A programme called Electronic Bridges will be launched later this year to connect all 89 libraries in the North East province of Mpumalanga, allowing readers to find a specific publication if it is not in their local library.
The government says the programme should be operational by the end of this year and the 1.2 million books on the province`s library system will be on a searchable database.
"People will then be able to access information from other libraries in a matter of minutes without actually visiting that library," says Francois Hendrikz, head of the Mpumalanga library services.
Readers can then order books they cannot get at their local library, and receive them within two weeks.
"The idea is to level the playing field because people in deep rural areas have libraries with very few books, and we don`t want them to feel that just because they live in rural areas they don`t deserve the best service," says Hendrikz.
The programme is funded through a R5 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation in New York.
The money will be used to equip all libraries with computers, to train librarians, as well as set up the database and a Web site.
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