In this issue:

In hierdie uitgawe:

Birthdays/Verjaarsdae
October/Oktober
November
December/Desember
Staff news / Personeelnuus
Did you know? / Het jy geweet?
	Letter of the Editor
	Open Scholarship Office’s agreement with the Department of Information Science
	EAHIL + ICAHIS +ICLC Workshop
	SA Librarian’s Day 10 July
	Northumbria conference
	The Hoffmann Project of Cultural Knowledge exhibition
	The Impact of research data management in the profile and standing of the University of Purdue
	400th Anniversary of Peregrinação - exhibition
	Elsevier author and reviewer workshop
	‘LIGHT: Beyond the Bulb’: Exhibition in the Merensky 2 Library
	National Women’s Day Event - Discover that you are truly fearless and fabulous!
	Department of Library Services’ Nelson Mandela International Day Project 2015
	Casual Day 2015
	‘Living a life with books’ - National Book Week event
	National Book Week For Dummies – NO INSULT INTENDED!
	Heritage day event and exhibition
	Collaboration with the Department of Visual Arts
	Flashmob
	MakerSpace news
	IFLA conference
	The Medical Library: on the move again
	Information Science students gain experience on Onderstepoort campus
	Spring Day
	IR Forum
	Curiosities from the Cabinet
	Visitors to the Merensky 2 Library
	News from the Oliver R Tambo Law Library
	New e-books
	Special Collections book of the month

If you have any feedback, regarding this newsletter, article ideas or suggestions,

please contact the editorial staff:

Indien jy enige terugvoer, artikels,

voorstelle het vir of oor hierdie nuusbrief,

kontak asseblief die redaksie:

Elsabé Olivier

Articles/

Artikels

elsabé.olivier@up.ac.za

of / or

Diana Gerritsen

Design and Layout /

Ontwerp en Uitleg

diana.gerritsen@up.ac.za

Birthdays

May your birthday be filled with many happy hours and your life with many happy birthdays.

Verjaarsdae

Mag jou verjaardag gevul word met baie gelukkige ure en jou lewe met baie gelukkig verjaarsdae.

Het jy geweet .......

.... pop corn was invented 

by the Aztec Indians.

Did you know.......

...  Switzerland eats the most chocolate equating to 10 kilos per person per year. 

Contributed by Diana Gerritsen

July, August and September were busy months and we hosted and organized a variety of events. Thanks you to all our contributors!

Another word of thanks to everyone who participated in our Newsletter survey. Diana and I have reviewed your inputs and comments and have acted on them where possible. Faculty library managers are regularly contacted for contributions and we try to keep the articles short and concise.

Enjoy reading our latest edition!  

Elsabé Olivier

Editor

Open Scholarship Office’s agreement with the Department of Information Science

During the week of 06 July to 17 July 2015, the Open Scholarship Office (OSO) in the UP Merensky Library hosted 46 final-year Information Science (INL 370) students as part of an experiential learning project. As part of the agreement between the Department of Information Science and the Open Scholarship Office, students would receive training and work experience that will prepare them for work life after studies. We had to teach them time management and project management, as well as how to work accurately; we believe that those are the factors to make it in the corporate world. The students contributed 80 working hours to the institutional repository (UPSpace) and the digitisation centre. The students worked on a variety of projects and materials, including photographic collections from the Department of Architecture, special collections materials such as historic maps and documentations from old Pretoria, and the Woodhouse Rock art collection. Students gained basic knowledge of the workings of the institutional repository, Dspace software, and the importance of the Open Access movement. The overall project was a success as we (OSO) managed to grow the repository with an additional 6 500 items. We would like to thank the Department of Information Science for having faith in us and also to thank everyone who was involved in making the project successful. It was an unforgettable experience!

Contributed by Tlou Mathiba

I was fortunate to attend the European Association for Health Information and Libraries (EAHIL), the International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists (ICAHIS), and International Clinical Librarian Conference (ICLC) Workshop in Edinburgh from 9 to 12 June 2015. The Workshop was a collaboration between the EAHIL, ICAHIS, and the ICLC. The theme of the Workshop was Research-Minded: understanding, supporting, conducting research.

The aim of the EAHIL Workshop was to equip participants with a greater understanding of, and practical skills in, research approaches and methods. The rationale behind this theme was that an understanding and experience of research will enable librarians to improve their support to clinicians, researchers, lecturers and students. Several topics were presented in different workshop sessions. These include, among others, the following:  communication skills, mixed methods, qualitative methods, quantitative methods, research data management, and systematic reviews.  The format of the workshop sessions was participative and practical.  

Keynote speakers emphasised the importance of research and the role of the library as an essential partner in knowledge creation.

The ICAHIS was a satellite conference of the Workshop, and presented on Tuesday, 9 June, at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus. This was the eighth ICAHIS, which is a highlight every time for veterinary librarians around the globe.

I was also fortunate to attend a Historical tour of veterinary education in Edinburgh, led by the really delightful Colin Warwick and Alastair MacDonald. This was a walking tour through the historical part of Edinburgh, along all sites relevant to and of interest of the development of veterinary medicine in Edinburgh.

