Wits Libraries Annual Report 2020 by witsmarketing

Wits Libraries Annual Report

2020

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

WITS LIBRARIES AT A GLANCE.......................................................... 2 MISSION......................................................................................... 7 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, 2017-2022.................................................... 7

2020 OPERATING ENVIRONMENT...................................................... 7 Enabling access to relevant collections....................................................................... 7 SERVICE DELIVERY UNDER COVID-19 CONDITIONS.............................10 Online support................................................................................................................10 Research support..........................................................................................................11 Research output capturing...........................................................................................11 Digital copies of books, book chapters and conference papers............................11 Research support LibGuide, 2020...............................................................................11 Archival research support............................................................................................12 TECHNOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS........................................................12 Sierra Acquisitions/Oracle Finance Module Integration..........................................12 Library Management System (LMS) Tender.............................................................13 DEVELOPING DIGITAL & INFORMATION LITERACIES...........................13 Orientation.......................................................................................................................13 Integration of information literacy into the curriculum............................................13

REDEVELOPMENT OF LIBRARY SPACES AND NEIGHBOURHOODS........14 Compliance with Covid-19 regulations....................................................... 15 Scaled-down services............................................................................. 16 Controls................................................................................................ 16 PEOPLE.........................................................................................17 Senate Library Committee....................................................................... 17 Library Organisational Design.................................................................. 18 Recognising staff achievements.............................................................. 18 Resignations, retirements and deaths....................................................... 18 Staff wellness........................................................................................ 19 Staff training and development................................................................ 19 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROFESSION.............................................20 Publishing............................................................................................. 20 Presentations........................................................................................ 20 Professional leadership........................................................................... 21 WHAT DID OUR USERS SAY IN 2020?.................................................22 Selected quotes..................................................................................... 22 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................23 CONTRIBUTORS.............................................................................23

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WITS LIBRARIES AT A GLANCE

RESOURCES/SERVICES

PHYSICAL ACCESS

- Group Discussion Room Bookings

COLLECTIONS

Commerce Library

Engineering Library

Wartenweiler Library

Book volumes

eBook

Databases

Journal titles in databases

Print journal titles

Expenditure per patron (R) Print books (borrowed) Print books (in-library use) Library homepage views Databases (downloads/searches) e-Books (downloads/searches)

USAGE

LibGuides overview (page views)1 Research support LibGuide (page views) Prescribed & recommended textbooks LibGuide (page views)

A page view is registered whenever a user opens a LibGuide or WIReDSpace weblink. One user may be responsible for multiple page views, for example, if a user browses across 25 weblinks, this will count as 25 page views.

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2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2,390,310

2,448,447

2,595,383

2, 452, 009

433,084

7,850

1,881

1,515

1,486

11,314

2,651

9,426

1,230,643

16,473

224 170,652

14,166

1,238,995

16,813

230 155,945

12,381

1,248,540

20,344

230 119,771

11,695 1,344

Closed

20, 903

1,252,538

28,406

236 228,190

242

1,259,929

29,183

237 238,504

2,086

1,904

1,901

1,869

1,868

2,399

2,682

2,540

2,495

2,628

254,306

216,092

183 085

45,795

99,188

73,780

93,831

25,217

663,509

680,472

503,920

235,848

102,272

2,451,441

2,842,612

3,434,748

2,776,452

212,119

218,263

288,246

516,284

601,930

835,462

20,773

15,221

149,160

258,758

367,367

13,643

63,757

90,894

284,415

2,510,924

1,166,521

420,767 1,334,700

continued overleaf

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WITS LIBRARIES AT A GLANCE (CONT.) RESOURCES/SERVICES WIReDSpace 1.

