As knowledge powerhouses, libraries have survived by adapting to the advances of humankind across the ages.  The 2021 South African Library Week (SALW) theme Libraries Matter challenges us to think deeper about the significance of libraries to an individual, a community and society.

Libraries, through their evolution as social institutions and community assets:

• are a significant link in the knowledge creation value chain;
• connect people to the past for answers to the present and future;
• challenge and shape an individual’s thinking;
• unlock the limitations of one’s mind to the world of possibilities;
• preserve the past for future generations;
• and during these COVID pandemic times, continue to demonstrate their value and relevance by navigating interchangeably between the physical and virtual environments.