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Orlando East Public Library is the oldest library in
The library was housed in the first building in Soweto designed to be a public library in 1950. It was built on Mooki Street by people from the local Vocational Training Centre and impressively it was larger than other public library then available in the main city of Madie Hall Xuma
sahistory.org.z, accessed July 2013
Soweto
Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...
in South Africa.
History
The library is said to have started in two iron huts in 1948 that lacked both electricity and seating.
The library was housed in the first building in Soweto designed to be a public library in 1950. It was built on Mooki Street by people from the local Vocational Training Centre and impressively it was larger than other public library then available in the main city of Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
. It was probably the most important library for Africans in South Africa at the time. In 2012 the libraries in Soweto said they had nearly fifty thousand members.
The Library's collection was given a substantial gift in 1963 when Madie Hall Xuma
Madie Hall Xuma (3 June 1894 – 10 September 1982) was an African American educator and social activist who emigrated to South Africa. She was called a 'mother of the nation'. Her husband, A.B. Xuma, was a president of the African National Cong ...
, the American born widow of Dr. A.B.Xuma who had been a President of the African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
during the 1940s, gave his book collection to the library. Her husband had died in 1962 and she moved back to the United States. Madie Hall Xuma had also been active in South African politics becoming president of the national council of the South African Young Women's Christian Association
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
.sahistory.org.z, accessed July 2013
Today
In 2000 the library was updated and extended. In 2013 a blue plaque was installed to recognise the library's importance as the oldest public library. The library has good signage and still has spacious accommodation. It attracts students to study with its "fairly full" shelves and a good reference section that includes textbooks. Upstairs there is a media centre and an area reserved for children's books. The library offered free internet access in 2013.References
* Interface {{Authority control 1948 establishments in South Africa Soweto Libraries established in 1948 Libraries in Johannesburg Public libraries Heritage Buildings in Johannesburg