12 February 2008

Today is another proud and memorable day in the history of the library. The inauguration of a new board for the library will be the 4th occasion of its kind since the passing of the South African Library for the Blind Act 91 of 1998.  The Act is very clear that appointment to the board should adhere to “the principles of transparency and representivity and that expertise in financial matters and matters affecting blind and print-handicapped readers must be represented on the Board”. I am proud that, after an extensive process of nomination, selection and recommendation, it was possible to meet the requirements of the Act. The Library is privileged to have board members representing a vast array of knowledge, insight, experience and passion for the challenges facing the blind and print handicapped in South Africa as well as internationally.  These attributes will serve the library well during the next three years of your appointment.

The reason for saying this is because the South African Library for the Blind is a unique and proud institution. It is unique because of the type of organisation it is, in terms of the target market it serves and the type of products and services it provides. In addition, it is the only organisation of its kind on the African continent.  This institution was borne in 1919 out of the passion of one woman and a small collection of Braille books from a room in her home.  The library has developed over the years into an institution that is recognized internationally as a leader in its field and is comparable to the best.
Being an institution that is both unique and proud brings certain challenges and responsibilities.  In order to address these challenges and accept these responsibilities, the library requires assistance and guidance. The Library’s Act and Regulations makes provision for this through the establishment of a Board, which will enable the Library for the Blind to achieve its objects and perform its functions. Some of the functions include the formulation of policies, approval of the budget and financial statements and to advise me on matters which concern the Library for the Blind.

I have mentioned that the Library is faced with certain challenges and responsibilities. The current management and staff are dealing with these matters on a daily basis. It is with these matters that the role of the Board becomes crucial in assisting the library to achieve its objects and to perform its functions.  It is safe to say that the Board, management and staff of the Library goes into a partnership to address the matters relevant to the library and the users it serves. All partners have a specific role and function to perform which are of vital importance to the success of the Library.

“It is a well known fact that 95% of books in the world are never made available in accessible formats that blind and print-disabled people can read such as Braille, large print, or digital audio. This is the case for all countries, from the poorest to the richest.” (Libraries for the Blind Section: Strategic Plan 2006-2007)
This is a massive challenge on its own. Strategies to make information as accessible as possible need to be formulated.  We have moved as a country from exclusivity to inclusivity for all people in all spheres of life. We should therefore try our best to find innovative ways to make information and reading material available for the blind and print-handicapped. It is unacceptable that a group of citizens in our country, who are already disadvantaged, should be further disadvantaged when it comes to access to information which is readily available to the sighted. The Board needs to assist the Library to remove or adapt barriers, such a legislation or policies, to make the production of alternative reading material possible. The Board should also assist with the establishment of an enabling environment for the production of information sources in the appropriate format through the provisioning of the necessary resources and infrastructure.

Coupled with the challenge of access to sufficient information resources is the matter of increasing the user base of the library as well as their literacy levels. It is clear from documents produced by the Library that it is well aware of the small percentage of the potential South African market it is serving.  To address the matter would require looking at ways of identifying new users and registering them as library members. Various figures will be quoted when referring to illiteracy, but it is generally accepted that the South African figure range between 40% and 60% taking into account our rural areas. One of the main ingredients necessary to address and improve literacy levels is the availability of reading material. The library should develop a joint strategy with other organisations specializing in addressing literacy matters of the blind.

Another of the main barriers in providing reading material to the blind and visually impaired is compliance to National and International Copyright and Intellectual property legislation and requirements. Our Department, in collaboration with other Government Departments and structures from the Library and Publishing sector of South Africa, is in the process of reviewing South African Copyright Legislation. It is anticipated that this process will lead to a dispensation which is fair for institutions similar to the South African Library for the
Blind, who are mandated by law to produce reading material in alternative formats as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

According to Stats SA there are more than 700 000 blind or visually impaired people in South Africa.  The challenge to serve the information and reading needs of the blind and visually impaired is therefore massive and cannot be ignored. The rights of all people are protected in the South African Constitution and this includes the right of the blind and visually impaired to have access to information and reading material irrespective of where they live. There are various organisations in South Africa looking after the needs of the blind and visually impaired people, of which the Library for the Blind is one of the leaders. The Board should assist the Library in maintaining its leadership role particularly with regard to information related matters. The Library should be encouraged and assisted to collaborate with organisations and structures, not only in the blind and print-handicapped community, but also those who may assist the Library to achieve its objectives.

