Jotello F. Soga Library Blog

Jotello F Soga library off to a good start in 2012

2012-02-28T10:11:00.003+02:00

Judging by the load of activities of the first two months of 2012, the library staff can look forward to a fruitful year.

We started off with hands-on training sessions for the new "Diploma in Veterinary Nursing" students and our new series of library lectures for the new curriculum’s BVSc II students.

The library has the privilege to become part of the new BVSc curriculum introduced in 2011 and will be delivering lectures as part of the newly introduced Veterinary Professional Life module. Our lectures will focus on “Identifying and describing the need for, finding, evaluating, utilizing and managing information”. As part of the training the students will complete a practical assignment and demonstrate their ability to apply their newly acquired information literacy skills effectively. This is a first for the library as the time allocated for library training in the past was much less and the training was not integrated with the formal curriculum.

This couldn’t have come at a better time, as we started using our premier database CAB on the ISI platform since the beginning of the year and students had to receive the relevant training. Lunch hour training sessions are also offered to staff and students to acquaint themselves with CAB on the new platform.

Another bit of good news was when our colleague Tertia Coetsee was informed towards the end of last year that she was one of a privileged few academic librarians from South Africa chosen to, as part of the Carnegie Research Academy initiative in South Africa, participate in a ten week long study tour to the USA. The purpose of the visit is to gain insight in effectively supporting researchers at an academic institution. As with our colleague Marguerite Nel who had the same opportunity in 2011, Tertia will undergo a training program at the Mortenson Centre of the University of Illinois Library, have the opportunity to network with overseas colleagues, visit institutions like the OHIO State University, the Online Computer Library Center in Dublin, Ohio and the Association of College and Research Libraries in Chicago, Illinois. She will also spend a considerable amount of time at her host institution, the Purdue University Libraries. We look forward to learn from her when she returns in May.

Dr Jotello F. Soga (Jesse Lewis presentation)

2012-01-19T16:01:00.004+02:00

Research reveals remarkable life of SA’s first veterinarian
Cape Argus, October 17 2011 at 12:06pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr Jotello Soga, the first South African-born veterinarian.

NEO MADITLA

Staff Reporter

FOR 26 years, he was the only South African-born veterinarian - a remarkable achievement for a man whose race meant he could not hold a position with the colonial government.

Dr Jotello Soga, the son of Reverend Tiyo Soga, a Xhosa man from the Eastern Cape, and his Scottish-born wife Janet Burnside, qualified at the University of Edinburgh.

This and other fascinating information emerged from research into Soga’s life by American former journalist Jesse Lewis, who presented his findings at the 30th World Veterinary Congress at the Cape Town International Convention Centre last week. Lewis told delegates he became fascinated by Soga’s story after stumbling across his name.

Soga was just 21 when he graduated from the Royal (Dick) College of Veterinary Medicine in Edinburgh in 1886. And, said Lewis, he was “far more than just a statistical first”.

“For 26 years he was the only South African-born veterinarian. The second South African veterinarian did not qualify until 1912.”

During his remarkable life, Soga played a leading role as a member of a small team of vets in eradicating rinderpest, which threatened South Africa in the late 19th century.

“His efforts were publicly acknowledged by Lord Alfred Milner, the British governor, yet the British colonial government denied him a permanent position because of his race.”

Soga’s biography on the website of the University of Pretoria’s library, which is named after him, says he was born in 1865 at the Mgwali Mission, in the former Transkei. He was the fourth son of Reverend Tiyo and Janet Soga, and went to Scotland with his family when his father pursued religious studies in 1846.

In 1892 Soga returned, and Lewis said that as a trained vet his skills were vital when rinderpest and other diseases threatened herds and flocks.

“While formal apartheid was not introduced until after 1948, racial discrimination was already entrenched in British-controlled South Africa, and the status of ‘non-whites’ was restricted.”

It worked to Soga’s advantage that he spoke English and Xhosa.

At the time there were only a few other vets here, but they were from outside the country. His immediate task was to contain the spread of lung sickness, which was decimating cattle. He did his own inoculation experiments, and his methods were later accepted as standard.”

Soga also lectured farmers on ways to control and treat livestock diseases.

But in 1902 his health began to fail. He left government service and tried to set up a private practice. Later, he worked as a farm supervisor near East London, and ran a small clinic.

Soga died at 41.

neo.maditla@inl.co.za

Dr Jotello F. Soga tribute:30th World Veterinary Congress

2012-01-19T08:32:00.002+02:00

Report from SABC news: Oct 2011
The 30th World Veterinary Congress in Cape Town has paid a special tribute to the first South African veterinarian, Dr Jotello Soga for his leading role in eradicating rinderpest. Soga graduated from Edinburgh University in the United Kingdom in 1886. He died in 1906 at the age of 41.

