Author: bronwynb

The Lund-Stellenbosch Professional Administrative Support Staff (PASS) Blended Mobility Programme is a comprehensive programme over some months that comprises not only site visits to the two universities but also several online and in person presentations. Topics of these sessions include South African and Swedish history and cultures, internationalisation, equality, intercultural competencies, and communication. As one of the ten Stellenbosch University (SU) participants in the programme, I visited Lund University (LU), Sweden from 11-15 September 2023.

Two of the five days I spent divided between the LU Library and the Social Sciences Library, two of the 26 libraries serving their 8 000 employees and 45 000 students. In line with their open access and open science focus, their eight developers mainly support open-source systems. They have reorganised their library staff responsible for e-resource management, open access, open science and research support into one Scholarly Communication department. Transformative agreements with publishers and open science are addressed not from a research support perspective but strategically with conversations with the library and other role players at university level. There are as many similarities as differences between the LU and SU libraries, and we share many of the same challenges. The SU Library and Information Service compares well internationally and in some cases is ahead.

One of the many highlights of the trip was a visit to the Uppakra Archaeologica Centre, two kilometres north of Lund. Now farmland, the forty hectares used to be the largest and longest lasting Iron Age settlement (c100 B.C. and 1000 A.D.). From 1996 it became a focus for archaeological research and LU researchers are hard at work on site, working through cultural layers several metres thick to uncover traces of the earlier inhabitants. My general impressions of the Swedes are that they are honest, open, willing to share and very hospitable. They cycle and recycle on a large scale. They are law abiding with a focus on efficiency. I learnt that cyclists ringing bicycle bells behind you as a warning and reminder to stay on the right, out of their way, can be just as daunting as taxis hooting.

We are looking forward to hosting the ten LU participants in Stellenbosch from 13-17 November. Thank you to my fellow SU delegates for the opportunity to get to know you and learn about your areas of work and expertise. Thank you to SU International, Human Resources and the Library’s Senior Management for the chance to travel, experience a different culture, make contacts and build relationships, learn, benchmark, and apply what I have learned in my personal and professional capacity.

 

Natasja Malherbe

 Photographs: Provided by Natasja Malherbe

The thirteenth Manuscripts Section Lecture was presented during the SU Woordfees on 9 October this year as part of the discourse series, From the library archives.  The lecture, with the title “Words that grow”, focused on the JJ Smith collection.

The three speakers were outstanding and highlighted various angles of the Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal (Dictionary of the Afrikaans Language), commonly known as the WAT as it has grown and developed over the years.

The first speaker, Ms Mimi Seyffert-Wirth, gave an overview of the JJ Smith collection (Ms 333), highlighting some of the interesting documents that focus on the history, orthography, and spelling of the Afrikaans language.

JJ Smith (1883-1949) was not only the first editor of the WAT, but also became the first professor in Afrikaans and Dutch at Stellenbosch University in 1919 and was the first editor of the Afrikaans magazine, Die Huisgenoot.

The second speaker, Dr Willem Botha, joined the editorial staff of the WAT in 1988 and retired in 2022 as Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director. He gave an overview of the history, growth, marketing, and move to the digital platform of the WAT.

The last speaker was Dr Gerda Odendaal, Co-editor of the WAT since 2016. Her talk focused on the expansion and inclusion of the variants of Afrikaans.

This talk also linked to other talks in the discourse series such as:

• Die rol en gelykstelling van variëteite in Afrikaans – ’n toekomsperspektief
• Die WAT by ’n T-aansluiting: ’n Toekomsblik
• Hoe het Afrikaans se dice geval?

Although the auditorium had to be evacuated due to a fire alarm, the audience returned for an interesting discussion.

An exhibition of related books, documents and photos was displayed digitally and in the display cabinets in Special Collections.

 

Marieta Buys

Editing: Naomi Visser

 Photographs: Bronwyn Bruton

The annual Congress of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML) was hosted by the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, from 30 July – 4 August 2023.

Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service will host IAML 2024 and in preparation for the congress four members of the local organising committee (LOC), Ellen Tise, Beulah Gericke-Geldenhuys, Santie de Jongh and Wilhelm Delport (University of Cape Town), attended IAML 2023 in Cambridge. The congress hosted approximately 350 delegates.

The main purpose of attending the congress was to gain knowledge of how an IAML congress is structured and organised, and to talk to organisers, sponsors, board members and delegates.

IAML programmes in general consist of a professional and social programme for delegates and accompanying persons. The Programme Officer takes responsibility for the programme and liaises with the LOC regarding local content. At IAML 2023, paper and poster topics included open access, teaching and learning, histories, technologies, and music collections.

The social programme included the opening ceremony and reception, concerts, Wednesday excursions and the congress dinner.