The workshops and ICAHIS conference were both excellent learning opportunities and I gained numerous new knowledge on topics, formerly not very familiar to me.

Contributed by Marguerite Nel

South African Librarian’s Day

South African Librarian’s Day was celebrated on 10 July 2015. On this day librarians, as specialised experts in their respective fields, reflected on the role they play in facilitating access to information and contributing to an informed and knowledgeable nation. At the Department of Library Services we celebrated our dynamic profession by having a little fun! We challenged the stereotypical perceptions of librarians as women who wear buns and spectacles, hushing library patrons and stamping books at the counter, and either dressed up or down. A number of faculty libraries and units took part in this celebration: Humanities (levels six and one), Health Sciences, Natural Sciences and Engineering, Pre-clinical, the Digitisation Office, and even the guys in IT support. The Humanities ladies who all dressed up in black stole the show with their outfits and boast 48 likes and 8 comments on our Facebook page. The photographs can be viewed here.

Contributed by Lidia Swart and Elsabé Olivier

This conference was all about librarians talking performance measurements!

Before I give you my conference feedback, I have to first rave about the host city and country.  Edinburgh is one of the cultural (host to the Yearly Edinburgh International Book Fair) and historical meccas of Europe - and they have the ghosts to prove it.  Both its Old and New Towns have been declared UNESCO World Heritage sites, with over 4,500 listed (protected) buildings.  Edinburgh is also known for its renowned residents – Adam Scott (author of Wealth of Nations – standard textbook for business school students), Sir Walter Scott, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes), Alexander McCall Smith, and JK Rowling (of Harry Potter fame), Alexander Graham Bell (hopefully related to me as I have Bell’s in my family), Charles Darwin, Sean Connery, Tony Blair, and so the list goes on. The one resident that will always stay in my heart is Bobby or Greyfriars Bobby.  Bobby is a Skye Terrier who kept vigil over his dead master's grave in Greyfriars Church yard for 14 years until his own death in the 1860s or 1870s.  Bobby is immortalised in a statue just outside the Greyfrairs Pub and Churchyard.  Visitors to this day flock to his grave to bring him sticks to play fetch with in Heaven.

Old Town Skyline Panorama

And then there is bonnie auld Scotland (beautiful old Scotland). Three phrases sum it up - rolling green hills and glens, bagpipes and men wearing skirts! A must for your bucket list. 

Now, back to the conference.

The Conference was spread over three days, giving the ± 200 delegates the opportunity to choose and listen to a selection of 81 presentations.

Going through my notes, I could see a distinct golden thread tying the conference together, namely “Engagement”. You may now ask, what does engagement have to do with performance measurements or library stats? Let me explain.

Firstly, just being at this conference and engaging with other likeminded people was a huge learning opportunity – discovering what their challenges around measuring performance are and the creative solutions they use. 

Engaging also meant bumping into fellow South Africans. I was surprised and elated to bump into Elsabé Olivier at the breakfast table – we realised we had a lot in common and could learn a lot from one another. We also met fellow librarians from Northwest University as well as the University of Cape Town.

Secondly, through engaging with students, staff, faculty and outsiders (stakeholders), you can collect a magnitude of information or data (statistics) to apply in various scenarios in your organization. This leads me to the sub themes of the conference.

·         Strategic planning and setting of goals and objectives: The starting point for determining the “what” and “why” of collecting statistics. I want to collect data (you need to engage to get the data) on what type of queries my team deals with to determine if I have the correct staffing resources to address these queries. You don’t want to use a professional staff member to answer general queries such as “where can I make a photocopy?”  

It is also important to remember that your statistics need to tell the story you want to tell (this links back to doing proper strategic planning).

·         Continuous improvement: This must be one of the main reasons we collect data; to see where our service offerings need improvement. There are several creative ways to engage with stakeholders – log your experiences in an experience diary, take a photo about your experience, and use social media, for example.
 

·         User experiences: We no longer work with just library patrons. We need to acknowledge and treat them as customers. We need to engage with them to understand their needs. Their needs can range from specific resources to how we design our library spaces (we even heard from two institutes where a parent/family room was requested and opened). We must never assume we know our customers. We need to engage and build relationships with them to understand them in order to make a difference and make an impact.  

Dr John Scally, National Librarian in Scotland, illustrated our changing needs perfectly in this extended version of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:

(As a good librarian, I wanted to reference this, but the creator /original source is unknown)
 

·         Co-creation: Co-creation was discussed in two difference contexts. Firstly, as mentioned under user experiences, we need our customers’ input to co-create the library space – we need to understand their needs. The library is no longer rows and rows of bookshelves – it is a place where knowledge gets created through learning, collaboration, playing and reflection. Someone made the comment, “It is alive!”

Secondly, information professionals need to become more actively involved in the co-creation of faculty research outputs. We already engage with them when they are busy with their research, so why not “demand” to be mentioned when the article is published. This will allow information professionals to have bibliometric profiles – a method to measure their performance.

