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Fish Hoek Library
Fish Hoek Library
	34°08′10″S 18°25′36″E / 34.13606679364871°S 18.426529805662152°E
Location	Civic Centre, Central Circle, Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa
Type	Public library
Established	1954
Branch of	City of Cape Town Library and Information Services
Collection
Size	92,414 (June 2014)
Access and use
Circulation	423,517 (2016)
Population served	11,890 (2011)
Members	8195
Other information
Employees	14 employees
Website	Fish Hoek Library

Fish Hoek Library is a public library in the seaside suburb of Fish Hoek in Cape Town, South Africa. It was ranked 5th in the City of Cape Town's top circulating libraries in 2015^[1]

The library provides access to two online encyclopedias. The library's holdings can be searched online via the City of Cape Town's Open Public Access Catalogue (OPAC).^[2]

Fish Hoek is a bedroom community with approximately 12,000 residents.^[3] To allow commuters to access resources, the library is open on Monday and Thursday evenings. The library opened on 1 April 1954 in an old municipal building and was run for the next 36 years by Ethel May Gillard.^[4] The library opened its current location^[5] in 1988^[4]

The children's section of the library is used by grandparents who are taking care of their grandchildren while parents are working in the city. On Friday mornings, the library operates a Story Hour for small children.^[6]

As part of the Smartcape initiative^[7] for poor residents of Cape Town, the library also offers free access to 10 computers, which can be used to edit documents, create presentations and access the internet.^[8] Also a part of community outreach programs is a book service to local old-age homes, as well as specialised services to local home schoolers.

The library holds a monthly literary tea talk,^[9]^[10] featuring local authors, who visit to discuss their books and conducts a regular book sale. Originally begun as a fundraising event, the annual "Library Alive" promotional fundraiser is now a regular annual event.^[11]

In 2015, the library implemented the annual "Blown Away By Books" festival.^[12] Although originally presented by Fish Hoek Library, the festival has now grown to include nearby libraries in Masiphumelele, Ocean View, Kommetjie and Simons Town.^[13]

On the second and last Saturdays of the month, the library hosts a craft market.^[14]

The library in the Masiphumelele township was managed by the Fish Hoek library from 2003 until 2010,^[15] when it was reclassified as a separate branch.

References

^ "Annual Review 2015" (PDF). Western Cape Library Service. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
^ "OPAC". Retrieved 30 May 2017.
^ "City of Cape Town – 2011 Census Suburb Fish Hoek". City of Cape Town. 29 May 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
^ ^a ^b "False Bay Echo April 10 2014".
^ "Library Location". Retrieved 27 May 2017.
^ "Story Time". Retrieved 29 May 2017.
^ "Smartcape". Retrieved 30 May 2017.
^ "Smartcape". Retrieved 30 May 2017.
^ "Literary Tea". Retrieved 30 May 2017.
^ "Literary tea". Retrieved 27 May 2017.
^ "Library Alive". Retrieved 30 May 2017.
^ "Blown Away by Books". Retrieved 27 May 2017.
^ "Events". Retrieved 27 May 2017.
^ "Craft market". Retrieved 27 May 2017.
^ "Masiphumelele library". Retrieved 29 May 2017.