Jotello Festire Soga was the son of Tiyo Soga, the first black South African to be ordained as minister in the United Presbyterian Church in December 1856. Soga became the first South African to become a qualified veterinarian in 1886 at the age of 21.

Former American journalist Jesse Lewis has described Jotello Soga as a veterinarian who played a leading role in eradicating rinderpest, a merciless killer of cattle that threatened South Africa in the late 19th Century. Lewis who is also a short film maker of South African history says Soga's name should not end with his death.

It is very special that Dr Soga who is a South African travelled and qualified as veterinarian about 120 years ago
"Dr Soga has been dead for over 100 years, and I think he is a role model, a beacon for young South Africans of all races and culture to explore veterinary science as a career and for them to achieve that excellence, I think he is a model to show all South Africans of whatever colour that they too can contribute meaningfully to South Africa's future."
In 2008 the University of Pretoria's Faculty of Veterinary Science marked its 100th anniversary by naming its Library in Dr Soga's honour. The South African Veterinary Association has an annual award known as the Soga Medal for community service.

Professor Banie Penzhorn says: "It is very special that Dr Soga who is a South African travelled and qualified as veterinarian about 120 years ago, that is why we like to commemorate his contribution to veterinary science in South Africa."

The 30th World Veterinary Congress under the theme, "Caring for Animals, Healthy Communities" ends today with a visit to the Khayelitsha Animal Clinic.

30th World Veterinary Congress, Cape Town 2011

2012-01-18T18:01:00.006+02:00

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the veterinary medical profession in the world, a history session was included in the program of the 30th World Veterinary Congress, held in Cape Town in October 2011. The Jotello F. Soga Library librarians participated in this session by presenting a paper (see details below). Libraries have a most important role in preserving and documenting historical developments so this paper was definitely a highlight. To read the full text click on the link given.

The authors focused on the importance of making valuable and scarce veterinary information available on an open access platform such as an institutional repository, to ensure the preservation of the veterinary history of a country.

http://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/568

http://hdl.handle.net/2263/17556

The digital preservation of the history of veterinary science in South Africa

authors: Amelia Breytenbach, Antoinette Lourens and Susan Marsh
Jotello F.Soga Library, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria

ABSTRACT

The history of Veterinary Science in South Africa can only be appreciated, studied, researched and passed on to coming generations if historical sources are readily available. Material and sources with historical value in any country are often difficult to locate, are often dispersed over a large area and not part of the conventional book and journal literature. The Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria and its library have access to a large collection of historical sources. The collection consists of photos, slides, documents, proceedings, posters, audiovisual material, postcards and other memorabilia. Other institutions in the country are also being approached if relevant sources are identified in their collections. In 2006 the University of Pretoria’s institutional repository, UPSpace, was launched. This provided the Jotello F Soga library with the opportunity to populate the repository with relevant digitised collections of diverse heritage and learning resources that can contribute to the long term preservation and accessibility of historical veterinary sources. These collections can be utilised not only by historians and researchers in South Africa but also Africa and the rest of the world.

Description:

Paper presented at the 30th World Veterinary Congress: 'Caring for animals: healthy communities', Cape Town, South Africa, 10-14 October 2011.

The Dept of Library Services becomes a member of BioMed Central (a Science, Technology & Medicine open access publisher)

2011-11-01T14:09:00.001+02:00

The Department of Library Services has become a member of BioMed Central (a Science, Technology & Medicine publisher) and will as such cover the costs of the articles researchers publish in BioMed Central’s accredited Open Access journals for the next year. Stellenbosch University is the only other current member of BioMed Central in South Africa.

Prepay Membership enables the University of Pretoria to cover the whole cost of publishing for our researchers when publishing in BioMed Central’s accredited Open Access journals. No additional fees will be paid by individual researchers. This is an advance payment system whereby the Department of Library Services pay up-front for accepted articles authored by UP researchers to be processed and published. Upon publication, the full Article-Processing-Charge (APC) for the journal in question, minus a loyalty discount, will be deducted from the UP account.

What are the benefits of Prepay membership?

Full support to UP researchers and Open access to their research:

• UP researchers do not have to pay anything directly for publishing in BioMed Central’s Open Access journals;
• UP researchers are automatically recognized as full Members through IP address or password recognition;
• Without any cost-barriers researchers are encouraged to choose accredited Open Access journals when publishing their research.

For questions about the BMC membership, please contact Elsabé Olivier (Manager: Open Scholarship, UP Dept of Library Services) e-mail elsabe.olivier@up.ac.za or telephone 012 420 3719.