·         Shift to the engagement model: Why can we not participate in the entire research life cycle? We need to start promoting our participation in research. Judith Siess says it perfectly: “Become the "squeaky wheel and attract the attention your work deserves”. Remember to log those statistics – you need the data to tell your story.

·         Good data, not just BIG data: As information professionals we love gathering data (statistics). Why would we be at a conference about the topic if we did not? The challenge is, do we collect the correct data? Can we use the data we collect to make better decisions; get a “balcony view” of our activities? Can we segment our data according to specific requirements? What do we have and what can we use it for?

·         Reflection: The statistics we gather now might be relevant now. We have to keep on reflecting to make sure we measure the correct activities. Reflection can also be benchmarking this year’s data with the previous years. Are there any patterns? Reflection, again, also includes engaging - engaging with previous data.

The most important tip to remember - Make data collection fun and engaging! 

Contributed by Beulah Muller

During the first week of August the Merensky 2 Library hosted an exhibition, featuring the Hoffmann Project of Cultural Knowledge, one of the research themes of the Faculty of Humanities. On Wednesday 5 August the book Ethnography from the Mission Field (Brill, 2015), the first to have emanated from the project, was launched in the Library Auditorium. Professor Cheryl de la Rey, who opened the event, praised the project for its innovative, trans-disciplinary research, and its contribution to hybrid learning. She also commented on how the results may contribute to responsible citizenship in Africa.

The Hoffmann Project of Cultural Knowledge was coordinated by Dr Annekie Joubert of the Centre for African and Asian Studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin, and research affiliate to the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Pretoria. Prof Lize Kriel from the division for Visual Culture Studies in this department was the South African coordinator responsible for the historic contextualisation of the collection. Gerrie Grobler and Inge Kosch, Professors of Northern Sotho in UNISA’s Department of African Languages, also co-authored the book and participated in the team effort of translation and annotation. The launch was also attended by several of the other collaborators in the project: Mr Sam Moifatswane, Ms Klaudia Ringelmann, Rev. Michael Matsimbi, Ms Anke Moelleken, Ms Nicole Hoffmann, and Ms Sikho Siyotula. The project, which also involved the production of a documentary film and the digitising (for open access) of archive collections from both Germany and South Africa, was funded by the German Research Foundation, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and the German Federal Foreign Office.

Also attending the launch were the descendants of Berlin Missionary Carl Hoffmann, who had been very generous to the project, which brings together, makes accessible, and contextualises the legacy of this mission ethnographer: the recorded oral histories and conversations about tradition and changing cultural practices of people who had lived in various parts of what is today Zimbabwe and the South African Gauteng, Limpopo and Mmpumalanga provinces from the late 19^th until the mid-20th century. The Collection will be of value to researchers interested in the memory of the pre-colonial history of southern Africa, communities’ negotiation of the challenges and opportunities of the colonial era, as well as the pertinent contemporary question of how to live with history in the here and now.

The database and the documentary film are freely available on the internet and the book may be consulted on the UP ebrary.

Hoffmann Project of Cultural Knowledge

Book: Ethnography from the Mission Field: The Hoffmann Collection of Cultural Knowledge (Brill, 2015)

http://www.brill.com/products/book/ethnography-mission-field

Film: A Journey into the Life of a Mission-Ethnographer

http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.1375528

Database: Hoffmann Collection of Cultural Knowledge

http://hoffmanncollection.hu-berlin.de

Contributed by Prof Lize Kriel, Department of Visual Arts

The Impact of research data management in the profile and standing of the University of Purdue

On 11 August the Department of Library Services was privileged to host Prof James (Jim) L. Mullins, Dean of Libraries from the Purdue University, when he addressed the staff on ‘The Impact that research data management has had on the profile and standing of the University of Purdue’.

His message was that becoming involved in research data management should not be an insurmountable challenge for librarians as it simply supports the theory of what we have been doing as librarians through centuries; namely, creating connections between information. We do not need to understand the research, but instead know how to preserve the datasets by naming, tagging, archiving, identifying, and storing them for successful retrieval. The metadata must be well-established.

.

PURR (Purdue University Research Repository) was created with the Purdue University’s executive firmly backing of the initiative. The library’s approach was to create a software system that could involve the researcher from the start and not only collect their data at the end.

PURR is used for:

·         Assistance in creating Data Management Plans - example plans and videos are included in the repository

·         Collaboration – data files can be uploaded and shared

·         Publishing – DOI’s are provided for datasets

·         Archiving – the data is preserved in a secure repository

At the time of Prof Mullins’ talk, 2000+ researchers have signed up to the system. It is not compulsory for Purdue University researchers to use PURR as researchers are allowed to use other data repositories of their choice.

Read more about the Purdue University Library as an international leader in the management of research data: https://www.lib.purdue.edu/researchdata. Find more information about Prof Jim L. Mullins here: https://www.lib.purdue.edu/about/deanoflibraries

Contributed by Susan Marsh

400^th Anniversary of Peregrinação - exhibition

Peregrinação, by Fernão Mendes Pinto, celebrates its 400^th anniversary this year and the opening ceremony of its exhibition took place on 13 August at the Merensky 2 Library. This event was organised by the Portuguese Section at the University of Pretoria in collaboration with the Portuguese Embassy, Instituto Camões, and supported by the Portuguese Education Department in South Africa.

