Farewell: Retired and Resigned

"I would like to take this opportunity and thank all of you for your friendly support I have received over the years, each and every one of you has taught me valuable lessons.  It has been a great privilege to be a part of the Department of Library Services team.   They have been most enjoyable times filled with many challenges and when I think back to when I started in 1995 it feels like yesterday."

"My journey in the library started as a part-time library assistant at Merensky in 1994, working after-hours while employed as an educator and studying information science as a part-time junior degree student. I graduated in 1996 and was appointed permanently in 2007 as an information specialist at the Groenkloof library and have been enjoying the wonderful and fulfilling experience of interactions with the library community, students, and academic staff daily ever since.

A notable period in my career was during the COVID-19 pandemic when everything turned virtual and online overnight and communication turned out to be mostly by email or telephone. That was a testing period because as information specialists we had to be information searchers in the true sense of the word and the number of requests increased tremendously. There was no option of showing/training students on how to search but to do it for them ourselves. Even now when things are getting normal most students still prefer sending requests to coming personally to the library and doing searches on their own. Nevertheless, COVID-19 proved that change is inevitable and that we have to change with time and circumstances.

My time at UP library will remain part of me, as the library community has become my family. I will always cherish the moments spent in the library and the interactions I experienced with all of you in the library and the departments."