Meet the lady trying to save the Bulawayo Public Library

Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
A FEW weeks ago, Bulawayo woke up to the news that the Bulawayo Public Library is on the verge of collapse.
To the shock of many in the City of Kings, an institution that has stood proudly on the corner of 8th Avenue and Fort Street since 1886 was now suddenly under threat, with its roof threatening to collapse.

In addition, the city’s famous book bus, which is meant to bring books to the doorsteps of young people living on the outskirts of the city, is also in a sorry state and now only serves children in schools dotted around the Central Business District.

While the imminent collapse of the library was a surprise to a large majority of Bulawayo, for Acting Chief Librarian Rita Budi, who has watched the decay of this iconic building in real time, this was old news.

Budi is one of those that believes losing the Bulawayo Public Library would be like ripping out the city’s beating heart and hoping that it somehow continues to tick without it.

It is for this reason she, alongside her dedicated colleagues and other well-wishers, are fighting tooth and nail to save the library. Its death would be soul-destroying for a woman who has been practically raised by the libraries dotted around the city.

“My passion for reading and my passion for going to the library started way back when I was still a child. As you know these libraries groomed our lifestyle and groomed who we are. I used to go to the Nketa Library that is run by council. That was our library when I was a student at Manondwane Primary School. I would go there, do my homework, read and get some books then go back home. “When I was at Usher High School, we had a library and since I was a boarder, our only source of entertainment were the books. We would read novels and I used to love reading Pace Setters. That’s how I got to start loving the library, just that touch and feel of books. That’s where I grew my passion for the library,” she said in an interview. Budi said throughout her life, she felt as if an unseen force was shepherding her towards a career as a librarian.

“I got my Library and Information Science Degree at Nust. At first, I used to think, what will librarianship bring me but as I grew in that profession, I learnt that the library is not about the library only per se, but it is also about grooming and helping people in society. Everyone passes through a teacher or a book and that’s how I got to love my profession.

“I got my attachment at the Bulawayo Public Library and I think that’s when I got to learn properly about the library. I believe that I was one of the hard-working interns and I was called back after I did my internship and that’s how I got employed at the library,” she said.

Budi said the battle to save the library was personal for her, as she felt that she needed to bequeath the gift of books and knowledge that the city’s libraries had given her.

“I’m trying to save the Public Library because this is one of the most iconic buildings in Bulawayo. It has served so many people. Doctors have passed there and lawyers have passed there so I’m trying to make sure that our children and children’s children can also be served by the same institution. The library can save our teenagers and I believe that the key to this is showing them that the library is not only a place to read books but a source of all knowledge about life and growing up that they might need. Even a mother can be taught how to cook at the library. I think a lot of people are found wanting in life because they don’t want to do any personal development, something that I think is very important. I think the library can aid a great deal and also allow us to realise our own self-worth. It is for this very reason that I think the library is worth saving,” she said.

Budi said the library was a possible antidote for some of the social problems currently bedevilling the city. “Libraries help in fighting crime among youths and that is why we have programmes like the Catch Them Young at the library where we teach children how to read, we tell stories, do fun games which encourage them. We have movies every Friday because we are trying by all means to curb crime and make sure that our children avoid vuzu parties and drug abuse which is now at its peak. More so, we have also designed some programmes like the ‘creating a world for all ages’ where we do some career guidance, teach on importance of having skills and nurturing talent. We also designed the Izaga Symposium after we saw that our children are struggling with Izaga which were needed at school because of CALA. All these programmes were designed because the library is a place where people should feel at home and be at home. A programme I took with INELI (International Network of Library Innovators) helped us to travel and see how other libraries in the world are like and that has helped shape some of the policies and programmes we have created,” she said.