This ceremony was attended by the community of the university and of the Portuguese Education Department of South Africa, as well as the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and special guest, Professor Vasu Reddy; Professor Rada Tirvassen, Head of the Department of Modern European Languages; and the Portuguese Ambassador, Mr António Ricoca Freire. 

At the inaugural ceremony this important piece of Portuguese literature was presented which, over the centuries, generated a great deal of controversy regarding the truth of the facts presented therein.

Fernão Mendes Pinto describes, in detail, the adventures through the Orient; the battles, the looting; the affairs in which he partook; invasions; prisons; friendships with some natives, descriptions of cities; and spiritual retreat. During this time the Europeans still knew very little about the Far East and so the Portuguese public doubted the truth about Pinto´s stories and so the term was coined: “Fernão, mentes? Minto”. This translates to “Fernão, do you lie? Yes, I lie.” Is truth imperative when speaking of canonical literary works? Perhaps the truth put forth by Fernão Pinto does not please everyone, but what others have to say with regard to Pinto is not what is important. What really does matter is reading exactly what he has to say.

Contributed by Marta Campos, Lecturer of the Portuguese Section

This publishing workshop, organized by the Department of Library Services and Elsevier, was aimed at supporting PhD students and early career researchers with information on the publishing process and the requirements for writing and reviewing papers for international journals. The workshop was presented by experienced Editor, Prof. Lise Korsten of the journal Crop Protection. and Dr. Luaine Bandounas, Journal Publisher at Elsevier.

There are more than one million scientific articles published every year, so it is increasingly important for researchers to find efficient and impactful ways to make their research stand out from the crowd. It is extremely important for authors to select the most appropriate journal to publish in to ensure that their research receives the attention it deserves. During this workshop the following topics were discussed:

·         Steps to follow to select the most appropriate journal for your work; how to prepare and properly structure an article, from the title and keywords right through to the conclusion and references.

·         Publishing ethics e.g. data falsification, data manipulation and plagiarism.

·         The most important steps to follow when reviewing a manuscript, with a focus on the reviewer’s role in the peer review process.

·         The best tools to use, both from Elsevier and from the industry, to prepare, share, promote and monitor your publication e.g. Share Links, Mendeley, social media, My Research Dashboard.

      Attendees were surveyed after the workshop and received a Certificate of Attendance. The majority of attendees surveyed felt the workshop was very useful and they would recommend it to their colleagues. Some attendees suggested that these workshops should be held on a more regular basis and perhaps be more specialized for their particular fields of research.  

For those who missed the workshop but are interested in information on how to publish and review in international journals, there are free training resources available on Elsevier’s new Publishing Campus which is an online training and advice center that gives researchers free access to lectures, interactive training, and professional advice on a wide range of topics, e.g. the fundamentals of books and journals publishing, grant writing and self-promotion, to broader issues like gender in research and open science.  

Contributed by Dr. Luaine Bandounas

‘LIGHT: Beyond the Bulb’: Exhibition in the Merensky 2 Library

During 17 to 28 August 2015, the Department of Library Sciences, in collaboration with Sci-Enza and UNISA’s Astronomy Outreach Programme, hosted an exhibition of 22 striking images that show the myriad of things light can do, and how it plays a critical role in our daily lives.

In proclaiming 2015 as the International Year of Light, with the focus on the science of light and its applications, the United Nations recognised the importance of raising global awareness about how light-based technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to global challenges in energy, education, agriculture and health. Light plays a vital role in our daily lives and is an imperative cross-cutting discipline in 21st century science. It has revolutionised medicine, opened up international communication via the Internet, and continues to be central to linking cultural, economic, and political aspects of the global society.

"LIGHT: Beyond the Bulb" is an open-source international exhibition programme that showcases the incredible variety of light-based science being researched today across the electromagnetic spectrum, across scientific disciplines, and across technological platforms.

Learn more at http://lightexhibit.org/

Contributed by Elsabé Olivier

Contributed by  Pfano Makhera and Bongi Letlape

Department of Library Services’ Nelson Mandela International Day Project 2015

Our department arranged to make a difference in the lives of Booysens Beertjies Preschool in Booysens for our annual Nelson Mandela International Day Project. . The following eighteen staff members visited the school and interacted with over a hundred 3-5 year old children on Thursday, 27 August: Abram Mofokeng, Arthur Molefe, Cora Bezuidenhout, David Maseko, Elliot Matukane, Elsabé Olivier, Ernest Sefolo, Gerda Ehlers, Hilda Kriel, Lindiwe Soyizwapi, Rianie van der Linde, Rosina Ramokgola, Thulani Mahlangu, Tlou Mathiba, Una Mgwenya, Wanani Sitsula, Zandi Chansa and Zebulon Malatsi.

Booysens Beertjies Preschool is a registered charity and kindergarten, located in the west of Pretoria. Without government funding, this well-organized school manages to make the best of resources at their disposal. We were impressed by a devoted team of teachers, happy children and neat, well-kept facilities. The preschool focuses on three to five year old needy children whose parents cannot afford school fees. Household circumstances of most children are dire with many families living in Wendy houses or outbuildings. The meals provided at school are sometimes the only meal of the day for most of these children

After arrival, we were taken on a school tour of the premises and then our staff members read books to the different Afrikaans and English classes. We shared our refreshments before playtime - oh boy, did we play! We had to dig deep in our childhood memories for games, but soon improvised where we didn’t remember the words to the song:  Koljander, koljander and we played and played and played…so deur die bos…my Ma en Pa kook lekker kos…lalalala..

It really touched the hearts of our whole team and it was a privilege to be part of the volunteers who visited the school. The principal, Mrs Elbet van Zyl and her team, thanked us for having made a positive impact in the lives of the children, by spending time with them and for the cash donation. 

Contributed by Rianie van der Linde and Cora Bezuidenhout

Casual Day coincides with the first week of spring, so this year it was decided to truly celebrate spring as a time for joy, a time for smelling the flowers, and enjoying the awakening of the season. The Jotello F. Soga Library staff took inspiration from the birds and the bees, the skies of blue, the colours of the rainbow and flower-power, and strictly obeyed the command to “Spring into action”. We dressed up as flowers and had loads of fun trying to keep our petals open for the winning photo! The library entrance was decorated with bright spring flowers and our clients all commented on the bright, springy colours and wonderful atmosphere. This was an excellent opportunity to break away from the daily routine and at the same time making a small contribution to better the lives of disabled people in South Africa. We were one in spirit with all our library colleagues spread over the campuses and enjoyed everyone’s interpretation of having casual day fun! It was a huge surprise to share the win and we enjoyed the chocolate cake brought by Solly till the last bite. Thank you for creating the opportunity!

More photographs can be viewed on our Facebook page.

Contributed by Tertia Coetsee

CASUAL DAY WAS CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT THE LIBRARY, HERE ARE SOME PICTURES BELOW:

I was fortunate to have attended Prof Molly Brown's presentation, entitled "My life with books", during the recent National Book Week celebrations held at the Merensky Library on the Hatfield Campus by the Department of Library Services. The audience was enthralled as she took us through her journey with books, from her first exposure to nursery rhymes as a small child and her joy that came not only from the cosy lap of her mother as she was read the nursery rhymes, but also from the fact that she realised she "now had words". Her statement that the "child lives in the book, but just as much the book lives in the child" rang true for me as well. I could relate with almost every book she mentioned and was surprised to find that I had also read these titles at more or less the same age as she had.

Among her first "big books" were The Fairy Doll (R Godden) and Charlotte's Web (E B White), which brought her to the realisation that we have the capacity for all sorts of achievements, and the possibility to escape reality and have fantastic experiences. Her more adult readings included Emily Climbs (M Montgomery), King Solomon's mines (H Rider Haggard), and To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee). These books made her realise that one could question things that seemed wrong and showed her the true definition of courage. Her venture into science fiction with books such as The Lord of the Rings (J R R Tolkien) and The Chronicles of Earthsea (U le Guin), not only aided in a search that reflected her world, but also worlds that were alien to hers; the typical quest story, how you live without privilege, and that truth is a matter of fiction. Books like Heart of Darkness (J Conrad) and A Passage to India (E M Forster) rocked her sense of stability and made her look at the nature of man from a different perspective. Poetry showed her a way out and how to create a belief system that matters.

Reading books is so much a part of who Molly Brown is today and it has become addictive. As she says, she "will stop at nothing to get [her] fix". To her, as is the case with me, happiness is having your own library card!

Contributed by Dr Lizette de Jager, lecturer.

National Book Week For Dummies – NO INSULT INTENDED!   

On Friday 18 September, the Department of Library Services celebrated Heritage Day by focusing on our natural heritage. Jason Sampson and Philip Rousseau from the Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden at the University of Pretoria were responsible for the Gardens exhibition in the Merensky 2 library. This exhibition was the first of its kind in the long history of both institutions and was meant to highlight the commonality of both. As an academic institution we need and use as many different kinds of "libraries" as possible.

A botanical garden is a collection of living plants that is scientifically managed for the purposes of education, research, conservation and community service. The Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden is devoted to our botanical heritage, and currently has roughly 3 000 plant species in the collections, planted within grounds that cover approximately 3.5 hectares of the University's Hatfield west campus. The primary aim of the garden is to raise awareness of Southern Africa's indigenous flora through the acquisition and dissemination of botanical knowledge. This includes the provision of plant material for education and research purposes, the collection and propagation of rare and endangered species, as well as research into indigenous plant species with horticultural potential.

