National Library of Namibia
{{Short description|National library of Namibia}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox library
|name = National Library of Namibia
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|established = 1926
| type = National library
|location = Windhoek, Namibia
| country = Namibia
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|legal_deposit = Yes
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The National Library of Namibia (NLN) is the legal deposit and copyright library for Namibia. The library is situated in Windhoek.{{Cite web|title=IFLA Library Map of the World|url=https://librarymap.ifla.org/countries/Namibia|access-date=2021-05-19|website=librarymap.ifla.org}} NLN belongs to the National Library and Archives service of the Namibian government, in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture.{{Cite web | title=History of the National Archives of Namibia | publisher=Government of Namibia | url=https://nan.gov.na/fi/historical-background | accessdate=7 May 2022}} The National Library is guided by a Policy Framework for Libraries and Allied Information Agencies for Namibia of 1997 and the Namibia Library and Information Service Act 4 of 2000.
History
The institution was established in the Tintenpalast building as the Legislative Assembly Library of South West Africa in 1926. Items from the Bibliothek des Kaiserlichen Gouvernements ({{langx|de|Library of the Imperial Government}}) from the time of Imperial German colonisation were incorporated and formed the core of the initial collection. It was renamed South West Africa Administration Library in 1957. In 1960, responsibility for the library shifted from the Parliament of South Africa to the government, and the library now fell under the Ministry of Education. In 1965 it opened to the public.{{Cite journal | title=The National Library of Namibia | last1=Senzanje | first1=Nomusa | last2=Jacobi | first2=Barbara | journal=Namibia Library and Archives Service Information Bulletin | issue=1 | year=2012 | publisher=Government of Namibia | issn=2026-707X | pages=7–10 | url=http://www.nln.gov.na:8081/custom/web/content/2012%20newsletter.pdf}}
In 1984 the library moved to the Estorff House nearby and was renamed Estorff Reference Library. After Namibian independence in 1990 the library was administered by the Government of Namibia, and on 1 April 1994 became the National Library of Namibia. On 20 March 2000, the eve of the 10th independence celebrations, the library moved into its current building in Eugène Marais Street in downtown Windhoek, sharing it with the National Archives of Namibia.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Johan Loubser (2003). National Library of Namibia. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science
- {{citation |publisher=International Federation of Library Associations |location=The Hague |quote=Freedom of access to information |oclc=225182140 |work= World Report 2010
|title= Namibia
|url= http://db.ifla-world-report.org/home/map#/2/2/XJQKNCDFSWT18Y7
}} (Includes information about the national library)
External links
- [http://www.nln.gov.na/ Official site]
{{Africa topic|title=African national libraries|prefix=National Library of}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Government of Namibia
Category:Buildings and structures in Windhoek