provincial government. However, Ngwathe said that because there were insufficient funds to cover the costs, libraries had to take turns to attend such meetings. Our Johannesburg informant said that they had monthly meetings with the Head of LIS of the Metro, while in Zeerust librarians met in book selection committee meetings. Merafong referred to GAULIS, the Gauteng Library and Information Services forum for community libraries in Gauteng.

Umdoni named the greatest range of forums. Our informant said that there were interest group meetings every quarter for libraries within a certain area. She also reported that there was a yearly conference where networking and exchange of information occurred. In addition, this librarian utilised online international listservs such as PUBYAC and YALSA. Through this medium, she had come to the conclusion that ‘most of the problems experienced by public libraries are the same, no matter if the library is in South Africa or in America or even in Hawaii’.

Our informants in Potchefstroom and Lephalale said there were no forums where they met with other librarians. Lephalale said that it was difficult to meet because of distance from each other even within a region or district.

We asked whether the issue of library funding had ever been discussed in any of the forums named. Our informants in Potchefstroom, Umjindi and Merafong said that this had not happened. Those in Ventersdorp, Mbombela, Nkomazi, Ndlambe, Johannesburg and Cape Town said there had been informal discussions, but their impact was limited because of the forum’s lack of formal decision-making powers.

Ditsobotla, Polokwane, Mogalakwena, Ba-Phalaborwa, Metsimaholo, Ngwathe, Breede River and Umdoni also said that the issues had been discussed in forums, and did not express reservations. This does not necessarily mean that they did not have reservations.

Some of our informants also provided more details as to who else was involved in the discussions. Metsimaholo, Ba-Phalaborwa and Ngwathe said that provincial library service was involved, Polokwane named the MEC and Ba-Phalaborwa said that the Department of Science and Technology had interacted with LIASA on these issues.

When asked at the end of the interview whether there was anything they would like to add, many of our informants referred back to points made earlier which they wanted to stress. In particular, many informants referred again to the problems caused by the constitutional provisions and the uncertainty around them.

New issues raised included the following:

• Potchefstroom suggested that book prices should be lowered and value-added tax (VAT) on books abolished. Our informant also wanted to see a media campaign and advocacy exercises to make people more aware of books and libraries.
• Nkomazi wanted to have the necessary funds to be able to provide holiday programmes and extension services. Our informant noted that currently there were too few study-related books to meet the needs of students.
• Umjindi wanted suitable facilities and increased floor space.
• Ngwathe spoke at some length about the reasons for, and consequences of, high levels of demoralisation among staff.
• Our Johannesburg informant spoke about the need for an integrated approach between different departments and functions on a regional level, such as LIS, Health and Sports. Our informant also suggested initiatives such as Youth Theatre to make libraries ‘become alive’, as well as to build on oral culture.
• Metsimaholo felt that too much emphasis was being placed on computers. This was seen as a problem because computers were useless if people could not read. Our Metsimaholo informant also wanted to see increased training for library staff. In this respect, the Free State researcher noted that the term ‘librarian’ was being applied to all who worked in the library ‘from the ex-cleaner who is now in charge with barely a standard 8 to the professional graduate’.

In respect of the staff qualification issue, there seems to be great inconsistency currently in how library workers are defined, and thus in their payment. This issue is reportedly currently being address in the municipal sector through a National Moderation Commission which will perform job evaluation in all regions.

One of the most striking findings of this research is the lack of information available, even to those intimately involved, on library funding. This research has, hopefully, helped to increase the amount of information available. However, it has also, more strikingly, revealed how much more there is to learn. In addition, it has revealed worrying inconsistencies in information supplied by those who should be in the know.

