Durban University of Technology Library Sites Manager Mrs Lucille Elizabeth Webster continues to fly DUT’s flag high after being appointed as a member of the National Council for Library and Information Services (NCLIS) for the second term.

The NCLIS is the overarching body for the library and information profession. Mrs Webster was appointed to the Council by the Minister of Arts and Culture Paul Mashatile. The brief of the Council is to advise the Minister of Arts and Culture and the Minister of Education on matters relating to library and information services. One of the significant functions of NCLIS also includes the development of policies, principles and criteria that should govern the allocation of public funds for library and information services.

Mrs Webster is one of three representatives from KwaZulu-Natal who will serve on the Council. “I feel honored to be nominated for a second term in office and I guess this is a vote of confidence in me,” she said.

Mrs Webster has served on various committees and associations related to libraries during her career. She is an active member of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) which allows her to be in touch with burning issues in the profession. She has also served from 2007-2011 as a committee member on The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users.

During her first term in the NCLIS, Mrs Webster and other colleagues developed the Library and information Services Transformation Charter. As a member of the Reference Group, the team had to provide constructive criticism and additions that helped shape the charter as it developed through several drafts.

“This was an amazing experience for me which exposed me to the multi-faceted nature of librarianship in South Africa. As a librarian based in higher education I am also passionate about the education and training of future librarians and information professionals. I hope to be able to contribute to this during my second term,” she said.

Mrs Webster started her second term of office in January. She is expected to meet Minister Mashatile within the next month. Because needs such as healthcare and infrastructure remain high on South Africa’s needs, Mrs Webster said it is difficult to convince poverty-stricken people that libraries are not a luxury, but a necessity. “It is easier to convince someone of the benefits of reading, literacy and libraries if they have had some exposure, so for me it is get them while they are young,” she said.

She hopes that her second term will allow her to make greater progress with the challenge of schools lacking libraries or resource centres, a challenge she knows all too well. “As a librarian at a higher education institution, I can see the challenges faced by our students who come from schools or communities where there are no libraries. If we want to improve our matric results, then we must start at the beginning at grade R with a library in each school,” she said.

– Sinegugu Ndlovu