Visit to the Merensky Library, University of Pretoria
I really felt proud showing the delegates our campus, library and our new facilities. The research commons is really stylish, yet practical and spacious. The new furnishings and artworks complement the atmosphere.
The new computer training centre with all the computer facilities and the new auditorium are functional yet very professional. It complements the rest of the facilities.
The strategic organization in practice - Dr Heila Pienaar
Dr Heila, as usual, the strategist, the vertex of vision. Dr Heila took us through the e-strategy for scholarship at UP. She also included e-services, e-learning and governance. She also talked about the Virtual Research Environment (VRE) and Open Access. She asked me to speak to the group on the topic of e-products and services of the veterinary library.
Quality Assurance – Christa North
Christa spoke on what quality is and what not, and how it is embedded in the management system. She talked about external evaluation and accreditation and quality promotion. She showed us a UP example, what we aiming for and the objections was. She end with a very interesting comparison of where we were in terms of leadership and where we aim, ending with “have fun”.
Visit to the National Library of South Africa – Rachel More
The new National Library is spacious, impressive and owns beautiful artworks. I loved the beadwork, plants, wall hangings and the wooden feather. I was impressed with the study space and computer workstations. An information session was held explaining the ins and outs of the National Library’s collections, how they work and legislation. The tour to the digitization offices and the binding, cleaning, de-acidification and drying of the books was extremely interesting. De-acidification, is a process of treating paper documents for the purpose of neutralizing acids within the paper and to create an alkaline buffer. High acidity levels contribute to the deterioration of paper, causing yellowing, brittleness, and instability.
Thank- you also for the LIASA offices for our goody-bags!
Useful website : http://www.nlsa.org.za
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