The Garden had its beginnings as far back as 1924 when Pavetta species were planted on the campus for research purposes. The real impetus came in the 1930s with Berend Elbrecht, a man with a huge passion and enthusiasm for Southern African flora whose legacy lives on in the many large trees and cycad specimens that were planted during his time at the University. In 1986 the Garden was named after Professor Manie van der Schijff to honour the contributions that he made towards the development of the Garden. The Garden is run by a Garden Committee which is responsible for formulating and implementing policy.

UP alumnus, Assistant Director in the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and initiator of the Champion Trees project in 2014, Izak van der Merwe, was the first presenter at the Heritage Day event. Enrico Liebenberg, co-author of the book We are the champions, launched their book at the event. It is the first and only coffee-table book that showcases all 75 champion trees of South Africa (plus seven current nominees). It was on sale at this event at a special price of R600. Lastly, Jason Sampson and Philip Rousseau presented on the Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden with a talk entitled “The living library of campus: resources for research and teaching”. 

Department of Library Services' staff members dressed in their in their traditional attire and added lustre to the event. According to Jason Sampson, the collaborative event was a huge success and they will definitely be doing it again in future.

Contributed by Jason Sampson and Elsabé Olivier

Collaboration with the Department of Visual Arts

In March of this year the third year Information Design students had the great opportunity to work with the Department of Library Services. The task was to design posters to promote the library’s extensive range of services, as well as bring attention to two respective events: the World Book and Copyright Day, held in April, and National Book Week, which took place in September. The process started with an introductory talk from Elsabé Olivier, visual research and many a visit to the library. Apart from following the university’s branding guidelines, the visual expression of the students was unhindered.

Experimentation with a variety of media, concepts and good copywriting was key, keeping in mind that a good poster is a good poster, but a great poster is a graphic intervention! An array of posters came out of the creative process, demonstrating range in conceptual approach and media. With the opportunity to display these within the library space and online the work was shared on campus and beyond, and the public were invited to comment on and choose what they considered to be the most successful poster. The winning designers were treated to some wonderful prizes organised by Elsabé and it surely was a memorable project, in that the campus got to take part in the great work being produced by the Visual Arts department and the designers got to see their work rooted in the real world. The final winning posters and runners-up can be viewed on the Department of Library Services’ Facebook page.

Contributed by  Amy van Vuuren (Lecturer)

The surprise flashmob in the Merensky 2 library took months of planning and negotiating – especially in identifying a willing group to perform….I was absolutely elated when I found an enthusiastic partner in Zamile Mzizi, the University of Pretoria Symphony Orchestra’s Manager. The day was chosen carefully to suit the programmes of the Orchestra and the main photographer, Andre du Plessis from Education Innovation. The Flashmob Committee decided to flashmob on Monday 24 August at exactly 10:25, as Mondays are one of the busiest time periods in the library. Exactly eight staff members (Hilda Kriel, Carike Schoeman, Una Mgwenya, Cora Bezuidenhout, Viveka Pillai, Isak van der Walt, Peet Naude and Elsabé Olivier,) also captured the students’ reactions on their mobile phones. The Symphony Orchestra performed Mango Groove’s “Special star” and the drummers started at exactly 10:25. Our students were definitely caught by surprise as some of the comments on the social media platforms indicated with the following tag ‪#‎UPLibraryFlashMob.

“When [the] library turns into a melodious studio….I love dis…” - Adebayo Temiloluwa

“This was epic…if you were not at the library you mi[ss] out guys serious..@UPLibray” – Ronewa Angel Ramovha

“Lol def don’t mind that kind of stuff on a Monday morning”- Panda Warrior

“For once the library became more fun...” - Manthamane Senole

André Du Plessis worked very hard to produce the official video on Wednesday 26 August and it was an immediate hit on social media. The video event featured on the main UP web for a few weeks and the current views are 1,880 – in only 4 weeks! Thanks you again to Zamile Mzizi and the Symphony Orchestra, Andre du Plessis from Education Innovation, and all the library staff members who participated in the production of the video. View our flashmob video.

Contributed by Elsabé Olivier

MakerSpace news

During the month of August and early September the Merensky Library MakerSpace held two Intel activation days. During an Intel activation day some of their latest technologies and inventions are shown and practical applications of how they can be used in various projects and ideas are demonstrated. The first activation was held on an extremely warm day outside of the Merensky 2 Library. Intel was kind enough to sponsor the Library with a marketing stand for future events. The colourful marketing stand was met with a lot of curiosity and interest by staff and students alike.

Ranging from the display of one our 3D printers to a fully customised Gaming PC, the MakerSpace assistants were constantly kept busy with queries by students and staff members on what the space is and also how they could become part of this great initiative. The marketing stand gave students the opportunity to learn what the MakerSpace is and to be added to a mailing list for future communication and ideas.

During September the MakerSpace also established contact with the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences to assist them with wonderful innovations. There are currently three major collaboration projects, including a project with input from the MakerSpace, Veterinary Sciences Skills Lab, and the Department of Neuro Physiotherapy.

All we can say now is ... "Watch this space!!!"

Contributed by Isak van der Walt

Together with some colleagues, I attended the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Cape Town, South Africa from 15 - 21 August 2015. The theme was: “Dynamic Libraries: Access, Development and Transformation”, and various inspirational initiatives were shared with us, reminding us that libraries are centres from whence growth can sprout in a multitude of directions.

