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Knowledge and information are regarded as vital resources needed for the development of all sectors in any community or nation. Libraries thus serve as reservoirs and repositories of knowledge and information from all fields of learning and are playing a very important role in facilitating access to global information and knowledge resources. One of the major roles of libraries is thus to ensure that knowledge remains accessible and available to users and future generations of scholars and to satisfy the information needs of the citizens. Therefore, a nation without functional libraries and information centres may lack access to information that would enable sustainable development. Public libraries have perfomed a unique and critical role in Africa, and since the inception of the first public library in 1818, the South African library and information services landscape has also been the reflection of the socio-political order and developments in the country. The IFLA/UNESCO Public Library Manifesto (1994) described the public library as an organisation that provides access to knowledge, information, and works of imagination through a wide range of resources and services, making it available equally to all members of the community regardless of race, nationality, age, gender, religion, language, disability, economic and employment status. It is the local gateway to knowledge that provides a basic condition for lifelong learning, independent decision-making, and cultural development of individual and social groups (The IFLA/UNESCO Public Library Manifesto, 1994).
Edwards, Raunseo, and Unger (2013) classified public library services into five broad categories: libraries as community builders, libraries as community centres for a diverse population, libraries as centres for the arts, libraries as universities, and libraries as champions of youths. These libraries have provided free access to resources that stimulate the mind, nourish generations of African imaginations native-born and immigrants, rich and poor and connect individuals to people and events outside the boundaries of their own experiences. Therefore, one of the fundamental rights that need to be considered for all members of a society is the right to access all facilities, resources and services despite their varying abilities or limitations. However, public library user needs have changed through the years, requiring these institutions to provide facilities to meet these needs, and they thus need to be flexible and address the new needs to ensure their continued growth and survival, while also maintaining their relevance in the digital transformation era.