Although there were serious problems with information at all levels, the difficulties were perhaps greatest at municipal level. On the one hand at provincial level it seems that national Treasury, among others, has tried to bring some conformity, although not yet as much as with the core provincial functions of health, education and social development. On the other hand, while librarians might have had less power than municipal officials, they knew more about their functions. In addition, the municipalities have a shorter history than either the provinces or most of the libraries, as the current demarcation was only finalised in 1999. A further cause of the lesser information at municipal level could be the range of functions for which the Community Services officials are responsible. The range of functions at both municipal and provincial levels also explains the lack of understanding of library issues, and often the relative lack of importance attached to them, by some of the concerned officials.

One of the difficulties in talking about budgets for libraries is that much of the money is not physically transferred into the hands of library managers. In particular, in many provinces money is allocated for books for libraries, but these books are purchased by, or on behalf of, the libraries. In many provinces the books never belong to a particular library but are instead part of a province-wide pool. At the municipal level, too, money is not transferred and several libraries are often covered by a single allocation.

The research revealed differences between provinces, between municipalities and between libraries. There were sometimes differences between municipalities within a province, and also differences between libraries within a municipality. Some of these differences can be explained by practices from the apartheid years. For example, the funding of metros often differed from those of other municipalities. However, there were also differences in the treatment of the metros covered by our sample. Some, but not all, of the differences between municipalities and between libraries can be explained by factors such as differences in needs or past usage patterns.

The constitutional issue as to which sphere of government bears responsibility for library funding and, if it is shared, which sphere bears responsibility for which aspects, is clearly a significant factor in the current funding problems faced by libraries. It is not, however, the only problem.

In addition to the constitutional issue, in many cases the budgets are under strain because of the need to serve new areas. In some cases new libraries have been established, but the budget was not necessarily increased at the same time. Some of those responsible for allocations have realised that circulation statistics are not sufficient indicators on their own of need where in poorer communities many users are reading books and using other facilities inside the library but not necessarily borrowing books. In some cases those responsible feel that allocations should also allow for potential need and encourage library use where it is low rather than rely only on historical patterns of usage.

Our research focused on government sources of funding. We also asked about other sources, and obtained some information on this topic. However, our information on outside sources is probably even less accurate than that on government sources. Some informants were eager to tell us about all the different efforts that they made to secure additional money. Others were reluctant to tell us about other sources, perhaps out of fear that this could lead to a reduction in the already meagre funds obtained from government.

The National Treasury is clearly a key player in sorting out the problems, as it has overall responsibility for determining the distribution of national revenue between the three spheres. A recent report in Business Day (19 November 2004, "Basic income grant would cripple SA – Manuel: page 3) suggests that the Minister of Finance is aware that problems exist and keen to address them. Minister Manuel gave this indication in responding to questioning from the Democratic Alliance about the introduction of a basic income grant and financial support for libraries. While the Minister said that a basic income grant would not be affordable, he ‘agreed that spending on libraries was a critical issue’. We hope that the information contained in this report can assist those most directly affected to take advantage of the Minister’s concern.

This issue requires urgent attention. The National Archivist, Dr Graham Dominy, has suggested that there are three ways that the situation could be addressed. The first two are:

• The constitution could be changed and libraries returned to municipal control;
• Own provincial legislation could assign the library function to municipalities.

The outcome of these two possible routes would be supported by the first part of the HSRC report on Schedule 5 which advocates increased municipal responsibility whenever possible. In the case of public libraries this does not appear to be an option yet.

Dominy’s third scenario would be:

• Financial monitoring and control of expenditure would be done through the national treasury.

The situation as it has developed is complex and will not be easy to unravel. On the one hand, the formation of metros has given these particular municipal structures considerable power within provinces which can result in power and turf battles. On the other hand, many of the newly formed municipalities are in areas which have no history of local government and are the poorest, most rural and least supplied with libraries. Often officials in these structures do not regard libraries as important as the need for clean water, housing and electricity.

What is clear is that the decisions made regarding libraries should be structurally sound and really work. Libraries should not be lumped together with other "unfunded mandates" in a blanket constitutional change.