Page views

Number of items

Number of open access items

USAGE (continued)

e-Wits mobile Self-service borrowing

HELP

INTERLIBRARY LOANS

Reference inquiries

Ask-a-librarian & chat online

Turnitin reports

Borrowed

Loaned

Facebook followers SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT STUDENTS3 & STAFF4 PATRONS STUDENTS & STAFF PER LIBRARY STAFF5 1.a. Undergraduate classes 1.b. Undergraduate attendances INFORMATION LITERACY

2.a. Postgraduate classes 2.b. Postgraduate attendances

This was up to October 2019. There was a platform change between November–December 2019

This is all enrolled students who may access library services for various reasons, including occasional students

This is all permanent and temporary staff, including those with disabilities who may access libraries for various reasons

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2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

459,517

473,216

686,711

672,742

727,904

14,743

17,067

20,105

22,293

23,732

12,986

15,330

18,304

22,282

21,652

158,828

156,990

148,471

157 681

116,679

5,178

8,096

2,183

2,884

14,180

8,243

3,963

1,040

19,736

6,167

327

442

1072

107

888

193

183

156

176

278

1,721

1,924

1,545

1,505

1,936

2,548

2,801

1,917

1,842

1,714

2,332

2,665

2,915

3,013

3, 794

41,331

144

43,393

45,793

164

159

1,1155

17,400

14,563 177 5,397

174

46,629

184 5,138

45,779

174

3986

11,309

188 5,557

5,855 -

11,265

Includes Library staff (full-time employees) and part-time student assistants

Includes Library staff (full-time employees) but not part-time student assistants due to Covid-19 shutdown disruptions

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MISSION Our mission is to enhance research, teaching and learning activities by increasing digital access, infrastructure redevelopment, organisational design, implementing enabling technologies and information skills training for lifelong learning in support of the Wits Vision 2022 Strategic Framework.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES (2017-2022) Our strategic priorities for the year under review were: • Enabling access to relevant collections • Redevelopment of library spaces and neighbourhoods • Organisational design • Implementing enabling technologies • Information skills development

2020 OPERATING ENVIRONMENT The year 2020 was unusual. The outbreak of Covid-19 in the country and across the globe resulted in a National Lockdown, starting on March 26 2020, to contain the spread of the virus. Libraries and many other services had to rethink the traditional way of supporting teaching, learning and research. Within our Libraries, this was compounded by staff attrition and the high rate of vacancies; foreign exchange fluctuations and the impact on budgets, particularly the information resources budget; and aging libraries and equipment that required ongoing maintenance and reconfiguration to comply with Covid-19 regulations. The rate of progress in advancing our strategic priorities must be seen in the context of this challenging operating environment. All key staff were provided with laptops and data to enable them to work remotely on core tasks during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

Enabling access to relevant collections The Libraries acquired 1,553 books. Of these 775 were print, 1 DVD and 777 eBooks. As at 31 December 2020, users had access to: • 1,259,929 book volumes • 29,183 electronic books • 1,868 print journals Wi ts

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• 238,504 electronic journals in databases • 237 databases of which 193 were full text Eighty-six journal titles and one database, Artstor, were cancelled. These resources were no longer relevant for the current teaching, learning and research functions of the University. Two databases, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and Risk.net academic, were added to the collections. The Covid-19 national lockdown speeded up blended learning initiatives. The Libraries supported this development by giving access to unsubscribed resources at the home page. Working collaboratively with Wits ICT, Faculties and the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Development (CLTD), the Libraries facilitated access to the 761 prescribed e-textbook titles on the 2020 Wits booklist under the Free Student eTextbook Programme (FSTP). This was a welcome initiative for many students who could not access their print textbooks under the lockdown restrictions on movement. Notwithstanding the lockdown hardships, the processing of primary research materials to expand what was available to researchers continued. The Alex Moumbaris and Ernest Cole Papers were processed and uploaded on the Historical Papers website and Access to Memory (AtoM) repository. The Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) funded a contract employee who processed and described material relating to litigation adding 180 boxes to the existing collection. Interlibrary loans This service supplied and requested only journal articles and chapters out of books nationally and internationally from March to September 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Upon reopening in October 2020, the service started supplying and requesting books for Wits researchers and national users. In support of continued research, the Wits Libraries were among a few libraries that continued to supply or request books nationally and internationally under the Covid-19 restrictions. The service addressed the needs for those materials either not accessible at or not available in the University collections. Open Access (OA) to Materials - Publishing support In ongoing efforts to promote open access to knowledge, the Libraries supported the payment of article processing charges (APCs) to ensure the University research outputs were shared

