Witbank Public Library now know as "EMALAHLENI MAIN LIBRARY" , was established in 1937 as a Subscription Library. The Library was managed by the Library Committee who were responsible for the administration of the Library, which included the budget, buying of books, payment of salaries, etc. The Town Council supplied two rooms that were part of the municipal swimming pool complex for the Library.
Right
from its establishment the Witbank Library had a book budget, which was
exceptional. Monetary donations were
received from many organizations with which books were to be bought. The best known of these organizations were:
- S.A. Cyanamid (Pty) Ltd
- Electricity Supply commission
- Rand Carbide Ltd
- Anglo American
- Witbank Colliery
Witbank
Colliery donated money that was to be used specifically to purchase reference
material. The Town Council also
contributed to the annual budget every year.
The
Library service became free of charge on the 1st of July 1943 when
it ceased to be a subscription library.
This immediately led to the tripling of book usage and membership.
In
November 1944, the Witbank Public Library became the first library to be
affiliated to the Transvaal Provincial Administration Library Service. In December 1944, the first books were
received from the TPA. Witbank Public
Library is currently part of the Middelburg Region but was part of the Pretoria
Region up until 1968.
Well
know magazines, which are still being received, were also received in the
1950’s, for example:
- Popular Mechanics
- Illustrated London News
- Readers Digest
Up
until 1968, membership was restricted to children older than eight years of
age, and only persons above the age of 16 could use the reference
material. These rules were amended in
1968 so that children under the age of eight could become members.
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