To make sure sure mense can continue using bib services during load shedding, the City of Cape Town’s Library and Information Services is putting several interventions in place.
To secure IT infrastructure, the City is deploying UPS units. During power outages, these units will keep the network operational. Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross, said one of the City’s goals is to provide access to educational and recreational resources to keep patrons connected.
Van der Ross says: “It is not only about an uninterrupted power supply, but also helping our learners continue their research and providing patrons with access to opportunities.
“Libraries are able to reach patrons beyond their physical locations and we’re able to connect to residents easier and on more platforms.”
With these power supplies set to be installed by the end of the 2023-24 fiscal year, 68 libraries will be able to continue using Wi-Fi in the event of a power outage.
The Elsies River Community Police Forum has praised the effort to guarantee internet connectivity at libraries. Spokesperson, Imraahn Mukaddam, says the library are some pupils’ only access to the internet.
Mukaddam says: “When this access is restricted learners cannot finish school and college projects and assignments, resulting in poor assessment results.
“Libraries are a sacred space and anyone who vandalises a library is attacking the knowledge centre of an entire community.”
Currently, 90 out of 102 locations are able to give users access to online services, but Wi-Fi should be available at all 102 facilities in the next year.
Van der Ross adds: “We’re enabling patrons to not only stay connected at all times, but helping our younger patrons become skilled in the digital and technology spaces.”
byron.lukas@inl.co.za