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openly for the benefit of all. 78.4 percent of the APC budget was spent in 2020 compared to 18.3 percent in 2019. The increased reimbursements were due to the revision in the level of the contribution from the initial 50 percent to two-thirds of the APC (up to a maximum of R30 000) that was reimbursed to the Faculty/School to refund the author. This made the facility relatively attractive to researchers compared to the previous year when there were observations that given the high costs of APCs, the refund amount was low. - Digitisation The primary aim of the digitisation programme was the widening of access to hard copy Africana materials and manuscripts, as well as deliver long term preservation of the priceless research treasures in the custody of the University. During 2020, the number of described archival collections increased to 1,275 compared to 1,267 in 2019, the digital objects in the Access to Memory (AtoM) repository increased from 30,435 in 2019 to 40,821 in 2020, comprising 36,368 text documents, 4,452 photographs, and the Sol Plaatje’s recording of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika, 1923 audio file. Building on the work carried out in the years 2018-2019 under the Natural History Collections at Museums Funding: National Digitisation Training and Data Preservation Centre: NHCC2017070001 project, which sought to stimulate activities in the galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAMS) sector in aid of research and innovation, the activities planned for 2020 sought to enhance capacity and strengthening skills development and knowledge sharing. To this end and before the national lockdown in March 2020: • Colleagues from the University of the Free State library visited the Digitisation Centre on 17 February, to familiarise with AtoM software and digitisation programmes • An AtoM Refresher workshop was conducted at the Robert Sobukwe Museum and Learning Centre, Graaff-Reinet, 26-28 February 2020. Following the lockdown, workshops were suspended and only online work was possible. The National Aggregator Pilot took shape at http://146.141.12.32. This was further refined to https://ns290222.stacksdiscovery.com/ where the aggregator site was harvesting three independent AtoM instances, being the Nelson Mandela Foundation AtoM instance, the Wits Library—NRF training instance and the Wits Historical Papers instance, in addition to the Wits Institutional Repository on DSpace.

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SERVICE DELIVERY UNDER COVID-19 CONDITIONS Online support Following the shutdown, attention was paid to strengthening online support through virtual services. The services on offer were: • Self-help information links were accessible on the library home page where users could learn to set up their library pins, search databases, learn to use ZOTERO, and other useful links to assist them through these challenging times. Some publishers offered free e-Resources. • Assistance with Library pin creation, assisting with de-registration of students, assisting returning students in re-registration, email enquiries, limited inter library loan services and general and research enquiries. Staff continued to liaise with faculty and assisted with book orders, prioritizing digital versions, where possible. • Use of Microsoft (MS) Teams software for user education and training, staff meetings, and vendor presentations. • Book loans and book returns-A moratorium was placed on library fines for books taken out just prior to the lockdown. On an appointment basis, academics and postgraduate students were able to request books in advance for collection. Drop boxes were available for book returns. • The Historical Papers unit offered telephonic or email based guidance through online platforms, verification of requests relating to archival collections, limited scanning and document provision by email of archival documents where possible. • The Library was unable to offer browsing or seating spaces to study during the lockdown period. This was necessary for the Library to make physical adjustments to achieve compliance with Covid-19 regulations and to ensure the wellbeing and safety of students and staff, as they started returning to campuses from the beginning of June 2020 when the country moved to lockdown level 3.

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Research Support Research Output Capturing The library offered bibliometric services to various individual researchers and the Research Office in respect of appointments and promotions, National Research Foundation (NRF) rating applications, Faculty/ School research output reports, grant applications, research awards, and journal evaluations. A total of 25 reports was generated in 2020 compared to 45 in 2019. Datafinity, the developer of the Research Output Capturing System (ROCS) started using the Scopus application programming interface (API) for the capturing of the 2020 output. The library focused on identifying publications which may not have been captured on ROCS by running alerts on the Web of Science database and assisted with categorizing publications according to Faculty as this was not specified in the Web of Science or Scopus databases. Digital Copies of Books, Book Chapters and Conference Papers At the end of July, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) requested universities to provide digital/electronic copies of books, book chapters and conference papers published in 2019. These had been submitted in print to the DHET but, due to Covid-19, it was important to revisit how review panels would assess publications in future. In order to meet the deadline of 21st August, the library assisted by identifying outputs that the library already had in digital format i.e. certain books, book chapters etc. and uploading these to ROCS. The Library Digitisation Centre assisted with scanning of all content that was not already available in electronic format. In total, the Digitisation Centre scanned book chapters from 117 books and 81 conference papers and submitted these timeously to the Research Office. Research Support LibGuide, 2020 Usage of the Research Support LibGuide continued to grow. The total views increased from 258,758 in January to December 2019 to 367,367 for the same period in 2020. This represented an increase of 41.9%. The guide was also ranked as the most popular (ranked no. 1) amongst 177 published Wits LibGuides. Traffic to the guide originated mainly from the Library Homepage, Google and other Wits LibGuides which link to the Research guide. The graph on page 12 shows the pages that attracted most of the traffic.

