Library Newsletter

Libraries around the world contribute their catalogue records to WorldCat, which is the foundation of almost all the services that are offered by OCLC. OCLC has now come to the point where they recognize that it (OCLC) belong to these libraries as well as archives and museums that are contributors to WorldCat. It is as a result of recognizing this fact that it has restructured itself to become a cooperative. This means that it is now the members that guide and shape its services, policies and direction. This has led to the transformation of OCLC’s governance structure to reflect this fact. The picture below demonstrates the transformed governance structure of OCLC.

As shown in this picture the members form the foundation of this governance structure.

Institutions worldwide become members of OCLC by contractually agreeing to contribute intellectual content or share their resources. These members participate in governance and bring resolutions to OCLC management through the Global Council via one of three Regional Councils:

· OCLC Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA);

· OCLC Asia Pacific; and

· OCLC the Americas.

The members participate in meetings of their respective Regional Councils and send Member Delegates to the Global Council. Our Library belongs to the EMEA Regional Council. Regional Councils are assemblies of the OCLC members in their respective regions. The purpose of the Regional Councils is to strengthen the cooperative throughout the world and make it easier to participate in its governance. Members convene at one or more Regional Council meetings each year to discuss and deliberate on issues of vital and immediate interest to the OCLC cooperative. One of the thing that members do at a Regional Council meeting is to elect Member Delegates who attend the annual Global Council Meetings.

The Global Council comprises Member Delegates elected by the Regional Councils. The Global Council’s principal responsibilities are to elect six members of the Board of Trustees, ratify amendments to the Articles of Incorporation and Code of Regulations, and give counsel and advice to OCLC management. The Global Council convenes at least once a year at an annual Global Council Meeting.

The 15-member Board of Trustees possesses powers similar to those of university council. In addition to the six Global Council-elected members, the Board consists of the President of OCLC and eight trustees elected by the Board itself, five of whom come from fields outside librarianship. The Board meets five times annually.

The EMEA Regional Council Meeting

During the week of 22 February 2010 I travelled to Leiden in the Netherlands to attend the historic first meeting of the EMEA Regional Council meeting. This meeting was held on 24 and 25 February 2010 at the Corpus Conference Centre, which is situated close to the University of Leiden.

Corpus Conference Centre, Leiden, Netherland

Shown in this picture below are some of the 131 representatives of OCLC member institutions and OCLC staff who attended this meeting. They came from 24 countries.

The EMEA Regional Council Executive Committee, chaired by Berndt Dugall, was responsible for putting together this meeting, which was successful. The Committee decided to put together a programme that enabled members to take a close look at the strategic direction OCLC is taking in the areas of management services and cloud computing. Those of you who wish to view some of the presentations made at this meeting can so by visiting the following website:

http://www.oclc.org/uk/en/councils/emea/meetings/2010annual/default.htm#pdf

I will urge you to look at the first presentation that was give by Matt Goldner on cloud computing. This is one of the areas that OCLC is currently focusing on. Cloud computing is a system whereby organizations will access, via the internet, data and other software they need for running their business from a network of servers housed outside these organizations or even outside the country in which these organizations are located. Cloud computing is one of the development that we should watch closely since, if it is fully developed, will have a major impact on how libraries are run and managed as well on how they do their business.

The Executive Committee comprises 8 members. I am pleased to let you know that Ms Gwenda Thomas, who is the University Librarian at the Rhodes University Library and a member of the UP Library Advisory Committee will take over as the Chair of the EMEA Executive Committee with effect from June 2010.

The next EMEA Regional Council meeting will be held in Germany in 2011.

Contributed by Robert Moropa

Veterinary Digital Resources part of University of Utrecht: Ivy Academic Search Initiative

The Jotello F. Soga Library, Faculty of Veterinary Science have heard the welcoming news that the veterinary collections of UPSpace and veterinary related information on UPeTD, have now been harvested and added to an open access subject repository of the University of Utrecht: Ivy Academic Search - Veterinary Science and Medicine (IvyAS). As they state on their webpage http://www.ivyacademicsearch.org/about_ivy.php, their mission is to:

“provide the local, national and international veterinary community with a high-quality academic information search and retrieval system for veterinary research.”

This will contribute to the further exposure of our Faculty’s research output, as well as all other valuable digital veterinary science collections, including high quality grey literature, currently part of UPSpace.