The opening ceremony, the concerts and the farewell dinner were in different locations in Cambridge. As no transport was provided we had to walk everywhere – which was not a problem as Cambridge is beautiful and finding our way to all the venues was no effort at all!  We in fact used every opportunity we had to explore this picturesque university town.

We were spoilt for choice when it came to Wednesday excursions and punting on the River Cam was a definite highlight!

Except for the more informal conversations with sponsors and organisers, the LOC members had lunch with IAML Board members and attended the Forum of Sections meeting where the organisers of IAML 2023 shared their experiences with us. Technical support was one of their biggest challenges as expectations of presenters differed from what the organisers were able to provide. Their feedback and our observations will be of great value when it comes to organising IAML 2024.

It was a very busy week, but definitely a very successful fact-finding mission!

Beulah Gericke-Geldenhuys and Santie de Jongh

 Photographs: Beulah Gericke-Geldenhuys and Santie de Jongh

The Library and Information Service is pleased to share its Annual report 2022 with you. In this year’s report, you will find out about the activities that the Library undertook to fulfil its strategic objectives that align with SU’s Vision 2040 and Strategic Framework 2019–2024. You can read about our many successes including our quality review, upgrading the SU Library spaces and infrastructure, Library Research Week, the launch of the Edwin Cameron Collection and Reading Room, Open Access Week, promoting digital scholarship, our services, resources and partnerships, and the visitors we hosted. Our agile staff continue to make great strides in national and international fora.

For more information contact Bronwyn Bruton e: bronwynb@sun.ac.za | t: +27 21 808 9528

All Rise! (A popular term used in South African courts to announce a judge entering or leaving a courtroom.) On 22 July 2022, the Library and Information Service (faculty librarians for Law) had the privilege to host Masters students from Hasselt University in Belgium. The students were working as interns at the Stellenbosch University Law Clinic. The opportunity is the result of an existing relationship between the SU Faculty of Law and Hasselt University.

The students attended a library training session which aimed to introduce them to South African legal resources (both online and in print). During a break from the session the students were taken on a library tour showcasing the different spaces within the library: the Law section; Client Services; the Carnegie Research Commons and the Makerspace. During the training session, the interns showed great enthusiasm.

Sanda Nyoka

Photograph: Bronwyn Bruton

This article was originally published on the Stellenbosch University website on 13 December 2022. It is authored by Corporate Communication and Marketing Division, SU.

The launch and opening of the Justice Edwin Cameron Collection and Reading Room took place in the Stellenbosch University (SU) Library on Tuesday 6 December 2022. The collection, received in 2021, is housed in the Special Collections area of the library and is now ready to be used by researchers.

This comprehensive collection contains publications and lectures by Cameron as well as material on his voluntary community service. Importantly, it also contains material on his career and his years as Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. This includes court cases, speeches, journals, videos, newspaper clippings and photographs.

Ellen Tise, Senior Director: Library and Information Services, said the collection is the culmination of a conversation she started with Cameron in December 2020 and is the 461^st collection to be curated by the manuscript section of the Special Collections division.

“This very special collection offers researchers a glimpse of what our future could look like by looking at the past and also what is currently happening in the country,” she said.

Prof Nicola Smit, Dean of the Faculty of Law, expressed similar sentiments.

“This collection by one of South Africa’s foremost jurors and activists for justice will help researchers and our students to better understand South Africa’s history and our past. It is a precious gift to present and future generations of students and scholars. It will help them gain a deeper understanding of how individuals like Justice Cameron took a courageous stand against the injustices of their time in solidarity with others. It will also hopefully inspire them to forge pathways to justice in their own time.”

Cameron, who has been Chancellor of SU since January 2020, said he is touched and deeply grateful for being honoured in this way, but reiterated that the collection is not about him.

“It is about history and memorialising the issues that I have been permitted to grapple with and bring to the fore. I hope that this collection will contribute to greater understanding of those issues.”

The retired Constitutional Court judge is well known for his HIV/Aids and gay-rights activism. President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed him as Inspecting Judge of Correctional Services from
1 January 2020.

In 2015, SU conferred an honorary doctorate on Cameron in acknowledgement of his “unstinting professional and personal advocacy for the recognition of every person’s dignity, freedom and equality – foundational values he has helped entrench in our legal system and beyond”.

He has helped develop South African law so as to truly reflect the fundamental values of the Constitution. Moreover, his role in securing the inclusion of sexual orientation as a prohibited ground of discrimination in the Bill of Rights, as well as his advocacy for persons with HIV/Aids, has made him a key player in South African and international law.

Cameron studied at the Universities of Stellenbosch, Oxford and South Africa. He started out his career at, among others, the University of the Witwatersrand’s Centre for Applied Legal Studies before he was appointed as senior counsel (SC) in 1994, and as an acting judge of the High Court by former President Nelson Mandela later that same year. He was appointed a judge of the High Court in 1995, judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2001, and justice of the Constitutional Court in 2009.

As the first South African in a high-profile public office speaking openly about his HIV status and experience taking antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), Cameron has made a credible and crucial contribution to more accessible ARV treatment for all HIV-positive South Africans.

The Cameron Collection takes pride of place next to other collections of SU Chancellors such as Frederik van Zyl Slabbert. The collection has been sorted and indexed and an inventory for the collection is available here.

 

Photograph of Ms Tise and Justice Edwin Cameron: Corporate Communication and Marketing Division, SU

This article was originally published as SU represented at World Science Forum and is authored by Corporate Communication and Marketing Division, SU. It was published on 5 December 2022.

​Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Senior Director of Library and Information Services, Ellen R. Tise, will participate in the World Science Forum (WSF) to be hosted by the Department of Science and Innovation in Cape Town from 6 to 9 December. This is the first time this event is taking place in Africa.

Tise received an invitation from Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Dr Blade Nzimande, co-chair of the WSF 2022 steering committee.

The WSF takes place every two years and attracts scientists from all over the world. Established by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the gathering deliberates on the social and economic relevance, influence and responsibilities of science.

South Africa is hoping to achieve three key goals by hosting the WSF: to promote global debate that inspires action; to provide support for African leadership in global science policy discussions; and to promote South Africa as a strategic partner for global science collaboration in response to societal challenges.

The event will bring together scientists, government officials, industry leaders, media representatives, students from across the world as well as representatives from broader civil society. More than 1 000 people are expected to attend.

Under the theme “Science for Social Justice”, participants will notably consider how the production and application of new knowledge could and should challenge inequality, injustice, environmental destruction, and marginalisation. Debates will not only consider the role of science in advancing social justice, but also how the values of social justice, such as greater transparency and inclusivity, should transform the nature of the scientific enterprise itself, to make it more responsive to the needs of society.

Tise, who will participate in the thematic session entitled “The paths to Fully Open Access Science Across the Global South” on 7 December, regards it as a great honour for herself, SU and the library and information profession.

“As libraries our role is to contribute to the right to information and education, serve communities on the margins and provide safe spaces for the vulnerable. Our services extend to all, irrespective of religion, ability, disability, race, social standing and class. We regard ourselves as active participants in the social justice arena. This role of libraries in social justice has been given more prominence by our Open Access initiatives,” said Tise.

She continued: “This particular panel will showcase the expertise that exists in South Africa, at SU and in the continent. In a sense it also means one is being recognised for your expertise.”

The panel will discuss the obstacles and challenges that the international community, researchers and libraries face to transition to an open science environment. It will also try to chart pathways that will make this transition a seamless one.

By making research from academic and research institutes freely available, open science has great potential to, among other things, facilitate collaborations and partnerships to address societal problems. Currently, most of the research that has been published is commercialised, giving rise to unequal access to information between the rich and the poor, especially between the Global North and the Global South.

“My contribution (in the discussion) will be to raise awareness about the unique challenges faced by Global South researchers and librarians alike in realising the transition to open science.”

“Our resolve is guided by the belief that open access publishing will advance the protection of equal access to civil liberties, rights, and opportunities. We hope to play a part in deconstructing those structures that perpetuate inequality, exclusion, and marginalisation that we face in the Global South.”

Tise is a past president of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) (2009-2011) and of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) (1998-2002). She is the current Chair of the IFLA Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression, and Chairperson of the South African National Library and Information Consortium Board of Directors. She served on other major library and information bodies, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Access to Learning Award Advisory Committee in 2007. Tise was appointed to the UNESCO International Advisory Committee of the Memory of the World for a four-year period from 2011-2015 and served as Chair of the Board of the National Library of South Africa from 2012-2015.

 

Photograph of Ms Tise: Library and Information Service, SU

Extract of programme: World Science Forum 2022 website

This is a reminder of the various discounted and free-of-charge options for open access publishing available to SU researchers.

In the past two years, the Library and Information Service has signed agreements with some publishers which offer discount for publishing with open access (OA), and in some cases to publish OA without paying article processing charges (APCs). However, it has come to our attention that there are researchers that remain unaware of these benefits. We would like to encourage researchers to use these options and to encourage their colleagues on campus to use them.

These are the publishers with whom we have signed free-of-charge OA agreements:

1. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

The agreement allows corresponding authors from SU to publish an unlimited number of articles OA in ACM journals free of charge.

2. Cambridge University Press

The agreement allows corresponding authors from SU to publish research articles in CUP journals free of charge.

3. Emerald

The agreement permits corresponding authors from SU to publish a capped number of articles as OA free of charge in the Emerald gold and hybrid journals to which we subscribe.

4. IMechE

The agreement permits corresponding authors from SU to publish an uncapped number of articles as OA in IMechE journals free of charge.

5. SAGE

The agreement allows corresponding authors from SU to publish an uncapped number of articles as OA in  SAGE hybrid titles (SAGE Choice) free of charge. Corresponding SU authors will also receive a discount of 20% when publishing in  SAGE’s gold OA portfolio of titles.

6. Sponsoring Consortium for OA Publishing in Particle Physics (SCOAP³)

The partnership allows corresponding authors from SU to publish OA in journals in the SCOAP³ repository free of charge. The focus is on particle physics.

7. Wiley

The agreement allows corresponding authors from SU to publish free of charge in Wiley’s hybrid OA journals.

 

These are the publishers with whom we have signed discounted OA agreements:

1. MDPI

Corresponding SU authors will receive a 10% discount on the APC for any paper accepted for publication by MDPI.

2. Royal Society of Chemistry

Corresponding authors from SU will receive a 15% discount on APCs when publishing OA with RSC. The first four articles submitted to RSC by SU authors per year will be published free of charge.

3. Springer Nature

Submissions under the University’s affiliation will afford researchers 15% discount on the APCs for BMC, Springer Open and Palgrave Macmillan Open titles.

For more information about the publishers and to view titles eligible for OA publishing, please visit https://libguides.sun.ac.za/OApublishing. Please also feel free to contact your faculty librarian or Caretha Nel at caretha@sun.ac.za or 021 808 4433.

1 December 2022

The Library and Information Service received the Justice Edwin Cameron Collection in 2021. The collection is housed as part of the Special Collections of the Library and is now ready to be used by researchers.

Justice Cameron was installed as Chancellor of Stellenbosch University in 2020. Edwin Cameron SCOB, born 15 February 1953 in Pretoria, is a retired judge who served as a Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He is well known for his HIV/AIDS and gay-rights activism. President Ramaphosa appointed him as Inspecting Judge of Correctional Services from 1 January 2020.

Cameron’s early career combined academia and legal practice. Cameron practised at the Johannesburg Bar from 1983 to 1994. From 1986 he was a human rights lawyer at Wits’s Centre for Applied Legal Studies, where in 1989 he was awarded a personal professorship in law. His practice included labour and employment law; defence of African National Congress fighters charged with treason; conscientious and religious objection; land tenure and forced removals; and gay and lesbian equality.

Justice Cameron is an alumnus of Stellenbosch University. In his installation speech he spoke about the “joy of being associated with the University that is so clearly on the way up – up in intellectual output, up in teaching skills, up in research and scholarly publications, up in international renown, up even (though this counts the least) in international ranking. Joy particularly in being able to preside over quite a number of graduation ceremonies over the last two and a half years. It has been an honour to confer degrees and witness elated students graduating, some the first in their families to attend a tertiary institution” (Cameron, 2022).

The Cameron collection takes pride of place next to other collections of SU Chancellors such as Frederik van Zyl Slabbert. The collection has been sorted and indexed and an inventory for the collection is available here. The collection contains publications and lectures by Cameron as well as material on his voluntary community service. Importantly, it also contains material on his career and his years as Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. We invite students, researchers and members of the public to peruse this unique collection, which will be formally launched on 6 December this year.

For enquiries on the collection, please contact Ms Marieta Buys, Head: Special Collections (hmbuys@sun.ac.za).

Bibliography:

Cameron, E. 2022. Stellenbosch University deserves to be free from hate and degradation. News24. [Online]. Available from https://www.news24.com/news24/opinions/columnists/guestcolumn/edwin-cameron-our-dignity-demands-we-have-capable-institutions-and-a-capable-government-20220518.

The Stellenbosch University (SU) Library and Information Service is an advocate of open data as demonstrated by the fact that it hosts SUNScholarData, the University’s open data repository. Open data is the act of making data openly accessible and shareable by everyone. Its advantages include ensuring transparent and efficient research and decision-making.

Every year, Figshare runs a survey on the state of open data in the researcher community and publishes a report, alongside the results of the survey.

The Library was invited to contribute a piece in this year’s Figshare report, The State of Open Data Report 2022. Samuel Simango, Manager of Research Data Services in the Library and Information Service wrote an article Preparing for South Africa’s proposed open data strategy: lessons from Stellenbosch University. In his article, Samuel discusses how SU ensures it is compliant with the core aspects of the national South African open data strategy that were postulated in the Proposed National Data and Cloud Policy. Samuel’s contribution can be read here.