The Department of Library Services (DLS) is home to a number of rare and valuable collections curated by the Special Collections Unit. Although the majority of these collections are housed at Special Collections on Level 5 of the Merensky 2 Library, there are a few others at various other library buildings and campuses. One of these is the Jotello F. Soga Library at the Onderstepoort campus, which consists of many rare and valuable books dedicated to the veterinary sciences.

The Faculty of Veterinary Sciences was founded in 1920 and from then until 1973, students and staff used the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute library. In 1974 the Veterinary Science Library was established on the Onderstepoort campus in the building that today houses the Department of Production Animal Studies, and in 1987 the library was moved to the new Sir Arnold Theiler Building.

In May 2009, the library was officially named the Jotello F. Soga Library. Dr Jotello Festiri Soga qualified as a veterinarian at the University of Edinburgh in 1886, and was the first South African to qualify as a vet. The naming ceremony included the unveiling of a bronze bust of Dr Soga. As Onderstepoort is the only veterinary faculty in South Africa, the Jotello F. Soga Library plays a vital role in veterinary teaching, learning and research in the region.  

Jotello F. Soga Library entrance

As the library itself is not very old, there are not many antiquarian books in the VET collections, and for this reason some books from the Special Collections relating to the veterinary field are kept at the Jotello F. Soga Library. An example is Lawrence's Agricultural and veterinary works: comprehending a body of useful and practical knowledge of every material object in the culture of the soil and the management of live stock, Volume 1, Treatise on horses, which was published in 1810 and is part of Special Collections’ Reserved Collection. However, Prof Henri de Boom, a former head of the Department of Anatomy, facilitated the acquisition of the 1602 edition of Anatomia del cavallo, infermita, et suoi rimedii (The anatomy of the horse, diseases and treatments) by Carlo Ruini. This historically significant anatomical atlas was the first to describe a non-human species. The oldest book in the VET collection is a 1537 edition of Veterinariae medicinae by Jean Ruel, a renowned 16^th century French physician and botanist. Veterinariae medicinae, which was commissioned by King Francis I of France, is a systematic compilation of everything that was written in Greek on the subject of veterinary medicine.

Lawrence's Agricultural and veterinary works

Anatomia del cavallo

Veterinariae medicinae

Also housed at the Jotello F. Soga Library is the Arnold Theiler Collection which includes photos, memorabilia, and other personal items, which belonged to Sir Arnold Theiler and members of his family, as well as Theiler’s Doctoral dissertation for the University of Bern, Malaria des Pferdes (1901). Sir Arnold is the Faculty of Veterinary Science’s very first Dean. Some of this collection has been digitised and is available on UPSpace. The library also has a small collection of historical veterinary instruments and equipment, which is on display.

Part of the Arnold Theiler Collection

Veterinary syringe on display

The DLS works within the UP GLAM (Gardens, Libraries, Archives and Museums) collaborative to highlight and promote the exceptional collections and heritage resources found within the University of Pretoria’s library collections, such as those housed at the Jotello F. Soga Library. We invite the UP community to explore and make use of these unique collections and resources.