The Library applied in August 2009 by IvyAs to harvest our veterinary digital resources in UPSpace. To participate in this pilot project the items in our repository have to be accessible without restrictions and the metadata organized by OAI-PMH.

One of the advantages of using the University of Utrecht’s Ivy Academic search facility is that a central point is provided to search the open access repositories of all participatory Veterinary Institutions http://www.ivyacademicsearch.org/about.php worldwide. Search results can be printed, e-mailed, saved or exported to Refworks.

We are proud to contribute to this initiative of the University of Utrecht, a highly respected international veterinary faculty, and to share this platform with prestigious institutions like Cornell University, University of Glasgow, University of Ghent, University of Zurich, and University of Melbourne.

The Ivy Academic Search facility is accessible from the South African National Veterinary Repository homepage http://www.library.up.ac.za/sanvr/index.htm

Contributed by Susan Mars

A proud moment: Graduation Ceremony of the 2009 CLLA participants

The graduation ceremony for the first group of successful Carnegie Library Leadership Academy (CLLA) participants, took place on Sunday 14 March 2010 at Leriba Lodge in Centurion.

It was a proud moment to celebrate for the first time the achievements of those library professionals who have successfully completed all the requirements for the Academy. Seventeen participants from the first group of 20 who participated in the 2009 CLLA, received certificates issued jointly by the University of Pretoria Dept. of Information Science and the Centre for African Library Leadership (CALL) under the auspices of the UP Department of Library Services. With a pass rate of 85% and six distinctions, the first group of CLLA Alumni, clearly made their mark as emerging library leaders.

Congratulations to:

Abigail Chuene (Polokwane Municipal Libraries); Shireen Deoraj (EThekwini Metro Libraries); Alenor Duarte and Joy Hawkins (City of Johannesburg Libraries); Modisa Khosie (University of Limpopo); Christelle Lubbe and Najma Patel (City of Cape Town Libraries); Motsarome Mabena (City of Tshwane Libraries); Sulaiman Majal (Cape Peninsula University of Technology); Winnie Mangotlo (Dept. of Arts and Culture); Yegis Naidu (Unisa Library); Shirlene Neerputh (Durban University of Technology); Pranisha Parag (Msunduzi Municipal Library); Moipone Qhomane-Goliath (University of Johannesburg); Erika Rood (North West University); Liesl Stieger (University of Pretoria Library Services); and Freeman Zulu (Vaal University of Technology)

During the graduation ceremony the alumni had the opportunity to meet members of the CALL Advisory Committee and interact with the participants who have been selected for the Second Academy. They proudly shared their personal experiences of the Academy in motivational and inspiring testimonies. In the words of some of the alumni:

Christelle Lubbe (the 2009 ‘Personality of the Academy’): The Academy gave me the tools and confidence to raise my hand first when an opportunity knocks on my door. I quit looking at the person next to me who might be more deserving. I now believe in myself. Since the Academy I was given so many opportunities to develop myself. I can now see the bigger picture.

Pranisha Parag: My journey through the Academy has been one of personal and professional growth. The bonds shared and the friendships developed during the Academy have made me a richer person. I will treasure the lessons that I learnt.

The 2009 Personality of the Academy,

Christelle Lubbe

Najma Patel: I now realise that I have the potential for bigger challenges and I am motivated to pursue them. I also acknowledge my responsibility for the success of my profession and I will strive to advocate, to be progressive, to be forward thinking and to lead by example.

Yegis Naidu: I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to attend the Academy. I now have the tools to become an expert leader. I am highly motivated and have the passion and drive to keep on striving for the best.

Erika Rood: The Academy gave me the tools and time to assess myself and think about what is important and what I want to achieve. It gave me direction on a personal as well as professional level. Attending the Academy gave me the opportunity to apply for the position of Personal Research Assistant to the IFLA President, Ms Ellen Tise. I am honoured to have been given the job and I am looking forward to grow and contribute to the profession.

The graduation ceremony was a joyous occasion and a realization of the vision to build library leadership expertise and to train and empower 120 library leaders for the future.

Erika Rood - Personal Research Assistant

to Ellen Tise

Congratulations to our own Liesl Stieger who graduated with a distinction!

The UPLS is proud of you Liesl!

Left: Liesl and Prof Robin Crewe

CLLA 2009 Alumni

Front: Theo Bothma, Ujala Satgoor, Robert Moropa, Martha de Waal, Abigail Chuene, Liesl Stieger, Moipone Qhomane-Goliath

Back: Joy Hawkins, Shirlene Neerputh, Erika Rood, Yegis Naidu, Alenor Duarte, Najma Patel, Winnie Mangotlo, Motsarome Mabena, Modisa Khosie,

Freeman Zulu, Sulaiman Majal, Christelle Lubbe, Pranisha Parag, Shireen Deoraj

Prof. Theo Bothma, Ms Ujala Satgoor Some of the 2009 Alumni with the Participants and other guests during lunch

and Mr Robert Moropa UPLS Director, Mr Robert Moropa

Watch this space for a report of the Second Carnegie Library Leadership Academy

in next month’s newsletter!

Submitted by Martha de Waal

martha.dewaal@up.ac.za

Controlled Vocabulary and Thesaurus Design

An ALCTS/PCC Cataloging for the 21^st Century Workshop for the Digital Library Environment

From November 2 –December 11, 2009 I had the opportunity to enrolled in an online workshop presented by Prof. Steven Miller of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States of America. Prof. Miller is a Senior Lecturer at the UWM School of Information Studies. He teaches masters degree and continuing education courses in information organisation, metadata, cataloging and information architecture. The workshop was limited to 25 participants worldwide.

The six-week online workshop provides an introduction to the topics of controlled vocabulary and thesaurus design. The workshop is designed for practicing catalogers and for anyone interested in designing controlled vocabularies and thesauri for digital libraries, websites or online library-like applications. It includes hands-on exercises that are aimed to build knowledge and skills. The following aspects form the platform of the course:

Introduction to controlled vocabulary and thesaurus design

Types of controlled vocabularies: lists, synonym rings, taxonomies, thesauri
Thesaurus planning and design
Thesaurus construction and development
Hierarchical structure and relationships
Thesaurus display and navigation
Thesaurus implementation and management
Future directions: Semantic web, RDF and linked data

The workshop was structured into weekly units with deadlines for submitting exercises at the end of each week. The training material was delivered through the D2L online learning courseware at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The lectures were delivered in PDF files and accompanying video presentations in both Windows Media and Real Player formats. Interaction with the instructor and the participants took place through listserv-like discussions internal to the workshop site.

The value of this workshop was the knowledge gained about the construction of a controlled vocabulary, the software packages for thesaurus construction, how controlled vocabulary fits in the picture of the Semantic web, linked data and the value of a structured vocabulary in the digital environment. The workshop developed a basis to exercise judgment for making controlled vocabulary decisions and to apply best practices in the maintaining of thesauri and controlled vocabulary.

Implementing the knowledge in the working environment will include:

monitoring of controlled vocabulary in UPSpace
streamlining the process of assigning controlled vocabulary
implementing search refinement options in UPSpace to search controlled vocabulary more effectively
establishing facets for some of the collections.

Another project incorporating controlled vocabulary is the development and implementation of a Google custom search engine for the South African National Veterinary Repository webpage. The refinement and indexing tools of the Google custom search will be used to manipulate the search engine to retrieve better results through the metadata and controlled vocabulary assigned to the metadata records of veterinary items in UPSpace. The test SANVR search engine can be access at http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=014237202287064872315:9te8yexb7nm.

The workshop was an enriching experience in the sense of communicating and learning from and with people around the world about new trends and developments in the digital environment. I would like to thank Ms Ujala Satgoor and the Committee who granted the money from the Skills Development Fund for the wonderful opportunity to enroll in this workshop.

Contributed by Amelia Breytenbach

NDLTD winners and UPeTD says goodbye to Monica

The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) consortium recognizes students who have written exemplary electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) as well as leaders who have helped to promote ETD programs. The University of Pretoria is exceptionally proud to have no less than two winners who will receive recognition at the ETD 2010 International Symposium on Electronic Theses and Dissertations which will be hosted by the University of Texas at Austin during 16 – 18 June 2010: https://conferences.tdl.org/utlibraries/etd2010

