Department of Library Services Newsletter - Issue 4 - 2023
News and Events
This has been a productive and successful year for the DLS. We do take pride in being true to our mission of enabling discovery, innovation and collaboration. Our staff have also given priority to supporting and enabling students to succeed.
As the academic year draws to a close, I would like to say thank you to the DLS team for all your hard work and dedication to the University. I would also like to say thank you to colleagues across the academic departments and professional services departments for their collegiality and collaboration in support of the academic programmes. I would also like to say thank you to the students who work alongside us, engage with us, and participate in workshops and training opportunities offered to support your studies.
This has certainly been an interesting year. We find ourselves in times of change and uncertainty:
We are uncertain about several things, firstly the financial situation in our country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were projections of a financial downturn. Now we experience it as a country, as families, and as the higher education sector.
We are uncertain about senior leadership at UP. On the 21st June, our Vice-chancellor and principal bid us all farewell, and now we await the appointment of a new Vice-chancellor.
We are uncertain about filling vacancies, constantly finding ourselves challenged to accomplish more with fewer resources.
What gives us comfort is that universities are resilient organizations. We also trust that the University will weather the storm. With the energy crisis, we are taking load-shedding disruption in our strides. I believe we will get through this.
The year has also presented us with opportunities to be creative, to do things differently, and to listen to the student voices which help direct our actions. I would like to mention a few activities which point to doing things differently:
- The opening of the refurbished Medical Library enabled us to contribute to the reimagining of the ecosystem of learning spaces;
- The Sensory garden allowed us to work together with Mamelodi campus colleagues, to contribute to the equipping of ECD (Early Childhood Development) teachers with storytelling skills and also encouraging the culture of reading within the Mamelodi community.
- A Poetry Night under the Sky and Quiz Night have allowed us to co-create programmes with our students.
Our work continues during the recess in December and January as we prepare for the new year and receive the new cohort of students.
Your passion and caliber of work are important to the DLS. As we look forward to the well-deserved break, I wish you joy and a holiday filled with wonderful memories.
