The Carnegie Capstone Conference was hosted by the Department of Information of the University of Pretoria, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, from 25-29 March 2019.

The Carnegie Capstone Conference saw a convocation of 140 library and information science professionals and scholars, with a 110 of whom were graduates of two training programmes spearheaded by the Department of Information Science, with the aim to enable African library professionals that work in a scholarly environment to beneficially utilise digital technologies that are available.

The programmes consisted of a two-year part-time master’s degree in information technology (MIT), as well as a four-week continuing professional development programme (CPD. The programmes brought forward 103 MIT graduates, with an 80 per cent pass rate, while the CPD had a 96 per cent pass rate.

The MIT programme was brought about after then head of department of Information Science, Professor Theo Bothma, recognised the need for advanced information and communications technology (ICT) skills for librarians, successfully pitched a proposal to the Carnegie Corporation of New York in 2010. The programme focussed on knowledge management, the development of digital repositories, social media skills, as well as networking and management skills, through the lens of a librarian. The programmes were aimed at mid-level librarians in research institutions from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.

These programmes were funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and came to the end of the funding cycle in 2019.