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Table 1: Research Support LibGuide: Most Visited Pages

Archival research support The total number of local and international researchers who visited Historical Papers in 2020 was 92, with 16 international and 52 local researchers before Lockdown and 24 local researchers after Lockdown. The 16 international researchers came from the Netherlands (1), USA (5), UK (4), Germany (3), Poland (1), Switzerland (1), and France (1).

TECHNOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS Sierra Acquisitions/Oracle Finance Module Integration Previously, the Sierra Acquisitions and Oracle Finance modules operated as stand-alone systems. This meant that at month-end a manual reconciliation was performed to ensure that all information that was captured on Sierra reflected on Oracle. The integration exercise was meant to ensure that Sierra interfaces to Oracle thereby increasing the efficiency of the process and reducing the “man power” and time that it took to prepare the monthly reconciliation. The integration was completed during the course of the year. A process/procedure manual was completed describing daily operations, areas of responsibility as well as the full workflow including exceptions. The integration was scheduled for auditing in 2021.

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Library Management System (LMS) Tender The Library, in collaboration with the Procurement department, issued a tender for the replacement of the LMS. The tender process included an extensive review of the systems on offer, including the wider aims of re-imagining the library by modernising the LMS. A tender evaluation team was formed comprising Wits ICT, the Library and the Finance Department. Tender evaluations commenced during the course of the year and were scheduled for completion in 2021 for a recommendation to be submitted to the Tender Committee of the University.

DEVELOPING DIGITAL AND INFORMATION LITERACIES Orientation The aim of Library orientation was to familiarise newly enrolled students with basic information about the Library homepage, the suite of services, creating a pin, searching the e-Wits catalogue, wireless access, and safety of personal belongings and student cards inside and outside the library. This was offered through library lecture sessions, live demonstrations, tours of the libraries and quizzes posted on Wits-e. The total number of attendances at the different libraries and across disciplines was 3,862, the lowest compared to the four previous years. This was attributed to the fact that the shutdown of campuses from 26th March meant that there were no further face to face engagements unlike the previous years when orientation proceeded beyond the University scheduled calendar dates.

Integration of information literacy into the curriculum The integration of information skills courses into academic programmes was disrupted by the national shutdown in March. However, two programmes that had been established previously continued to make progress. In the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (EBE), the Engineering Common First Year (CFY) course was in its second year. Students accessed the assignments, readings, semester programme, relevant library resources and support at the Engineering Profession: Common First Year (FEBE1000) LibGuide. A tutorial and quiz was published on Wits-e. Seven hundred and ninety students attended the five

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sessions presented by the Engineering librarians. In the Schools of Architecture and Planning and Construction Economics and Management, a Wits-e integrated information literacy tutorial was offered through the Academic Development Unit. Unfortunately the Architecture department could not participate since they had been scheduled for the 17th of March, the day the University closed due to Covid-19 . In the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, the Library collaborated with the Road to Success Programme (RTSP) and the information literacy bookings were done on the RTSP Wits-e site. The students required more assistance with their end user computing skills.

REDEVELOPMENT OF LIBRARY SPACES AND NEIGHBOURHOODS The redevelopment of library spaces and neighbourhoods strategy sought to open up learning and collaboration spaces in a digitised environment, integrating library service provision with research, teaching and learning, in support of the campus digitisation/e-research/ blended learning strategies, and to meet the needs of a modern learning community increasingly dependent on a digitised world. The redevelopment of the Wartenweiler Library ground floor to incorporate an Open Learning Area (WWL-OLA) was almost complete at the time of the lockdown. Furniture and library service equipment had been procured. The equipment for the eLearning component and staffing were still under consideration. Construction teams were back on site on 8 June 2020 and construction work was completed in August 2020. The Disability Rights Unit endorsed the access arrangements made in the area. The tattle gate was installed. The outstanding installations were: • finalisation, procurement and installation of the ICT and security components; • installation of the disability ramp railing. As at 30 December 2020, the procurement and installation of the ICT and security components had not been completed. Wartenweiler Library Open Learning Area and surroundings – construction works were completed at the end of 2020.

