User:AKibombo/sandbox/Harare City Library

Harare City Library is a Zimbabwean public library service located in the capital, Harare. It is situated along Rotten Row Road and was established by the "Harare City Library Act [Chapter 25:05] as the Harare City Library Trust, whose assets are vested in the Board for the people of Zimbabwe".

History & etymology
A Reading and Recreation Society started a collection of books and newspapers in the early years of colonization and by 1893 it had developed into a small public subscription library. It had become known as the Salisbury Public Library by 1896, and in 1898 a library committee had been appointed by the Salisbury Town Council, as it was then.

The original Queen Victoria Memorial building, housing both a library and a museum, was opened in Moffat Street (now Leopold Takawira Street) on 28 February 1903 by Lady Eveline Milton, the wife of the Administrator. It had been constructed at a cost of £9,000 with money raised from public subscriptions, and books were donated by Lord Grey and the City of London.However, the building was apparently not well suited to function as a library and was demolished in 1963 to make way for a new school hall at the Girls' High School next door.

Initially established in 1902 as the Queen Victoria Memorial Library and Museum, it was designated as a lending and reference library for the then colony's first settlers. In 1982, The Queen Victoria Memorial Library and Museum separated, and the library portion of it became Harare City Library operating five existing branches. The five branches had been gradually established in the suburbs : Mount Pleasant Branch was established first (in 1966), Highlands(1968), Hatfield (1969), Mabelreign (1971) and finally Greendale (1976).

Run under the City of Salisbury Effectively, the City of Salisbury had two racially separated library systems: the Queen Victoria Memorial Library and its satellite branches for whites, and a system of libraries for blacks in the townships, run from the proceeds of Salisbury’s beer gardens.

Collection
in 2014, the library subscribed to and facilitated access to a number of online resources

The Doris Lessing Collection
In 2014, the library was the recipient of over 3000 items from the estate of the late author, Doris Lessing. Named the Doris Lessing Collection, it was unveiled to the public in April 2016.

Pettina Gappah
In 2016, the library renamed its children’s section the Petina Gappah Children’s Library in recognition

Activities
As of 2014, the library had plans to

It was also reported that the library hosts a Children's Reading Tent at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair.