Governance

In terms of Section 6 of the National Library of South Africa Act, the National Library is controlled by a Board. The Minister of Arts and Culture appoint Board members from a short list drawn up by an advisory panel after a public call for nominations. The chief executive officer of the National Library, known as the National Librarian, is an ex officio member.

The Board has a large degree of autonomy; it can formulate the policies of the National Library (in consultation with the Minister); approve its budget; appoint the chief executive officer, management team and other employees, and  determine the remuneration and benefits of its employees. In this respect the governance of the National Library resembles that of other South African statutory institutions such as the universities, national research institutions and museums.

Core functions

 The National Library of South Africa's core national library functions are described in
Section 4 subsection 1 of the National Library Act, No 92 of 1998, and cover the following broad areas:

• to build up a complete collection of published documents emanating from or relating to South Africa;
• to maintain and extend any other collections of published and unpublished documents with the emphasis on documents emanating from or relating to Southern Africa;
• to promote the optimal management of collections of published documents held in South African libraries as a national resource; and
• to render a national bibliographic service and to act as the national bibliographic agency;
• to promote optimal access to published documents, nationally and internationally;
• to provide reference and information services, nationally and internationally;
• to act as the national preservation library and to provide conservation services on a national basis;
• to promote awareness and appreciation of the national published documentary heritage; and
• to promote information awareness and information literacy.

Vision

The National Library of South Africa is the leading national library and information centre of excellence in Africa and the world.

Mission

The National Library of South Africa, as the primary resource and custodian of South African documentary heritage, promotes creative, effective and efficient universal access to information.