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Phase 1 of the repurposing of the Education Library basement for bulk storage of print materials commenced on 3 February 2020, but was suspended as part of the national lockdown. Phase 1 comprised the Archive space to house the Barloworld Rand Mines Archives Collection. Work resumed in June and the construction component of the project was completed and handed over on 30 September 2020. The space was fully air-conditioned, dust free, access controlled and fire protected. The remaining works at the end of 2020 included the fitting of compact shelving, which was donated by Barloworld. It was anticipated this would be completed in early 2021. Education Library basement redevelopment works complete in September 2020 to house Rand Mines Archive. A new 24-hour Reading Room was opened on the 3rd of February, 2020 at the Engineering Library. The facility was part of the library during the day but was separated from the library after hours. Unfortunately the 24-hr area closed when all other campus libraries were closed due to the national lockdown. The Reading Room re-opened again for after-hours service for the month of November to provide additional study space for students during the examination period.

Compliance with Covid-19 regulations All Wits libraries closed at the end of March resulting from the national lockdown. The libraries were closed for six months as initially only emergency staff was allowed on campus and before re-opening, at the end of September 2020. Prior to reopening, it was necessary to reconfigure all libraries to comply with Covid-19 regulations. The Libraries Covid-19 Walk-through Risk Assessment tool was finalised in consultation with the Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Directorate (OHS&E), the Property and Infrastructure Management Directorate (PIMD), and Services Directorate: The readjustments were: • Measuring of spaces and social distancing • Removal of existing furniture to allow for the 1,5m social distancing requirements • Reducing the number of seats in the respective libraries and redeploying surplus seating to areas where seating needed to be upgraded or repaired. Library seating was reduced from 2,498 to 1,069. Wi ts

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• Some computing equipment was moved from public spaces to stores. This reduced user computer workstations from 197 to 106. • Display of Covid-19 posters in appropriate areas • Installation of sanitisers in strategic positions inside the library • Social distancing floor markings • The closure of discussion rooms to avoid the gathering of students • Provision of personal protective equipment (PPEs) to staff which included two cloth masks, two sets of washable durable gloves, face shields, and sanitisers • Installation of desk screens in areas of high face to face contact • All of the Wits Libraries were sanitised and deep and surface cleaned. These measures paved the way for the phased reopening of Libraries that started in June. The opening hours for all the libraries were from 9h00-16h00 to take account of public transport congestion.

Scaled down services With effect from October 2020 when the University community returned to campus under Lockdown Level 1 a scaled down service was offered: • Book borrowing and returning, excluding shelf browsing • Study space, with social distancing • Student PCs • Printer/photocopying facilities • Online support, including downloads and user education and training • Rotational staffing

Controls Among the key controls to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were: • It was compulsory for all users to wear masks • Quarantining returned or newly ordered books for a 24–72 hour period before shelving and cataloguing • Regular cleaning of reading tables and emptying of dustbins • Users were not allowed to browse shelves.

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PEOPLE Senate Library Committee The Committee guided the Library in fulfilling its role as part of the teaching, learning and research infrastructure of the University throughout the year. The members of the committee were: Professor J Rodrigues .............................. Acting DVC: Research and Postgraduate Affairs and Chairperson Professor R Osman ................................... DVC Academic Professor F Booysen ................................. Dean’s Representative: Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management Professor C Nyamupangedengu .............. Dean’s Representative: Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment Professor A Kramvis ................................. Dean’s Representative: Faculty of Health Sciences Associate Professor J Potterton............... Dean’s Representative: Faculty of Health Sciences Professor M Papathanasopoulos............. Senate Representative: Faculty of Health Sciences Ms D Balliah ............................................... Dean’s Representative: Faculty of Humanities Professor D Billing ..................................... Dean’s Representative: Faculty of Science Professor C Rey ......................................... Senate Representative: Faculty of Science Dr S Mpofu ................................................. Chief Information Officer Mr P Muswazi ............................................ University Librarian Ms N Potgieter .......................................... Deputy Registrar Ms N Sithole .............................................. Finance Office Representative Mr A Magadla ............................................ PGA Representative Ms N Shabangu ......................................... PGA Representative Ms A Hadebe ............................................. SRC Representative Mr L Mthembu ........................................... SRC Representative

