The National Library Service of Botswana () is the legal deposit and copyright library for

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

. It was officially opened on April 8, 1968. They strive to be a world class library and information hub. The library is considered one of the most centralized in the world, as it is responsible for the professional development for all libraries within Botswana, including academic ones.

History

Being established in September 1967 through the Act of the Botswana National Assembly. President Sir

Seretse Khama Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, GCB, KBE (1 July 1921 – 13 July 1980) was a Motswana politician who served as the first President of Botswana, a post he held from 1966 to his death in 1980. Born into an influential royal fam ...

, the first President of the Republic of Botswana, officially opened the service on April 8, 1968. It was one of seven departments of the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs. Its mission has been to preserve the national literary heritage and to provide the public with informational and educational services. According to the United Nations, as of 2003 approximately 81 percent of adult Batswana are literate.

Services

The library offers many services including: * Mobile Library Service *

Postal Service The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal syst ...

* Reference Service * Book Requests Service * Children's Service * Computer Training Service *

International Standard Book Number The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency. An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition an ...

(ISBN) * Maps

Divisions

The library currently encompasses many divisions including: * Bibliographic Support Services * National Reference Library * Public Libraries Division * Library Service for People with Disabilities * Projects Research and Publications

Programs

The library currently offers many programs to its patrons, including: * Reading Club * Homework Assistance * Youth Computer Training *

Braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are Blindness, blind, Deafblindness, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on Paper embossing, embossed paper ...

* Annes Stine * Bana Ba Dinonyane * Motswedi Rehabilitation Center *

Life-Line "Life-Line" is a short story by American author Robert A. Heinlein. Published in the August 1939 edition of ''Astounding'', it was Heinlein's first published short story. The protagonist, Professor Hugo Pinero, builds a machine that will predict ...

Storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural pre ...

Art and Craft Mark Augustus Landis (born 1955) is an American painter who lives in Laurel, Mississippi. He is best known for "donating" large numbers of forged paintings and drawings to American art museums. Life and career Mark Landis was born in Norfolk, V ...

* Health Talk * Sesigo

References

Bibliography

Margaret Baffour-Awuah, Principal Librarian, Gaborone, Botswana: A Day in Her Life
* (Includes information about the national library)

External links

Page on the Ministry of Youth, Sport & Culture
* http://www.sesigo.org.bw/ *https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000089700 *https://librarytechnology.org/libraries/search.pl?ILS=Symphony&Country=Botswana {{coord missing, Botswana Botswana culture

Libraries in Botswana 1968 establishments in Botswana Libraries established in 1968