Pretoria - A librarian is described as “a specialist in the care or management of a library”, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. However, at the University of Pretoria (UP), it is believed that a librarian is a lot more than that.
Today is South African Librarian’s Day, an initiative by the Library and Information Association of South Africa, and UP Libraries spoke to the Pretoria News about the many services it delivers – not only to students but to the community as well.
At the helm of UP’s Libraries is librarian Elsabe Olivier, who showcased the valuable resources and services that the special librarians here provide to external clients who are not registered staff or students at UP.
“At the University of Pretoria Libraries, we pride ourselves on providing exceptional resources and services to enhance research, education, and community engagement,” Olivier said.
Some of the notable services offered by the libraries include a digitisation unit, which offers an on-demand digitisation service that encompasses the preservation and digital conversion of various materials, including paper documents, photographs, maps, slides, negatives, and even 3D objects.
“By digitising these collections, we aim to provide wider accessibility and ensure their long-term preservation,” Olivier said.
Some of the interesting collections that they have digitalised include “Die Stroom Op – a newspaper collection from Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool and The Philately Society Journals, which include various articles about stamp collections dating back to 1936.
“One of the oldest pieces we have ever digitised was a private recipe book from the sixteen hundreds, brought in by a relative who was very pleased to preserve the collection of recipes.”
As one of the pioneering MakerSpaces in South Africa, their facilities also provide cutting-edge services such as 3D printing and scanning. This innovative space fosters creativity and experimentation, allowing users to bring their ideas to life through advanced technologies and equipment.
“An interesting application of 3D scanning was used by the mechanical engineering department at UP when a scan and recreation of albatross wings were made for use in aerodynamic simulations.” Olivier said the community could also access this service.
The university also boasts a well-established bindery that offers high-quality and professional binding services to UP staff, students, and private clients. This service can be utilised for university-related assignments, articles, and dissertations, providing a reliable resource for document presentation and preservation.
The special collections unit of UP’s department of library services also plays a stewardship role in the acquisition and preservation of the department’s rare and valuable information resources, making them accessible to students, staff and researchers, as well as safeguarding them for future generations.
“Our staff members are happy to assist the public and external researchers with any query they may have pertaining to our collection and the information held therein.
“This unit often has repeat visits from external researchers who work through a specific collection.”
Olivier said they also assisted with digitisation requests relating to their resources. Depending on copyright restrictions, they add all digitised resources to their developing online collections.
“We are looking forward to welcoming the community to the Merensky 2 Library on the Hatfield campus soon,” she said.
Pretoria News