Although Blindlib’s target market resides predominantly in South Africa, it also serves a number of users internationally. The Library has various International links with similar organisations in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Canada to name but a few. These links with various countries and organisations should be encouraged. It serves as a good platform to learn and share information. The Library has a responsibility to make these countries aware of the unique circumstances and approaches it applies in addressing the reading and information needs of the blind. The Library’s participation in the activities of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and specifically the Library’s for the Blind Section (LBS) is invaluable and should be supported. The more we share and learn the more value will be added to the work of the Library. The recent conference hosted by the library in Grahamstown was a major success on many levels. Our international colleagues returned to their countries impressed by what they had learnt and observed during their visit and after various discussions they had with Blindlib staff. The Library will no doubt continue to capitalize on this experience.  Although international links are important, it is equally important to establish and develop relationships with our fellow African counterparts. Once again, bearing in mind its uniqueness, Blindlib, as the only institution of its kind on the African continent, has an obligation to reach out to countries who are attempting to render the appropriate services to the blind.

During 2005/2006 the South African Government made available an amount of R1billion to address the challenges faced by public libraries. These funds will be utilized over the next three years to improve public library facilities, services and collections. One of the challenges is that few public libraries render a substantial service to the blind and visually impaired who reside in their community. It is expected that part of this fund will be utilized to address this requirement in the public library service model. I am encouraged by the fact that library authorities in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng have responded positively (to the value of R3.5 million) to proposals made by Blindlib to assist with the acquisition of assistive reading devices. Through these types of collaborative partnerships, we will be able to accelerate service delivery to the blind citizens of South Africa.

The Library has recently embarked upon a new project to make reading material accessible to all in a digital format. In keeping with international norms and standards, Blindlib is now producing digital books and distributing digital playback equipment to the more than 3 000 members of the library. The benefits of the Daisy reading system far outweigh the cost and effort involved in making the transition from analogue to digital possible.

The South African Government and my department wishes to maximize the strengths of the Library of the Blind and capacitate it to extend its services to blind persons throughout the SADC region, especially in countries where we have share common languages. I look to the Board for advice and guidance in how to implement this proposal.

The South African Library for the Blind will be celebrating its 90th year of existence during 2009. This will be done this as part of the bi-centenary celebrations being planned worldwide to celebrate the birth of Louis Braille. The library has a long and proud history and much has been achieved since it was established in 1919. Blindlib is an example of what can become of an organisation when there is a passion to improve the lives of others irrespective of how small it was in the beginning, its location and limited resources. Today the library is not only one of the proud National institutions of South Africa, but also a proud institution of the Eastern Cape, specifically the Grahamstown community. Since the staff of Blindlib are residents of this area, they are proud to be associated with the library. Owing to the specialized nature of the products and services produced by the library, most staff have received in-house training. The library has therefore contributed towards the personal growth and development of individuals who would otherwise not have been offered the opportunities provided by the library. Over the years Blindlib has been served by a multitude of great people. In most instances they were people who saw the library as more than just a place of employment. The current staff are continuing to build on the strong foundation prepared by their predecessors. I hope that the staff and the new Board will join hands to take the library to a higher level of service delivery in an effort to improve the lives of the blind and visually impaired in our country.

In conclusion I wish to remind the Board Members that the Act empowers me to appoint a Chairperson in consultation with the board. I wrote to all board members suggesting that The Honourable Justice of the Constitutional Court, Judge Zak Yacoob be appointed as Chairperson. I thank you for your positive responses and I hereby request Judge Yacoob to take the Chair as the duly appointed Chairperson of the Board and  I wish him and the new Board well in their task to assist the library to reach this new level of excellence.  Thank you.

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