Official name of the country: Republic of South Africa / Republiek van Suid-Afrika
Official languages: English, Afrikaans as well as 9 African languages

Official name of Parliament:* Parliament of the Republic of South Africa / Parlement van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika
Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Member of the ASGP
-Bicameral -

For the parliaments of the Provinces of the Republic of South Africa see World directory of parliamentary libraries of federated states and autonomous territories

Official names of Chambers: The National Council of Provinces (1)
National Assembly (2)
The Library serves both chambers of the Parliament

2. Address
Parliament of the Republic of South Africa
The Library of Parliament
Parliament Street
P.O. Box 18
8000 Cape Town
Tel.: *(27)(21)4032140/3
Fax: *(27)(21)4614331

3. Details on the Library
Year of foundation: 1857
Person in charge: Mr Albert Ntunja
Position or official title: Chief Librarian
Number of library staff: 45
Number of professional librarians: 22
Number of secretarial and support staff: 23
Size of collection: 80.000
Number of annual accessions: 2.470
Annual acquisitions budget: R 358.000
Number of current periodicals: 2.518
Periodicals indexed for relevant articles: No
Number of current newspapers: 30
Press cuttings: Yes, but the Library does not process press cuttings but subscribes to an effective press cutting service provided by the Institute of Contemporary History (INCH) of the University of the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein. The Library has direct access to a computerised indexing database maintained by INCH and receives regularly updated classified sets of microfiched cuttings taken from 60 of South Africa's leading daily newspapers and news journals
Indexing of Parliamentary Papers: Yes, the Library is responsible from 1991 for the compilation and maintenance of a computerised index of official documents tabled in Parliament. A printed version of this index has not been produced to date. The departments of the Secretariat, which are responsible for the production, e.g. reporting, editing, translation and publication, of the Debates and Minutes of Proceedings of both chambers of Parliament, are also responsible for its indexing
Library in charge of the archival materials of the Parliament: Yes
Library uses a thesaurus or a classification system for subject indexing: Classification system
Automation of cataloguing: Yes
Is the automated library catalogue accessible as an online catalogue to outside users?: No
Clientele: Members, parliamentary staff; State Residency, Government, judges of the Supreme Court; scholars (by special permission)
Number of reading rooms: 1 (30)
Number of loans per year: 5.000
Reference services: 4.500
Current bibliographies: 1
Retrospective subject bibliographies: No
External database searches: 2.500
Analysis and research: No
Right to deposit: The Library is entitled by law to receive a copy of every South African publication, but uses the legal deposit privilege selectively. While the Library's acquisition programme concentrates on the subject area of the social sciences, particularly political science, legislative systems, parliamentary procedure, economics, public finance, law, goverment and administration, general works are also acquired
Depository library: United Nations, World Health Organization, International Labour Organization
Other special collections of the Library: Mendelssohn Africana collection, parliamentary and official documents collection
IFLA membership: Yes

4. Publications published by the Library
New accessions
4 to 6 times p.a.

5. Publications concerning the Library
Report of the Committee of Enquiry into a research service for parliamentarians : RP 35/1986

6. Parliamentary documents
Parliament
Committee reports
Mainly the reports, with evidence, of committees dealing with public accounts (financial matters)
- Debates of joint sittings of both Houses of Parliament : (Hansard)
Minutes of proceedings of joint sittings of both Houses of Parliament
The National Council of Provinces
Debates : (Hansard)
Published in a hard-bound multivolume sessional edition and a paperbound weekly edition. - Contains the full text of speeches delivered in the National Council of Provinces. - In addition to lists of names of Cabinet Ministers, office bearers of Parliament and Members of the Senate it also contains a separate list of members of the National Council of Provinces arranged according to the provinces that are represented. - The sessional edition includes a separate index volume which contains indexes of speeches arranged according to speakers and subjects as well as a volume for Interpellations, questions and replies. - The weekly edition contains basically the same information and differs only with regard to the indexing which is less comprehensive and is limited to an index of proceedings arranged according to broad subject headings and an index to speeches arranged according to speakers, both cumulating from the start of each session
Order papers
Minutes of proceedings
Standing rules
The National Assembly
Debates : (Hansard)
Published in a hard-bound multivolume sessional edition and a paperbound weekly edition. - Contains the full text of speeches delivered in the National Assembly. - In addition to lists of names of Cabinet Ministers, office bearers of Parliament and Members of the National Assembly it also contains separate lists of the Members of the National Assembly who serve as a national representatives and as regional representatives. - The sessional edition includes a separate index volume which contains indexes of speeches arranged according to speakers and subjects as well as a volume for Interpellations, questions and replies. - The weekly edition contains basically the same information and differs only with regard to the indexing which is less comprehensive and is limited to an index of proceedings arranged according to broad subject headings and an index to speeches arranged according to speakers, both cumulating from the start of each session
Order papers
Minutes of proceedings
Standing rules

(updated in November 1995)