Hermanus and Hawston libraries made the Overstrand proud at the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport’s annual Cultural Awards held at the Artscape Centre in Cape Town.
Hermanus Library was crowned the Best Public Library in the Western Cape for the second consecutive year and also won the Best Friends of a Public Library Award. This library was also a runner-up in the Digital Literacy Champ division.
Hawston Public Library took top honours in the Community Impact Through Outreach Award and was also recognised as runner-up in the Reading and Literacy Champion Award.
This latest recognition adds to a proud history of awards for the library dating back to 2013 and will be added to the cabinet full of awards in the library’s entrance. Other awards won by Hawston Library in the past include Best Public Library Youth Services in 2015, Best Public Library: Child Services and a Ministerial Award in 2015. This library was also the winner of the Substantial Contribution to Reading and Literacy Award in 2025.
Lizé Richter of Hermanus Library and Belinda May from Hawston Library were joined at the gala event by Overstrand Mayor Archie Klaas, Aron Gcotyelwa from the Community Services Directorate and MMC for Community Services, Councillor Ronald Nutt.
Klaas said the awards reflected the exceptional work of the Overstrand library network.
“While we are celebrating a double win for Hermanus and Hawston, this is a proud moment for all our libraries and staff. Our teams work closely together, sharing ideas and running joint programmes that benefit communities across Overstrand.”
Strong motivation
In its motivations, Hermanus Library is described as a vibrant social hub that stands at the forefront of digital development by having been the first library in the province to issue electronic library cards, issuing the second-most e-books monthly on the Libby App across the entire province and providing advanced audio services such as the Victor Reader and Eye-Pal SOLO to scan and read text aloud for visually impaired patrons.
Special mention was also made of the outreach programmes run by the Friends of the Hermanus Library, including the Toy Library, holiday programmes for younger children and delivering books to local old age homes and retirement villages.
The motivation for Hawston Library in the Community Impact Through Outreach category makes it clear the reason this library won this prestigious award. The library works closely with Hawston Primary and Secondary schools and Fisherhaven Academy to promote reading and literacy development through various programmes and also offers a Pre-School/ECD Reading Programme, providing early exposure to books for children not attending preschool.
The library also assists residents with practical digital services, including CVs, school registrations, email accounts, Sars applications and other e-government services, in partnership with Thusong. A mini library for visually impaired residents is another example of its efforts to make library services accessible to the wider community.
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