Speakers
Dr Buhle Mbambo-Thata
Executive Director -UNISA Library, University of South Africa
Biography
Dr. Buhle Mbambo-Thata is Executive Director of Library Services at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Prior to that, she served as University Librarian at the University of Zimbabwe. She served a second term as member of the Governing Board. She has previously served on various committee affiliations including the Library Network of the Association of Commonwealth Libraries, the E-Knowledge Society for Women in Southern Africa, the Advisory Committees of EIFL Found.net, 2004–2007, and the Gender in Africa Information Network 1996–2001. She is a member of the Strategic Advisory Network of the Global Libraries Programme.
She holds the following qualification: DPhil (University of Pretoria); MLS (University of Botswana); Postgraduate Diploma in Library Studies (University of Botswana); BSc in Sociology (University of Zimbabwe).
Her research interests are in women and ICTs, emerging technologies, and technology applications in libraries.
Presentation Abstract
Turning the Page: A Library Perspective on the Book Industry in Transition South Africa
The book industry world over is in transition. The South African industry is no exception. There are increasing calls for more digital content to reach young populations. Furthermore, the resurgent demand for content in local languages creates a new opportunity for publishing. While the bulk of the published word in South Africa is in English, there is an increasing call for publishing in other 11 official languages.
The challenges of the book industry include:
(a) Remaining relevant to reading needs of younger populations.
(b) Remaining viable in terms of sales, while responding to needs of growing populations.
(c) Addressing the local language demands.
(d) Responding to digital content provisions.
This paper outlines the response of the government, non-government sector, libraries, and the publishing sector to not only develop the book sector to respond to the changing demands of the reading public, but to sustain it as a viable industry.