A fourth route which might satisfy not only the provinces and municipal structures but also, most importantly, libraries themselves would be a mixed model with gradations of autonomy for libraries according to their capacity. A major component of this model would be a central, provincial infrastructure to support and train libraries so that they gain more and more autonomy. This would lead to real capacity building and local empowerment. There would then be a partnership between the provincial government, the municipal government and the individual libraries (which may or may not be grouped into regional sections).

Municipalities vary widely in terms of the percentage of their budget that comes from nationally collected revenue. National Treasury thus has less ability to influence expenditure than for the provinces and ensure that it is equitable across the country. However, most library buildings and land are currently owned by municipalities. Municipal involvement in their libraries reinforces a sense of community ownership. In addition, it appears that librarians enjoy this sense of local commitment from municipalities. It would therefore make sense then that municipalities should continue to maintain library grounds and buildings and equipment and provide basic services to libraries.

Provincial governments receive the overwhelming bulk of their funding from nationally collected revenue. Because there are only nine provinces, compared to 284 municipalities, it is easier to ensure uniformity and equity in how issues are dealt with. If, as Trevor Manuel has stated, government feels that "spending on libraries [is] a critical issue", it would be sensible for provinces to be responsible for ensuring that finances are available for libraries, that is, for new buildings, staff salaries and equipment and a support system for development. Administrative support and training by the provinces, with a standardised, cross-provincial programme would be essential to the success of this model. All public libraries should be adequately staffed and the recognition of library qualifications and job grading would also be cross-provincial.

Public libraries are desperate for more staff. They express a sense of disempowerment at all levels and frustration at an inability to choose and buy appropriate books. The mixed model suggested here would, in a similar fashion to the model for schools, allow for gradations of autonomy for libraries with support and encouragement for an increase in autonomy as the goal for every library. A library or a regional group of libraries with proven capacity should be encouraged to opt for a certain amount of independence through an annual subsidy which would allow librarians, as professional specialists, to employ staff and buy books and equipment. The major function of the province would be to support capacity development and encourage each library to move towards a certain degree of autonomy.

The second major issue is for the National Treasury to take action upon Trevor Manuel’s statement that "spending on libraries (is) a critical issue". National Treasury has the responsibility in this regard to ensure that provincial budgets:

• include major increases for the development of new libraries (in a variety of forms);
• include major increases for sufficient qualified staff; and
• include major increases for books and books and books.

In addition, virement of the amount allocated for libraries should not be permitted.

Business Day, 19 November 2004. "Basic income grant would cripple SA – Manuel". Page 3

City of Johannesburg. N.d. Policy for the selection of materials for the public libraries of the City of Johannesburg.

Dominy G. 2003. ‘The conundrum of community libraries in provinces’ in Cape Librarian, January/February 2003: 40-1.

Dominy G. 13 February 2004. (2004a). Report to technical committee of the PCC: Constitution Schedule 5 Problems relating to archives, arts, culture, heritage, library matters. Department of Arts and Culture. Pretoria.

Dominy G. 17 June 2004. (2004b). DAC situation report on the funding and maintenance of libraries at national, provincial, and local levels (as at 1 June 2004). Report submitted to the Technical Committee for Arts and Culture, Durban, 17 to 18 June 2004, 2nd draft

Heymann H. 18 July 2003. State of the Library Service. Report to the Health, Amenities and Sport Portfolio Committee, City of Cape Town.

Human Sciences Research Council, Indlovu Link & Khanya – managing rural change. 21 March 2003 (2003a). Review of Schedules 4 & 5. Report prepared for Department of Provincial and Local Government. Pretoria.

Human Sciences Research Council. 20 March 2003 (2003b). Volume 2: Review of Schedules 4 & 5 of the Constitution. Prepared for Department of Provincial and Local Government. Pretoria.

Ministry for Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Development. October 1997. Green Paper on Local Government. Pretoria.

Van Helden P & Lor PJ. March 2002. Public and Community Libraries Inventory of South Africa. PACLISA Final Report. National Library of South Africa: Pretoria.