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Library Organisational design The Senior Executive Team (SET) at its meeting on 21 July 2020 approved the proposed Library Chart for staggered implementation within the framework of the existing budget constraints and optimizing on opportunities inherent in vacancies and retirements. A staggered process of updating job descriptions (JDs) took off, starting with the professional and managerial posts, before doing the same at the skilled and semi-skilled levels. In particular, priority was being given to essential posts and vacancies either delayed pending approval of the organisational chart or caused by retirements. The processes involved consultations with staff and Central Human Resources Grading Office. Consistent with the Library OD plan, the updated JDs would guide redeployment and feed into the salaries review/harmonisation study. An Organisation Change Request application was approved by the Organisation Change Committee and the new chart was being populated with the approved job titles onto the Human Resources Information System (HRIS), with a target implementation date of June 2021. In other OD related work, nine Business Processes had been updated and signed off and published for easy reference at the Library Intranet by the end of 2020.

University of the Witwatersrand Libraries Organisational Chart Director: Library & Information Services (LIS) Administration

Executive Secretary

Associate Director: Braamfontein Campus East

Associate Director: Central Services

Associate Director: Braamfontein Campus West & Parktown Campus

Biophy Library

Collections & Access

Commerce Library

Digitisation

Engineering Library

Wartenweiler Library

Martienssen Architecture Library

Inter-Library Loans

Law Library

William Cullen Library

Research Services

Education

Geomaths Library

Library Systems

Library of Management

Library

WHSL previous page

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Recognising staff achievements

At the outgoing farewell function of the Vice-Chancellor in December 2020, Ms G. Mohale, Archivist was recognised for her professionalism and dedication to duty and awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Professional and Administrative Staff award.

For his invaluable contributions to ensuring the Libraries were Covid-19 compliant, Mr Kgosietsile Matlhabe, Library Facilities Administrator won the Covid Warrior of Wits Award.

Resignations, retirements and deaths The Libraries expressed gratitude to, bade farewell and wished the following colleagues well in their retirement. Retiree

Post

Years of Service

Catherine Dryden

Senior Librarian: Commerce Library

Denise Nicholson

Scholarly Communication Librarian

Joalane Mathe

Senior Librarian: Reference & Information Services

Maryna van den Heever

Manager: Library Research Support

Nelisiwe Sithole

Manager: Library Finance & Administration

Peter Duncan

Librarian: Rare & Special Collections

The Library Systems Coordinator resigned during the year. The Libraries and the University Community were all saddened by the passing on of Mr Themba Tshabalala (Library Assistant), in August 2020.

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Staff wellness The Library adhered strictly to all Covid-19 protocols and issued permits where needed. Three staff members were infected with Covid-19 and recovered well. One staff member passed away due to Covid-19. All the necessary infection investigation reports were completed timeously and sent to the Occupational Health, Safety and Environment (OHS&E) Directorate and other internal authorities. In efforts to minimise the stresses that came with Covid-19, the Libraries ran an informal photography competition for staff. The competition invited staff to submit a photograph based on their experiences Peter Mataboge’s Winning Photo

around Covid-19 and what 2020 meant to them.

Mr Peter Mataboge, Library Web Online Resource Assistant won the competition.

Staff training and development Staff members across all grades took up different opportunities to upskill themselves as well as enhance their contributions to the strategic priorities of the university. Ms Elizabeth Marima completed a Masters of Library and Information Science degree. Mr Vongani Mlambo completed a Higher Certificate in Archives and Records Management. Mr Lugisani Managa satisfied the requirements of The South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) and thereby attaining full qualification at NQF level 8.

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROFESSION Publishing Mohale, G. The joint Archives & Democracy project and the online ‘People’s Guide to Archives in South Africa. Maverick Citizen, 22 September 2020. Available at: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-09-21-a-peoples-guide-to-archives-and-democracy/ Nicholson, D. Copyright Bill is a gateway to accessible knowledge and creativity – not American Roulette. Daily Maverick, 3 June 2020 Nicholson, D. & Callaghan, C. Predatory publishing and predatory journals: a critical review and proposed research agenda for higher education. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 6 January 2020. Nicholson, D.& Hackett, T. South African Copyright Amendment Bill – One Year On. LIASAin-touch, June 2020.