Jacques Orton’s Master’s dissertation in Architecture titled “Urban agriculture - a community development project” is one of the winners in the Innovative Learning through ETDs Award category. His dissertation explored the possibilities in shifting ecological, environmental and economic trends towards long-term sustainability in post-apartheid South Africa. His plans to revitalize an aging urban center in the outskirts of Pretoria are now the talk of scholars and urban planners who are advocating for legislative policy change. His vision presents the tremendous potential to turn-around the poverty ravaged areas of his home town and transform this region through micro-economic development and provide a model for others around the world including developers in far-away Detroit, Michigan and many other gentrified urban centers. Read Jacques Orton’s dissertation here: http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02022010-163309/

Jacques Orton is congratulated by Prof Karel Bakker

Monica Hammes will be awarded the ETD Leadership Award. For many people Monica Hammes is the face of digital archiving not only at the University of Pretoria, but for Africa as a whole. She embraced this new initiative in 2000 when it was first introduced at the University of Pretoria and took responsibility for the implementation and management of UPeTD, the electronic repository for theses and dissertations. She played an important role in the advocacy of open scholarship by presenting nationally and internationally at conferences and by leading local workshops, thereby positioning herself as an important collaborator in the etd community. It can rightfully be said that she single-handedly paved the way for many of the current electronic theses and dissertations repositories/archives in Africa. She selflessly and effortlessly shared her knowledge with colleagues and co-workers and empowered others to follow suit. Monica Hammes was a participatory leader who had the creative ability to strategize and plan well ahead in innovative ways, but she was also always involved at an operational level and didn’t mind rolling up her sleeves and pulling the cart with her team.

During the past ten years UPeTD has grown to be the most successful institutional repository in Africa and celebrated its first decade with its best rating in the January 2010

Ranking of World Repositories: out of 400 best institutional repositories worldwide it is no. 95 in terms of content, size and visibility (http://repositories.webometrics.info/index.html).

Monica Hammes’ nomination was endorsed by the following national role-players:

“Monica has been instrumental in leading the move to ETDs at the University of Pretoria, going all the way from nothing to an institution-wide mandate and a department devoted to digital collections. The University of Pretoria has been a shining example of a successful ETD project in South Africa and, in fact, worldwide. Some students from the University of Pretoria have been recipients of NDLTD ETD awards, underscoring the innovation supported and encouraged by Monica and her team. Constant innovation coupled with a deep sense of contributing back to the broader community has been the trademark of Monica's work over the years, which has surely left its mark on the Southern African community of digital librarians and archivists. A more worthy recipient would indeed be difficult to find.” Prof. Hussein Suleman, Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town.

“Ever since I first met Monica Hammes in 1994 I knew that, in terms of academic librarianship, she was a forerunner and a stalwart. We regularly meet at conferences where we both present papers, often in the same session, and I am always amazed at her ability to mix theory and practice, and more specifically at her ability to pre-empt user needs, and developing tendencies in librarianship and academic information services. I also remember the determination she showed in ensuring that the digital preservation of theses and dissertations became entrenched in University policy, and thus standard practice.” Prof. Johannes Cronje, Dean: Faculty of Information and Design, Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

“Ms Hammes has always impressed me with her dedication to her work, her boundless enthusiasm and her gentle yet effective leadership abilities. There are qualities that she has generously shared with her staff and students alike. “Prof Carolina Koornhof, Dean: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of Pretoria.

“Over the past thirteen years, Ms Hammes has become a respected specialist in digital information resources, promoting open access and scholarly publishing as well as the implementation of Institutional Repositories. This knowledge and expertise has been built up through her work at the University of Pretoria, as well as her participation in national and international consortiums e.g. eIFL, to strengthen OA, institutional repositories and improve skills in scholarly publishing. Ms Hammes has high levels of knowledge and exposure to best practice in open access initiatives as a result of having travelled in Africa and abroad to present training workshops and presentations in open access and institutional repositories. UPeTD is a direct result of her commitment, dedication, leadership, drive and her absolute believe in the role of open scholarly publication. This is also evident of the growth and strength the University of Pretoria’s repository in the past ten years” Susan Veldsman, Director: Scholarly Publishing Programme, ASSAf: Academy of Science of South Africa.

Monica, the UPeTD team has to greet you, but you leave behind an impressive and lasting legacy! We are immensely proud of you!

UPeTD team and guests say goodbye to Monica

Contributed by Elsabé Olivier

HANS HOHEISEN COLLECTION ON INNOPAC

Some of you may have come across entries in our catalogue for the “Hoheisen Collection Orpen Gate” with call number VHHO and wondered what it was all about!

