ABOUT GLAM

Gardens/ Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) at the University of Pretoria was founded by the Head of the University of Pretoria (UP) Museums, Dr. Sian Tiley-Nel following the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting impact on the arts, culture and heritage sector in higher education. In December 2020, the University of Pretoria Executive approved and supported the GLAM initiative spearheaded by the UP Museums, under the auspices of the Office of the Registrar.

Comprising of a think-tank collective of more than ten professionals from university museums, archives, and special collections within the library, the botanical gardens and architecture, they formed an institutional working group with the aim of widely promoting university museums and collections. GLAM at the University of Pretoria was formed, driven by the University of Pretoria Museums as champions of the initiative in association with the Alumni Relations Office in the Department of Institutional Advancement.

GLAM at the University of Pretoria is the first in higher education and in South Africa. The GLAMs are more than just national and international visitor attractions that contribute to the tourism economy of South Africa. They also provide access to primary and unique resources for research, learning, training, education purposes and campus creativity to staff, students and the UP community. The Gardens/ Galleries, Libraries, Archives and of the University of Pretoria are also memory institutions, which hold knowledge in the form of valuable primary collections that under sound curatorship, are cared for, protected, and conserved.

In a post-COVID-19 landscape, GLAM has since become even more socially relevant, providing the ideal working and collaborative platform for several initiatives and projects, building capacity and support at many institutional levels. Arts, archives, culture, museums, libraries, history, natural landscapes and architectural heritage as some fine examples, are indispensable campus-life components of any university. GLAM is cohesive and allows close contact and a deeper impact on the university gardens/ galleries, libraries, archives and museums. GLAM contributes directly to the University of Pretoria’s strategic mission and vision, responding to diversity, inclusion, access and the needs of the community and to wider civic society.

GLAM is a transdisciplinary initiative that continues to serve as an informal, working platform for greater momentum, enrichment, experiences and enjoyment of information and a diversity of resources within a university context. The innovation and spirit of GLAM serve the academic fraternity, the public, communities, and both users and consumers of university museums and collections within a higher education setting. GLAM is a communicative and networking platform for sharing and developing solidarity among like-minded partners, who provide trusted information and irreplaceable resources that are distinct and unique within the University of Pretoria.

GLAM also exists without walls, they are promoters, defenders, movers and shakers, and guardians of institutional values, both tangible and intangible and serve as havens in times of crises. They are currently, not-for-profit and unfunded, but remain resilient and sustainable as long as there are willing partners. GLAM is a connected internal community of specialised values that retain the collective identity and memory of both past and present Gardens/ Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) at the University of Pretoria.

GLAM PARTNERS:

UP Alumni Relations, Department of Institutional Planning

University of Pretoria Museums, Office of the Registrar

University of Pretoria Archives, Office of the Registrar

Architecture Archives, Department of Architecture

Special Collections, Department of Library Services

Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden, Department of Plant & Soil Sciences

UP Campus Tours, Department of Historical & Heritage Studies, Faculty of Humanities

For more information:

Dr. Sian Tiley-Nel (GLAM Co-ordinator)

Tel: +27 (0)12 420 3146

Email: [email protected]