Some – only some! – highlights:

In the Newcomers’ Session we were encouraged to build networks and to choose our sessions carefully, since it is impossible to attend them all. We decided to split up as much as possible.

The Opening Session was quite memorable, with storyteller Gcina Mhlope, singer Vicky Sampson, and the Mzanzi Youth Choir performing - enough to get even the most reticent of librarians to their feet! After the keynote address, South African Arts & Culture Minister Nathi Mtetwa and Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi addressed the audience and wished us a fruitful conference.

I chose to attend the morning session on “National Bibliographies Transformed: Matters relating to the legal deposit of electronic resources – Bibliography”. In the Humanities library we are sometimes faced with obtaining out-of-print books, or lists of material published within certain parameters, so I have an interest in national bibliographies. We also have to deal with matters of copyright fairly often. The speakers ranged from Denise Nicholson from South Africa, to librarians from the Czech Republic, Sweden and France. Denise’s paper was entitled “Legal deposit in South Africa: transformation in a digital world” [See http://library.ifla.org/id/eprint/1127 for paper]. I realised again how important it is for those mandated to manage such functions consistently and reliably.

The midday Poster Session, where our own colleague, Viveka Pillai participated with an information literacy “snakes and ladders” game, showed us how varied the libraries’ efforts are, and also how similar challenges affect even libraries in the most fortunate of circumstances.

One of the most memorable presentations for me was entitled “Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Libraries in Japan”, and consisted of a programme according to which books that are hard to find are placed on a list at the National Library, from which clients may then come and request the library staff to make them a copy. All copyright issues with regard to the titles on the list have obviously been negotiated beforehand, and if not resolved, a title would be removed from the list. In the Humanities we would welcome initiatives like these. [The paper is available at http://library.ifla.org/id/eprint/1244].

Although there were a fair number of other interesting sessions and papers, I conclude here and do so with heartfelt thanks to UP DLIS management for approving my request to attend. It has given me an opportunity to see and experience librarianship from around the world, which has been truly inspiring.

Contributed by  Adrienne Warricker

The chronic lack of space we all suffer from forced the staff at the Medical Library to relook certain areas to create more study space.  With a shrinking print journal collection, shelves became available and we moved the journals, the Study Collection, the theses and dissertations, as well as the open collection in order to have fewer books on every shelf. We weeded the Reference Collection and older editions of textbooks and removed some of the shelves to create a very popular study area close to the Study Collection. By changing the Audiovisual Collection space, the tiny “Research Commons” has six more study spaces for students to work on their laptops and is closed off with glass panels to provide more privacy for the postgraduate students.

The downstairs store room was cleaned up and converted in further space for discussion groups as well as areas where students can study or use their laptops. Bongani Ntuli (Anastasia’s son) was a great help in moving the collections and did an excellent job. The result of the exercise is more open areas and 30 additional study/discussion areas with limited financial expenses. 

The new toilets for the staff is our luxury after all the hard and dirty work that was done by each and every one of us.

Contributed by Magriet Lee

During the July student holiday, the Jotello F Soga Library hosted eleven third-year students from the Department of Information Science as part of an experiential learning project for INL 370. The experiential learning project refers to the learning and experience that students gain from working on an Information Science related project for a designated period of time. The objective of the experiential learning is not only to provide students with high-level information skills but also to expose them to the culture of a business environment and the nature of decision-making and problem-solving in such an environment.

Students worked in three groups, and each group had to act as consultants specialising in information services. They had to develop a solution to address the information needs of their client (the Jotello F Soga Library) and had to develop a unique repository, with accompanying documentation, specific to the client’s needs.

The students were also involved in submitting a few volumes of the Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research on UPSpace, the University’s institutional repository. They were also given a project where they could be involved through every step in the development of a collection on the repository (including the scanning, finishing, and submission of items). This collection, the Faculty Day Programmes, is now available on UPSpace.

This initiative is a clear example illustrating how academia and practice can work together in enhancing student learning.

Caption: INL 370 students and Jotello F Soga Library staff

Contributed by Marguerite Nel

IR Forum

The Open Scholarship Programme hosted the third IR Forum on Friday 11 September 2015 at the Groenkloof Auditorium, focussing on the theme: Institutional Repositories (IR) at a crossroads in South Africa? This event was started in 2014 as a day of discussion, networking and sharing for

Institutional Repository Managers, Open Scholarship Officers, and Open Access Supporters from across institutions and borders in Southern African.

The event had 80 attendees from different Universities, Government institutions and the private sector, all of which host Open Access repositories at their institutions. Invited speakers presented on the issues of Research Data Management; software to be used for IRs; proposed new copyright legislation in South Africa, and Researcher IDs. The highlight of this event was the attendance and presentation of the international speaker Geoff Bilder from CrossRefs, presenting on the importance of Digital Object Identifiers (DIOs). This year the event also included individuals from the Open Source Software Community, and allowed for an afternoon session of discussions relating to challenges experienced with DuraSpace software, training opportunities, establishing institutional policies, and the future of IRs in general.