This is the story behind it:

The University’s Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Studies of the Faculty of Veterinary Science is currently involved with the development and implementation of the Mnisi Community Programme in Mpumalanga. This programme is supported with funding from Tuks Rag and enables students in veterinary science to conduct research in critical areas such as animal health, wildlife and domesticated animals, environmental health and sustainability, agricultural production, food safety and indigenous knowledge.

This is an important focus area for the Faculty of Veterinary Science as can be seen from an extract from a recent article published in Tukkie 16(1) September 2009 pp 42-43 on “Diseases at interfaces”

“Diseases sustained by wildlife are transmissible to domesticated animals and to humans and may have substantial socio-economic consequences. From a veterinary perspective, food safety and security, sustainable livelihoods, land-use and conservation initiatives are critical matters to deal with”.

The study area is close to the Kruger National Park’s Orpen Gate. The community is well structured and managed by the Mnisi Traditional Authority. The Directorate of Veterinary Services in Mpumalanga has made the Hluvukani rural animal health clinic available as base from which the community and research programme can be run. Also important is the Hans Hoheisen Research Centre which is situated a few kilometres from the Hluvukani Clinic from where research can be done. The use and management of the centre by the university was obtained from the Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism Agency in partnership with the Peace Park Foundation.

The Hans Hoheisen Research Centre currently holds a collection of books and journals that had to be incorporated with the UPExplore catalogue. A separate location, Hoheisen Collection Orpen Gate, was thus created with the help of Amelia, Soekie, Anette Lessing and Annette Ingram. The items in this collection with the call number VHHO, are all non-circulatory and not available for interlibrary loans.

Antoinette Lourens joined staff members of the Faculty of Veterinary Science who visited the Hans Hoheisen Research Centre at the end of last year when she had the opportunity to evaluate the collection and managed to capture the bibliographic detail of approximately a sixth of the current book collection on an excel spreadsheet. Amelia has since added these items, with the exception of a few, to the catalogue. More visits are planned during which the remainder of the collection will be dealt with and during which the books’ barcodes and spine labels will be added.

Contributed by Susan Marsh

CLLA - Dairy of Jacob Mothutsi

This was an experience of a life time. I was one of the fortunate people to be selected to be part of a leadership training programme which was organized by Carnegie Leadership foundation. We thought we were going to be given lectures and training on leadership only but what we found in the training session, was something very amazing and innovative. One has learned all the in’s and out’s on how to be a better leader and good quality manager. On our first day, we had to provide a presentation on which each participant had to introduce himself /herself to the group and in this session, we had the perception of telling everybody who you, your qualification, and your work experience. What we did not envisage about this exercise was how to brand yourself and this clearly was something which we took for granted but this also relates to your work environment and you represent yourself in public as a brand. As an employee of University of Pretoria, I represent a brand and how I behave in public, leads to people judging my institution based on my actions.

We also learned about all the leadership qualities and how leaders should be visionaries and they should surround themselves with other leaders by creating and developing their staff members with skills that will enable them to operate independently from their leader.

We also learned all the laws that deal with employment relations in our country and how to apply them in your work environment. Employment Equity, Labour Relations Act and Basic Employment act are the most important acts and as a manager and leader in your organization, you should be able to know how to apply these laws as they dictate how you operate in the labour market. We were also taught how to apply the performance management tool which is thorny issue at University of Pretoria but if you know how to operate and implement, it is a wonderful tool to manage and develop the performance of your staff. The knowledge of this tools equips one with skills to manage performance and develop the capacity of your staff and not to manage people/staff as other managers are doing. Cultural Diversity and transformation as it cuts across cultural divide, has also been given as one of the reasons why organization are not moving forward but with the skills and knowledge provided and its implementation will allow us to handle this sensitive issue with care.

Team work in an organization was emphasized as one of the qualities a successful organization must have and team building as an ongoing exercise was taught to us and to implement it fully. As a leader and manager, you need to be part of team, team player and team leader and if your staff is comfortable around you, they will be able to express themselves easily around you and they will be able to talk to you as their leader and manager easily as they feel you are part of them and not someone who only gives instructions.

From the four of us, David, Jacob, Suzy & Tebogo will like to thank these two ladies with their hard work and determination to make sure that everybody in the workshop succeed and is enjoying. It was an amazing experience to work with these two ladies as when you look at Ujala, she is so composed even in times of pressure as she always tells us to take it easy, relax and have fun and by so doing, the learning process comes easily to you. As to Martha De Waal, she was our mother for the duration of the workshop and she always had to check us and make sure that we are comfortable and happy.