Presentations Muswazi, P. Change management at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Libraries, 20162020. Presentation at the online 2020 Forum on Future of World Academic Libraries (WAL) Session III, China, 7 December 2020. Available at: https://k.cnki.net/CLectureLive/Index/11524 Nicholson, D. Copyright and research integrity. Presentation at Open Access Webinar-Sol Plaatje University, Kimberley, 15 October 2020 Nicholson, D. Copyright issues & the NLSA. Presentation at the National Library of South Africa’s Webinar, 27 October 2020 Nicholson, D. The Impact of the Copyright Amendment Bill on the daily activities of library practitioners. Presentation at the LIASA Online Indaba, 3-5 November 2020. Nicholson, D. Open access: how to avoid the web of predatory publishers. Presentation at Open Access Webinar, University Pretoria. 21 October 2020 Nicholson, D. Open Access & scholarly integrity in the digital age. Presentation at the Open Access Webinar, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Ga-Rankuwa, 23 October 2020 Nicholson, D. Pandemic-proof libraries: lessons from Covid-19. Presentation at the Global Congress on IP and the Public Interest Webinar, 7 October 2020 Wi ts

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Professional leadership Jansen van Rensburg, S. served as a member of the Sabinet Advisory Board Mohale, G. Panel discussion member at the Digitisation for Good: A case for South Africa webinar hosted by the NLSA on 23 November 2020 Mohale, G. served as member of the ICA-SUV Section Bureau Muswazi, P. served as a member of the National Council for Library and Information Services for the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2022 Nicholson, D. served as a member of the National Council for Library and Information Services for the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2022 Peter, D. served as South African Online User Group (SAOUG) Vice Chair Peter, D. facilitated the information retrieval and referencing session with colleagues from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda at the CARTA JAS1 session in Kampala from 1-7 March 2020

WHAT DID OUR USERS SAY IN 2020? Selected quotes – “ I attended your talk on Referencing in the Umthombo building this past Tuesday. I found it quite informative as I was never required to use the APA or Harvard referencing styles in high school; and I appreciate the time and effort you took to prepare and give the talk!” – “ I wanted to reach out to you to thank you very much for all your help in sending through the items from the archive.” – “ I wanted to thank you profusely for digitising “Bantu World”. What a wonderful resource it is proving to be!” – “ I cannot begin to express my heartfelt gratitude to you. For the first time in my entire existence I have learnt my mother’s date of birth.” - “ No amount of words can express how grateful I am. When I get my PhD, I am definitely sending you flowers. Thank you!” previous page

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Libraries express their appreciation to the guidance provided by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Postgraduate Affairs and members of the Senate Library Committee and their interest and contribution to the running of the libraries. We were particularly grateful to the Faculty/School Library Representatives and Faculty Library Committees who continued to work closely with the Libraries. And thanks to the Libraries Senior Management Team and to professional librarians and all our skilled and semi-skilled staff in all units throughout the Libraries for their hard work during 2020 and their continued contribution to the Libraries’ high levels of service. All staff wanted to continue working uninterrupted but not all were appropriately equipped nor did all job activities easily lend themselves to continuing away from the Libraries causing insecurities and frustration. It would be amiss not to acknowledge the weekly meetings facilitated by the Manager: Library Client Services which served as a platform to promote an atmosphere of unity and problem solving under trying conditions in 2020.

Contributors: Caddie Hart, Catherine Dryden, Charl Roberts, Chiratidzo Chatikobo, Denise Nicholson, Devind Peter, Gabrielle Mohale, Janet Zambri, Bongi Mphuti, Maggie Lediga, Margaret Atsango, Nina Lewin, Nkemeleng Lesejane, Rachel Louis, Salome Potgieter, Suzette Jansen Van Rensburg, Thuli Dhlamini, and Xoliswa Xanko.

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The University of the Witwatersrand Libraries Private Bag x1 Wits 2050 South Africa Tshidi.Mwandla@wits.ac.za

Wits Libraries Annual Report 2020

Articles inside

REDEVELOPMENT OF LIBRARY SPACES AND NEIGHBOURHOODS

Compliance with Covid-19 regulations

Professional leadership