New Library to Connect Worcester Community

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) hosted the community of Avian Park in Worcester at the sod-turning ceremony for the new Worcester Public Library, officiated by the Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais, on Tuesday 5 May 2015.

This ceremony signified the beginning of the construction for a community in desperate need of a public library. Constructed at a cost of R5 million, the Avian Park Library is one of six libraries in the Western Cape that will be constructed in the current financial year. There is a dire need for this facility, serving a community of over 16 000 residents and 4000 households. It will be approximately 500 square metres in size.

“There is a huge need for a library in the community of Avian Park,” said Executive Mayor of Breede Valley, Ms. Antoinette Steyn. “We want to thank DCAS for their support in empowering the youth of Avian Park. Our aim is to leave a legacy of knowledge behind for the next generation because knowledge is power and we have to empower the youth in order to shape the next generation of leaders.”

“The Library Service forms an important part of the Department’s outreach to educate and connect communities,” Minister Marais said in her key note address.

The Avian Park Library is projected to open to the public in January 2016.

DCAS and its partners are committed to connect people with public spaces such as libraries where they can grow and develop as a community, BETTER TOGETHER.