Dr Leti Kleyn, the Open Scholarship Office Manager, had the goal with this initiative to facilitate closer collaboration in the South African Open Access community. The event, which was free to attend, was hosted and sponsored by the Department of Library Services.

Contributed by Leti Kleyn

Spring Day 23 September 2015 - Venue: LC De Villiers Sports Grounds

The Library soccer team members who participated in the soccer matches at LC de Villiers on Thursday 23 September were: Katlego Aphane, Jacob Mothutsi, Ernest Sefolo, Tlou Mathiba, Timothy Matheba, Sello Baloyi, Elliot Matukane, Andile Nokwe, Lucas Nhlangulela, Arthur Molefe, Sello Baloyi, Sello Kgwebane, Fana Mgidi, Abram Mofokeng, Josiah Lebelo, David Maseko (our soccer coach), and Elliot Matukane (assistant coach).

The Library soccer team side won its first game with a big margin (scoring 4-0) against Onderstepoort, and lost the second game at 2-1 against the Finance team. Soccer is all about fun and we would like to thank the following ladies who cheered with others when we played soccer: Brenda Nsanzya, Rosina Ramokgola, Boitumelo Masilo, Suzan Mamabolo, Agnes Mogudi, and Bongi Letlape. Thank you also to Jacob Mothutsi for his assistance with the red and white jersey for the soccer team. We looked great!  

Hilda Kriel, Lindiwe Soyiswapi, Magda Engelbrecht, Diana Gerritsen, Carike Schoeman, Elsabé Olivier and Una Mgwenya were also present and their presence was a motivation and encouragement to us.

I hope 2016 will draw more people to participate in our Spring Events. We had so much fun and events like these also promote social integration and cohesion.

Contributed by Josiah Lebelo, Library Sport Representative and Wellness Champion

The University of Pretoria museum collections have in their storage an extraordinary range of unusual objects. The Curiosities from the Cabinet is a series of temporary exhibitions held in the library, which will continue into 2016, in a partnership between the Department of UP Arts and the Department of Library Services, to showcase some rare and beautiful objects. For this temporary exhibition, it was decided to showcase little boxes or containers, which were always more than mere functional objects.

These little boxes contained trinkets, jewellery, tobacco and tea leaves, and often it is unknown what they held. Not all boxes are square; some are cylindrical others are round or even rectangular. They are made from a variety of materials such as ceramic, wood, metal, or are lacquerware, and most are decorated with intricate motifs, carved or even filigreed in silver. Certain boxes on display originate from Indonesia, China, England, the Netherlands and Japan, and their dates range from the 19^th century through to the 21^st century.

One of the striking boxes on display is an Iranian square silver cigar case with a delicate cloisonné lid. It was donated in the 1990s to the University of Pretoria by the Foreign Minister of Iran. Another fine example is a black Japanese musical jewellery box made from lacquerware. Japan is well-known due to its abundance of lacquer trees, which produce the remarkable black resinous sap coating that is famous for the lustrous shine and strength of these widely recognised and beautiful jewellery boxes. The sap of the Japanese Lacquer tree is the main ingredient of Japanese urushiol, and has been used from 6000 BC to the present time.

Although this temporary exhibition was briefly held from 21 September 2015 to 16 October 2015, the opportunity to showcase collections from storage provides visitors, staff and students alike a glimpse into the museum collections, which are valuable for teaching, research and training purposes, while at the same time offering them opportunity to appreciate some never-seen-before objects from storage.

Contributed by Alexandros Andreou, Department of UP Arts

Visitors from the University of Ghana - August 26th, 2015

Mr Reinher Behrens visit the library on September 1st, 2015

Mr Reinher Behrens is a consultant who has been appointed by the Vice-Chancellor and Prinicipal Prof Cheryl de la Rey for a duration of 3 months. He visited the Department of Library Services on the 1 September to get to know how our operations work and to investigate our department's relationship with the Department of University Relations.

Contributed by  Elsabé Olivier

About 30 pupils and their teachers from Beaulieu College in Kyalami visited the Law Library unexpectedly on 30 October 2015.  They were given a short impromptu talk on the library, legal information and studying law at Tuks. The pupils then walked around the library to get a feel for the layout and collection.

Contributed by Shirley Gilmore

Contributed by Chrissie Boeyens

South African farming / Anthony Hocking

Preface :

Through centuries of South African histroy, development of the farming indusrty has been a prime factor governing the growth of the countries economy. From a modest vegetable garden established at the Cape by Jan van Riebeeck to provide passing Indiamen with fresh produce it has become a multi-million rand industry employing more people than any other sector in South Africa.

The South African character was built around the farmer and the land. This identity remains and so do the farmers whose place in our society is no less important than was the place of their ancestors.

About the book:

The MacDonald Heritage Library is series of topical and educational books about South African subjects.

Source : South African farming / Anthony Hocking.
Publisher [Cape Town] : Macdonald South Africa, c1975.

Catalogue link