Ujala Satgoor & Martha De Waal

Group 3

At the workshop, we were divided into four groups of 5 members each and in all our groups, we had to work as team during the entire workshop and to learn from each other, help each other. I was fortunate to be place in this group as all of us we are from different provinces and culturally different but that did not become an obstacle as we had to learn from each other and supplement one another where we had short fall. Team work was the order of the day and if you can be comfortable in a team, your work will be easy and things will move smoothly as two heads are better than one and if one takes this notion to the work environment, you will build, as manager, a strong team. We had to share all the projects and work as team and in this environment, you learned how identify strong and weak points in your team so that you can supplement and support each other.

Anna Matodzi, Nonhlanhla Ncgobo, Therese, Ann De Boer (lady in Black)

Jacob & Suzette

Anna, Mercy, Nonhlanhla, Mark & Jacob Jacob & Patient had at work Application of Negotiation skills

Special thanks!

I would like to thank Robert Moropa (Director: LIS), Hilda Kriel, Ujala Satgoor & Martha De Waal for their support and encouragement for us to attend this workshop. It was a privilege for us to attend this workshop as the skills gained will benefit us by making as great leaders.

As we fortunate to attend this training, the library has created and added 4 quality leaders in their ranks (Suzy, Tebogo, Jacob & David). This opportunity should not only end with the four of us, but should also be given to other staff members as this is the most important training session one can attend and gained all the skills that will make him/her a good, quality leader.

Contributed by Jacob Mothutsi

World Veterinary Day 2010

World Veterinary Day was founded by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) in 2001 to highlight the work of the veterinary profession around the world. It is celebrated annually on the last Saturday of April.

This year it was on the 24^th April . The theme for the year 2010 was -
One World, One Health: more cooperation between veterinarians and physicians

The much publicized concept "One World, One Health" indicates that the world has awakened to the link between animal diseases and public health.

It has long been known that 60% of known infectious diseases are common to humans and animals (whether domestic or wild); 75% of recent emerging human diseases came from animals and 80% of the pathogens that could potentially be used in bioterrorism are zoonotic. It is also known that human populations need a regular diet of protein particularly from milk, eggs or meat, and that a deficiency can also be a public health problem.

To celebrate this year’s World Veterinary Day the Jotello F Soga Library did an exhibition on Veterinary Science as a career.

Contributed by Antoinette Lourens

School Library showcase 2010 (Mamelodi Campus Arena)

This showcase was a joint venture between University of Pretoria and Gauteng Department of Education where all the schools in the D4 region (Mamelodi, Atteridgeville, Centurion & Pretoria) were invited to participate in a competition where they will have to show case what their schools are doing in order to use their libraries in improving the academic achievement of the learners in schools. The primary aim of the showcase is to acknowledge the schools hard work and initiative, and most importantly to share best practices. All schools were therefore encouraged to attend so as to learn from each other. 15 Schools entered the competitions and they were all presenting about their usage of the library and how it impacts on their learners achievements.

Mrs Shirley Dhlamini, the programme director gave a warm welcome and thanked the University of Pretoria for their support in making sure that this day became a success and the role of libraries is highlighted fully and supported. She also thanked everybody who managed to come to support the event as it is one of the most important issues in the calendar of improving the education of the learners in schools. As it is clearly visible from all the events that took place in relation to marches that were organized by Equal Education organization demanding one school, one library, and one librarian, this showcase has a significant importance in the route of establishing libraries in schools which do not have libraries and she also emphasized that we should not forget to put the blame on the past and concentrate on building the future as by also focusing on the past, we are delaying our progress. When one takes a closer look at schools around disadvantaged areas, there are not proper functioning libraries and no qualified librarian or teacher librarian. She also indicated the library showcase will highlight how other school are managing and making sure that the little they have they utilized it fully to support the libraries and how these libraries add value to their daily teaching and learning programme

Mrs Gugu Kgare gave a speech on the importance of the library showcase and how it means and its purpose. She indicated that the purpose of the library showcase is to highlight how other schools are utilizing their libraries to enhance and add value in their teaching and learning environment. She also indicated that the National Curriculum Statement clearly indicated that learners should be critical and be able to conduct research but it will be difficult if schools do not have libraries and no qualified librarians to manage those libraries. This clearly cripples the intentions of the National Curriculum Statement. The library showcase will give evidence that other schools who have libraries will show how they make use of their spaces they have to create libraries and also how they make use of these libraries to enhance their teaching and learning.

