Johannesburg City Library boasts a rich history, with its first iteration opened to the public in 1890, four years after Johannesburg was officially declared a city in 1886. Initially, the library operated from temporary spaces, and it was only in 1898 that it moved to a permanent location on Kerk Street in the City Centre. It was only accessible to subscribers at that time.

Fast forward to 1923: after a rowdy meeting, subscribers agreed to transfer the library to the town council, making it a free-lending library. This was a significant change, making the Johannesburg City Library the first major library in the country to allow the free lending of books to the public. A new building was constructed on Market Square, which later became Beyers Naudé Square.

This grand, Italianate-style building with its marble columns, silver door handles, and Venetian teak floors opened to the public on August 6, 1935, and is now synonymous with the library. The library made history again in 1974 when it became the first South African public library to admit people of all races. After undergoing a R68-million renovation in 2009, largely funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, it reopened in 2012.

As a result of these renovations, the Johannesburg City Library expanded its collection to include eight distinct categories for visitors to explore. These include African Studies, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Young Adult Reference, Reference, Children’s Library, Adult Lending, and Newsroom materials. In addition, visitors are welcome to use the e-classroom and stacks. A theatre has been built and can be utilised for conferences and other activities. A music section presents individual listening and viewing stations, where visitors can enjoy recorded music and films. All in all, the library boasts an impressive collection of 1.5 million items, including approximately 700,000 books.

The Covid-19 pandemic and beyond (2020 –)

Johannesburg City Library has been closed to the public since March 2020. Initially, this closure was due to lockdown restrictions brought on by the pandemic. However, on May 24, 2021, it was announced that the library would remain closed until further notice. The reason cited was that the building needed major repairs and maintenance work before it could be deemed safe for public use. The estimated cost of these repairs was more than R100 million, and the reopening was estimated to occur in the 2025 financial year. This seemed excessive for a library that underwent extensive renovations as recently as 2012.

Following the library's closure, Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF) expressed its desire to assist the authorities in reopening the library as soon as possible. Like the JHF, Johannesburg In Your Pocket believes that authorities should not view libraries as a luxury or a non-essential service. Libraries like the Johannesburg City Library are essential facilities that promote learning and literacy, offering educational and recreational services to a diverse community of people, including scholars, students, researchers, inner-city residents, and citizens of Johannesburg.

Since 1994 the City Centre has converted from a commercial centre to a densely populated (in some districts) residential space. Thousands of people living within close walking distance of the library are deprived of a space for learning, reading, safety, and quiet. In a country where reading for meaning is becoming a scarce skill, the Johannesburg City Library – and all other libraries – plays a vital role. As the JHF pointed out, access to information is a right prescribed in South Africa's Bill of Rights. Therefore, every day that Johannesburg City Library remained closed was a violation of the rights of Johannesburg's citizens.

The JHF engaged with the City of Johannesburg and the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) to bring back those rights. JHF conducted a site visit in March 2024 and found that the essential fire suppression system, installed in 2012 during previous renovations, had not yet been commissioned. They recommend this be made a matter of emergency and completed within a few months for the library to be safe to reopen to the public. Additionally, the JHF found that a section of the roof was leaking, despite the JDA having previously employed and paid three different contractors to repair it. However, the leaking roof did not pose an immediate safety risk to the collections or the public. Therefore, with proper planning, it could be repaired while the library was open to the public. Following these findings, the JHF requested additional information so that their team of volunteer experts could help formulate an effective way forward. Some of this material has been provided but communications with the City are halting. 

Along with the JHF representatives, the Johannesburg Literary District's Griffin Shea was also part of the group invited to visit the library in March 2024. The Johannesburg Literary District is a project of the African Book Trust that celebrates the city's rich literary heritage by fostering a clean, safe, walkable neighbourhood around the Johannesburg City Library at Beyers Naudé Square. Throughout 2024, various projects like book donations, street libraries, street clean-ups, and a publishing programme enriched the community's literary experience while the Johannesburg City Library remained closed.

Public protest: Reopen the Johannesburg City Library!

Since communication reached a dead end, JHF started a petition and staged a public protest on May 18, 2024 to convince the authorities that this matter won't go away lightly and that there is strong public support for re-opening the library. All stakeholders and concerned citizens were encouraged to join and show their support for this vital educational and community resource. On May 24, 2024, the hard work of the JHF and its supporters was acknowledged when the City of Johannesburg issued a media release in which they addressed the issue. A month later, the JHF, along with Johannesburg Crisis Alliance and City of Johannesburg, also held a meeting to hand over the petition and discuss the way forward.

However, despite this victory, the fight is not over. Questions have been raised about the amount of money needed by the City to reopen the library. According to development manager Amogelang Kgoathe, the first phase cost R25.2 million (which included a R6 million project fee). He also revealed that a further R54 million is needed to complete the second phase of the library renovation. Furthermore, while a commitment has been made to reopen the library within six months of the meeting, the JDA has yet to give residents a final date for reopening.

The JHF has vowed to continue monitoring the situation to make sure that the library reopens as soon as possible. "There is no democracy without books," says historian Achille Mbembe; "Libraries should never be closed; Johannesburg City Library must be reopened. Books and libraries are the dignity promised in the Freedom Charter."

You can help support the city's libraries in other ways with The Friends of the Johannesburg Public Libraries' regular Bumper Book Sale. A day-long sale of second-hand fiction and non-fiction, art books, Africana, and collectables at prices as low as R15. All proceeds go towards supplementing the book stocks of Joburg’s libraries, particularly those in underprivileged areas, and reading programmes to encourage residents to use their libraries. Keep your eyes on the Joburg Libraries Facebook page for announcements and details on the next sale.

In the most recent update on this issue (September, 2024), the City of Johannesburg agreed to the partial reopening of the library within six months. We'll be watching this space like hawks.