Cape Town libraries are helping learners prepare for examinations through free study spaces educational resources digital access and year-round academic support in communities citywide during exams.
With matric and other examinations under way, the City of Cape Town is encouraging learners to use public libraries as accessible learning spaces where they can study, access educational materials and connect to digital resources without additional cost.
The initiative highlights the wider social role public libraries can play in reducing barriers to education, particularly for learners who may not have quiet study environments, reliable internet connectivity or access to additional learning materials at home.
Libraries across the city provide quiet study areas throughout the year, with some making halls, open spaces and dedicated areas available during peak study and examination periods.
Study guides for Grades 8 to 12 are also available, covering subjects including languages, Life Sciences, Business Studies and Mathematics, subject to availability.
More than 350 study guides are currently outstanding, prompting the City to encourage residents who still have the resources to return them so they can be used by other learners preparing for examinations.
“As learners prepare for their exams, we want them to have access to the resources available at our public libraries. More than 350 study guides are still outstanding, and I’m asking anyone who has one at home to please return it,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham.
The sharing of these resources creates a simple form of community participation: returning one study guide can give another learner access to material that could support their examination preparation.
The City’s matric support programme extends beyond examination season, providing year-round access to study guides, previous examination papers, textbooks and tutorials.
Digital inclusion forms another part of the support available.
Through SmartCape, learners can access computers, internet facilities and Wi-Fi for online research and educational resources. Registered library members can also access eBooks and audiobooks through the OverDrive digital platform and Libby app.
Libraries additionally provide digital access to more than 7 000 local and international newspapers and magazines through PressReader.
These services broaden the role of libraries beyond lending books. They create community education hubs where physical infrastructure, connectivity, learning materials and information can be shared by learners regardless of their individual financial circumstances.
The value of sharing resources was also demonstrated during the City’s most recent Fine Free Week from 5 to 11 September 2026, when residents were encouraged to return outstanding library materials.
“The response to our Fine Free Week is always overwhelming and our librarians are grateful for every item returned,” said Higham.
“I want to encourage learners and students to return study guides as soon as possible. With the matric exams at hand, it’s a resource we’d like to share and make available for the next patron to use.”
She added that returning books gives another person the opportunity to discover a new story or conduct important research.
Among the most frequently returned titles during Fine Free Week were books from Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, alongside children’s titles including InvestiGators and Bunny vs Monkey.
For learners facing examinations, however, the return of educational material carries an additional social benefit.
Every study guide placed back on a library shelf becomes available to another learner. Every computer providing internet access can connect someone to educational material. Every safe study space can provide an environment in which a learner has an opportunity to prepare.
At a time when educational outcomes can be influenced by unequal access to resources outside the classroom, public libraries provide existing community infrastructure capable of helping narrow that gap.
By combining physical study spaces, educational materials, digital connectivity and year-round academic support, libraries are demonstrating how shared public resources can strengthen educational opportunity at community level.
