South African family history, genealogy, heritage and interesting places, past and present. All articles researched and written by Anne Lehmkuhl. COPYRIGHT ANNE LEHMKUHL, no article can be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission. EMAIL ME
New National Library under construction
The new R160m four-storey National Library, under construction in Pretoria's central business district, will have about 33 000m² of space for its book collections, reading rooms and other facilities scattered in various buildings around the city. It will provide about 1 800 seats for library users. The site will become part of Government Boulevard, linking the city centre with the Union Buildings. It is set to open in 2007. The modern glass-and-brick building will have a raised public piazza leading to its entrance, steel and glass covered walkways and ramps, double-volume reading rooms with views onto the streets, and conveyer belts linking the different sections. The National Library came into existence through the merger in 1999 of the former State Library in Pretoria and the former South African Library in Cape Town. The National Library is the custodian of South Africa's documentary heritage, receiving - in terms of the Legal Deposit Act - a copy of every book, magazine, newspaper, government document and any other document published in South Africa. The library has a collection of over 3 million items from legal deposits, donations, and exchange agreements. The new building is expected to store over 3.5-million documents over the next 20 years.