Public library will be ‘worth the wait’

BEES, leaking air-conditioners, a leaking roof and delays in the delivery of bookshelves have held up the re-opening of the Windhoek Public Library for one year now.

A former librarian at the library told The Namibian that she is concerned about the library books, which have been in storage for a year. They are in boxes stored in the basement of the library, which has ‘very little ventilation’, she said.She also said that water leaked into the basement during the rains in January, and that no one knows if any of the boxes were affected. And although a new roof and new air-conditioners were installed at the library last year, they are already leaking. ‘They have to re-do everything,’ she said.The Director of Libraries in the Ministry of Education, Veno Kauaria, said yesterday that ‘everything was delayed because of the renovation and shelf tender.’ She said the Ministry awarded a tender for the shelving last year but the company was unable to meet the Ministry’s specifications.’Eventually that tender fell away,’ she said. She said the Ministry will soon invite new tenders and hopes this will be done ‘before the end of the budget year’.To make matters worse, a swarm of bees has invaded the library, where they live between the ceiling and the roof. In some places, honey has formed puddles on the floor and dead bees litter the library’s main area.The Ministry, in consultation with private beekeepers and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, is in the process of deciding how to remove the bees.Kauaria said the bees were removed last year, but the queen remained behind and the bees returned.Kauaria also confirmed that although a new roof and a number of brand new air-conditioners were installed last year, the roof and the air-conditioners are leaking.Kauaria said with the open tender she wants to ensure ‘that we get quality work done’.In response to complaints from Windhoekers who miss the library, Kauaria said: ‘It’s going to be worth the wait once it opens.’