The library was established primarily to supplement and facilitate the study of the Public Records of Central and Southern Africa. The library acquire, preserve and provide access to published material, a reference collection of standard bibliographies and a technical collection to assist the staff in carrying out their duties. The nucleus of the library was established by the acquisition of the Hiller loan collection in 1936. This collection of Rhodesiana had been built up over a period of ten years. During its infants, the library's collection was boosted by two main deposits i.e. the Diocese of Southern Rhodesia and the Queen Victoria Memorial Collection. The latter consists entirely of annual and occasional government reports, reports of municipalities and other bodies. This deposit was in 1936. However, some of our collection dates as far back as the 18th Century.
Library Collections
• Books,pamphlets,periodicals, reports
• Non book i.e maps, plans, photographs,
The main classes and subjects within the collection are as follows:
|
CLASS |
SUBJECTS |
|
Generalities |
Committies,commissions and associations Conferences and meetings Exhibitions Research institutions Miscellaneous library /Archive holdings |
|
Religion |
Christian religion Other religions |
|
Social sciences |
Sociology (community development, self-help projects) Political Science(Internal politics,elections,migration of people, political parties) Economics(labor&unemployment,money,taxes) Law, legislation(international / world organizations,frontiers, |
|
Public Administration,Defence |
Civil Service Officials Police Housing,communications,Local government ,Central |
|
Social Relief And welfare |
Social Relief, welfare, Secret societies,social&philanthropic clubs Social and national movements Patriotic bodies, youth movements |
|
Ethnography |
African people, European people |
|
Natural sciences |
Astronomy,surveying,geodesy,geology&collateral |
|
Applied Science |
Medicine, engineering& technology,agriculture,forestry, |
|
Arts ,Recreation etc. |
Physicalplanning,architecture,sculpture,drawings, |
|
Biography |
Personalia (pioneer groups, heraldry) |
|
History |
Pre -1890,Malawi ,Zambia and Zimbabwe(General history South Africa(mainly Anglo Boer War 1899-1902, Jameson |