Expansion of the library service to Durban, 1931-1945
5.7. Collections
two members each from the Pietermaritzburg and Durban Library Committees447 to recommend to Council that Coblans448 take up a Carnegie Overseas Fellowship and the post of Chief Librarian of the College. There had been a long and inexplicable delay in Coblans undertaking this course of action. Eventually, Coblans was granted leave of absence from his lecturing post in the Chemistry Department in Durban to undertake a course in librarianship but, instead of travelling to the United States, he remained in South Africa and attended a course in librarianship in Cape Town in 1945.449
March 1937 and at the same time the books contained in the bookcase as well as a number of books from Howard College were transferred.453
As far as the “Non-European” section was concerned, Palmer wrote to the Durban Library Committee in 1936, “pointing out the necessity of some provision of books for the use of Non-European students of the N.U.C. Durban.”454 Her proposal that such provision should follow the pattern of the “Extra-Mural Library” at the Natal Technical College appears to have been accepted by the Library Committee. The first books were accessioned on 2nd November 1937. Palmer donated books from her own personal library and a number of books were moved from the Main Library in Howard College. It was also decided that “the Botany books in the N.U.C. Library Durban, should be
transferred to the Library established for the use of non-European students.”455 The entire collection was transferred from Sastri College to separate premises in 1943. A conditional gift of £250 for a dedicated building had been offered by a certain Mrs Whitehead456 but sadly the University did not reply within “the time limit”457 and the offer lapsed. Therefore the University rented a room at 78 Commercial Road in Durban to temporarily house the “Non-European” Library and, in spite of wartime restrictions, a function was organised in 1942 to celebrate the opening of this library at its new
premises.
The discussions of the Durban Library Committee in 1942 regarding the safety of the collections were a reminder that a world war was raging and that Durban was a
strategically important seaport. Jackson relates that on 30th May, 1942 and again, five days later, an unidentified aircraft, thought to be a Japanese “spotter” aircraft, flew over Durban. The result was the imposition of a blackout in the town.458 No lights – not even car headlights - were allowed on the streets or for 20 miles inland. It was also known that enemy submarines lurked off the south-east African coast and had sunk Allied
453 Natal University College, Library [Durban], Accessions register for Commerce Building, unpublished.
454 Natal University College, Durban Library Committee, Minutes of a meeting held on 28th August 1936.
455 Ibid.
456 No other information on this potential donor could be found.
457 Natal University College, Durban Library Committee, Minutes of a meeting held on 26th June 1942.
458 A. Jackson, Facts about Durban, 3rd. ed., Hillcrest: FAD, p. 31.
ships.459 The minutes of the meeting of 26th June 1942 discussed arrangements to be made “in the event of enemy action”460 in order to keep the collections safe. The Librarian reported that the accessions registers had been sent to Pietermaritzburg for safekeeping. Black-out materials had to be purchased for the libraries and the Howard College Library was closed during the lunch hour on Wednesdays as these were military drill days for, apparently, both staff and students.
As far as the allocation of books between the three Durban libraries is concerned, an interesting comparison of numbers of books to students was presented to the Durban Library Committee in 1943. Statistics were provided for each of the three Durban libraries and it was glaringly obvious that those students using the “Non-European”
Library had access to markedly fewer books than the other students although they, too, paid tuition fees.
Library No. of students No. of books Books per student Howard College 145 4,500 31
Commerce Library 156 6,000 38
“Non-European” Library 131 2,100 16
Table 5.1. Ratio of books to students in the Durban libraries, 1943461
Understandably, these students complained that library facilities were inadequate. The section offered courses in a range of subjects leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree but Library grants allocated for the purchase of books were too small to allow for the purchase of more than the basic texts. The Natal University College Students’ Union (Non-European), in a memorandum drawn up for the Natal Indian Judicial Commission, drew attention to the surplus of funds which they estimated were left over after overhead expenses had been met. For the three years from 1942 to 1944, they estimated that there would have been a surplus of £5,679. They urged the Natal Indian Judicial Commission
459 J.A. Buchanan & K.G. Buchanan, Personal communication, 21st July, 2007.
460 Natal University College, Durban Library Committee, Minutes of a meeting held on 26th June 1942.
461 Natal University College, Durban Library Committee, Minutes of a meeting held on 7th June 1943.
to “investigate and find out what has happened to the surplus balance,”462 pointing out that “The money has at no time been applied to the betterment of the Non-European classes.”463 There is no indication that the University authorities took cognisance of the complaints although in 1947 the Durban Library Committee, in a surprise move, decided to increase the monies allocated for purchasing books for the “Non-European”
Library.464 Their decision does not, however, appear to have been made in response to the memorandum.
Duplication of library materials between the three Durban libraries was not encouraged but practical difficulties were encountered in the prevention of duplication between the two centres. In 1944 Dr R.L. Rosenberg of the Department of Mathematics requested, via the Pietermaritzburg Library Committee, that “a complete catalogue of the books and journals of the N.U.C. Library in Durban be made available in the Pietermaritzburg Library, pointing out that this will avoid excessive duplication and increase our library facilities and also that current numbers of certain journals, which by arrangement are obtained in Durban and not in Pietermaritzburg, be circulated in the Pietermaritzburg Library one month after their arrival in Durban.”465 Professor Warren was requested to discuss the matter with the Chair of the Durban Library Committee and to report back to the Pietermaritzburg Library Committee. He spoke to Dr H. Coblans, apparently then Chair of the Durban Library Committee, who indicated that it would be impossible to implement the suggestion.466 Given the problems being experienced at the time with the administration of the Durban libraries, his answer is not surprising.