Mr Isaah Manele took the place of Mr Edwin Smith (Campus Director) who was sick, welcome everybody at the University and inform everybody about the role of the University as part of its community engagement in making sure that it takes a lead in improving the life of learners in schools by supporting all the initiatives that are educational related. As it is known, the university gets it students from all the high schools and it should be clear that all the learners that are accepted at the university, should be those who will meet the standard that is set by the university which states quality as one of the requirements. So, libraries should add that quality in the life of learners and that is one of the reasons why the university support fully the role of libraries in schools and the library showcase is the starting point for w

Dr Dan Thokoane (Campus Liason Manager) gave the speech on behalf of the guest speaker and he indicated the importance of libraries in schools. He requested the Department of Education to make sure that the establishment of libraries in schools becomes a reality as the lack of libraries in schools adds to high illiteracy rates in the country and also adds to high dropout rate at tertiary institutions because when learners complete their grade 12 and move to tertiary institutions, it will be for the first time for them to come into contact with the library and by the time they became able to use the library, they have failed majority of their course and they are expelled from the university

Anna Brown addressing the audience about the importance of libraries in schools. She stressed the fact that if the issue of lack of libraries in schools is not given proper attention by authorities and the Department of Education at National and Provincial level, this will affect readership in schools and the learners who manage to complete their grade 12 and continue with higher education, they will not be able to handle the pressure at higher institutions as they will be able to read and write as they do not have any library and information literacy skills and they do not know how the library operates as these learners will only be in contact with the library at tertiary institutions.

Entertainment

Learners from Primary schools in Mamelodi provided the audience with an entertainment. There were gumboots dancers and the Pedi traditional dancers

Audience from Different schools

The audience paying attention to the speakers informing them about the importance of libraries in schools.

Contributed by Jacob Mothutsi

Learn from the Birds: Bringing Positivity and Productivity into Your Working Life

You have probably heard the saying, “birds of a feather flock together.” Generally, this is used to mean that people who are similar tend to enjoy and benefit from each other’s company. However, it can also be used in a negative sense if the speaker is implying that some of the “birds” in question have negative character traits that the rest of the flock members likely share.

You can turn this potentially negative situation on its head – and benefit greatly in the process – simply by making sure that your “flock” is a positive place to be. Not only will this help you enjoy your work more, but it will also help improve your reputation as a professional, reliable administrator. It can even help you garner promotions and advancement if you are clearly seen in the company of other people who are also admired in the office.

This does not mean desert your friends and try to be “popular” as if you were still in high school, but it does mean that your current circle of associates may bear some careful examination. Do you have “friends” who are constantly negative, complaining and putting you or others down? If so, they are directly impacting your ability to be productive and your psychological state, since it is harder to remain positive when you are exposed to constant negative propaganda. Often, these people are not really even your friends, but exist mainly to bring you down so that they will have company. Ask them politely to refrain from gossip and bad-mouthing in your presence. If they refuse, then it may be a good idea to cut them loose.

In the same manner, cultivating friendships and associations with people who are hard workers and positive thinkers can have a positive effect on you. As you work with people who give 100 percent and do not back away from a challenge, you will find that their fellowship helps you feel better about your work and your ability to tackle difficult projects and challenges. In no time, your fellow “flock” will be helping you move forward and upward in your professional life and keeping your mindset healthier as well.

Source: OPSA Terrific Tuesday Newsletter 23 March 2010

Contributed by Diana Gerritsen

Mei boek van die maand / May book of the month

Ulrich Oberprieler en Burger Cillié

Contributed by Katrien Malan

Die adellike, indrukwekkende en soms wrede voorkoms van roofvoëls dwing nie net die meeste mense se bewondering af nie, maar maak hulle ook die gesogste groep onder voëlgeesdriftiges. Ongelukkig kan dit egter baie moeilik wees om roofvoëls te identifiseer. Die feit dat kleurvariasies binne 'n spesie voorkom, en jong en volwasse voëls baie verskil, maak dat mens hulle nie bloot volgens kleur reg kan identifiseer nie.