The reopened Johannesburg City Library (JCL) offers more than just reading books, and users say they are looking forward to using other services offered by the library, including access to free Wi-Fi.
Nelson Nkomo, 21, from Yeoville, enjoyed his experience of accessing books and using the Wi-Fi at the JCL on Monday. The sound engineering student at Gauteng City College encouraged young people to use the library.
The biggest library in Johannesburg was emptied of staff and locked up on May 10 2021, with the city blaming structural issues at the 88-year-old building.
The library has more than 1.5-million books in its collection and over 250,000 members. It is also home to six specialist libraries and a newspaper reading room.
It was reopened on Saturday following campaigns and mounting pressure from civil society groups, authors, academics and bibliophiles.
Nkomo was among many residents and students who went to the library on Monday. He was there to conduct research for his studies.
“When the library wasn't working, we had to find spots where we had free access to Wi-Fi, or internet, of which there weren't so many,” he said.
Thabo Ramokgopa, 24, from Soweto, also visited the library on Monday.
“The experience so far has been profound, because I'm now studying fashion at David Tlale Academy,” he said.
When he entered the newly refurbished library, he headed for the performing arts section.
By providing external stakeholders with a forum for genuine dialogue with the COJ and its agencies, we believe that we have reached a more sustainable and satisfactory result than if the city had gone it alone
— Johannesburg Heritage Foundation and Joburg Crisis Alliance
“I am looking forward to reading a book. So far, I'm just really intrigued by what I found , and I am looking forward to reading so much more of what I've discovered today,” he said.
He said he mainly goes to the library for art books and was reading a biography of Michael Jackson, and he intended to find more books about Jackson. He has welcomed the reopening of the library, adding he wouldn't have to travel far, as he previously had to travel to Sandton Library or the Orlando East library.
“They don't have many segments about art, and even if they do, I wasn't very interested in the books they had. It's better now, given that this library has been here for a long time, they have various segments with a lot of books,” he said.
In a statement, the city said the Johannesburg Development Agency's refurbishment balanced heritage preservation with modern upgrades.
The city said works included:
- structural repairs;
- heritage restoration;
- enhanced accessibility;
- upgraded electrical and security systems;
- modern HVAC installation; and
- refreshed reading rooms, study areas and archival storage.
“These improvements have transformed the library into a flagship example of sustainable, community-driven urban renewal. The JCL's significance extends beyond Johannesburg. It has been recognised by the Presidential Joburg Working Group under Workstream 7 of the G20 Initiative, which promotes tourism and safeguards cultural heritage sites,” it said in a statement.
The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation and Joburg Crisis Alliance played a crucial role in campaigning for the reopening of the library. The organisations welcomed the reopening of the library.
“We further recognise the role of an inclusive stakeholder forum established by the Johannesburg Development Agency, which hosted a regular series of stakeholder engagement sessions where civil society was able to contribute meaningfully to the refurbishment process.
“By providing external stakeholders with a forum for genuine dialogue with the COJ and its agencies, we believe that we have reached a more sustainable and satisfactory result than if the city had gone it alone,” they said.
The two bodies launched a joint protest action for the reopening of the JCL in March last year, which included an in-person protest outside the library and a social media campaign.
The campaign was supported by several authors who donated their books as a symbolic gesture of support for the reopening.
“This is an excellent example of civil society standing up for its rights and holding the authorities to account,” they said.
TimesLIVE
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