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Culture
Friends of the Library agreements
Agenda #5August 20, 2026
Summary
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The Council will consider authority to enter into an agreement with individual Friends of the Library groups at public libraries in the City of Cape Town.
Friends of the Library groups (often called FOCAL groups) are volunteer organisations attached to individual public libraries. They support libraries by raising funds, sponsoring programmes, repairing books and advocating for their local libraries. The City's library service is large. It has 102 service points, including 101 libraries and 1 satellite library. The Friends groups have often worked informally. One example is the Friends of Central Library, which runs a second-hand bookstore. Its proceeds fund library initiatives such as workshops and poetry circles.
Formal agreements give these volunteer arrangements a legal footing. The City has been signing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with individual groups. The agreements set out the roles and responsibilities of the volunteer groups. They also provide indemnity cover at no cost to the Friends, and they create opportunities for collaboration and resource-sharing. Council authority is typically needed because the agreements commit the City to obligations, such as insurance-type cover, and to relationships with outside bodies.
Recent reports show the rollout is under way. The City currently has 59 FOCAL groups. It hopes eventually to establish partnerships across all 101 public libraries. In Tokai, the MOU formalised the relationship between the Friends group and the City after three years of work with Library Services. The process can be slow. Standard agreements matter for citizens because they clarify what volunteers may do in public facilities and protect them from liability. They also make it easier for communities to support local libraries.
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