BioMed Central Journals on
Web of Science (ISI)

 BMC BIOCHEMISTRY
 BMC BIOINFORMATICS
 BMC BIOLOGY
 BMC BIOTECHNOLOGY
 BMC CANCER
 BMC CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS
 BMC CELL BIOLOGY
 BMC COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
 BMC DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
 BMC EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
 BMC FAMILY PRACTICE
 BMC GASTROENTEROLOGY
 BMC GENETICS
 BMC GENOMICS
 BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
 BMC IMMUNOLOGY
 BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
 BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION
 BMC MEDICAL ETHICS
 BMC MEDICAL GENETICS
 BMC MEDICAL GENOMICS
 BMC MEDICAL INFORMATICS AND DECISION MAKING
 BMC MEDICAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
 BMC MEDICINE
 BMC MICROBIOLOGY
 BMC MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
 BMC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
 BMC NEPHROLOGY
 BMC NEUROLOGY
 BMC NEUROSCIENCE
 BMC OPHTHALMOLOGY
 BMC PEDIATRICS
 BMC PLANT BIOLOGY
 BMC PSYCHIATRY
 BMC PUBLIC HEALTH
 BMC STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
 BMC SYSTEMS BIOLOGY
 BMC VETERINARY RESEARCH

Retrospective issues of JSAVA available as full text

2011-10-06T13:04:00.005+02:00

Issues of the Journal of the South African Veterinary Association are now retrospectively available in full text from volume 1(1) 1927-volume 67(4) 1996 through SABINET Gateway’s African Journal Archive. The digitisation process is not completed yet and some of the issues are still lacking.

The African Journal Archive Project is a retrospective digitisation project of full-text journal articles published in Africa. The project is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Veterinary Science represented in UPeTD high ranking

2011-08-05T10:09:00.001+02:00

The Ranking Web of World Repositories which was released recently ranked UPeTD (University of Pretoria electronic Theses and Dissertations) at number 162.

According to webalizer which keeps track of the UPeTD statistcs, UPeTD has received 26437086 hits during the last year (Aug 2010 to July 2011). http://upetd.up.ac.za/webalizer/

A Veterinary Science Masters Dissertation of V Naidoo, done under the supervision of Proff G E Swan and J N Eloff, Dept of Paraclinical Sciences in 2004, was listed in the fourth position in the list of top 20 items accessed in UPeTD. The dissertation had 5515 hits during the period.

Naidoo, Vinasan
Screening of four plants commonly used in ethnoveterinary medicine for antimicrobial, antiprotozoal and anti-oxidant activity
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03082005-091015/

Open access wildlife information

2011-06-07T13:53:00.001+02:00

Iain M W Boardman, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Information Network, Royal Veterinary College, London made the following recent announcement on our worldwide veterinary librarians listserv:

Wildpro Multimedia, the veterinary and scientific information resource created by our Not-for-Profit organisation, has been put in the public domain. This is an enormous milestone for us and I want you to share this resource with all your colleagues and students.

The Wildpro® Multimedia Website ~ an electronic encyclopaedia and library ~ contains a vast amount of scientific information that has been collated over 20 years and for the first time is freely available to wildlife professionals, academics and other interested parties. The information is likely to be particularly valuable in remote developing countries, where access to libraries and similar information resources is very limited.

Visit the Website at www.wildlifeinformation.org

(The Wildlife Information Network (WIN) is a charity dedicated to making information on the health and management of captive and free-ranging wild animals, and emerging infectious diseases, available to wildlife professionals and decision-makers worldwide. WIN was set up in 1992 and became a registered UK charity (No. 1048059) in 1995. It is now part of Twycross Zoo, East Midland Zoological Society a registered charity No. 501841)

Marguerite back after her 10 week long USA study visit

2011-06-01T13:28:00.001+02:00

We welcomed our colleague Marguerite Nel back from her USA trip on Tuesday 3 May and cannot believe that a month has already passed since then. We were thrilled to have her back and she enthusiastically shared her experiences with us.

Her six week internship at the University of California, Davis was one of the highlights of her trip and proofed to be very informative and enriching. She especially enjoyed her time at the Carlson Health Sciences Library which among others serves the School of Veterinary Medicine. The UC Davis staff spoiled her thoroughly and she enjoyed loads of hospitality.

Something that specifically impressed her during her library visits was that due to clients’ changing patterns of use of paper and digital collections, physical paper book and journal collections made room for study areas, space for group discussions and workstations to link to the vast amount of online information libraries had to offer.

More information about Marguerite’s visit can be read in the May 2011 edition of our library newsletter, InfoMania.

Another article published

2011-04-14T13:51:00.001+02:00

Congratulations to our colleague Amelia Breytenbach for the publication of an article "The use of Metadata and Preservation Methods for Continuous Access to Digital Data" in The Electronic Library. The article was co-authored by Ria Groenewald of the Merensky Library. The article can be read at the following link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02640471111125195

Articles published by staff members

2011-03-28T13:44:00.003+02:00

An article written by one of our colleagues, Tertia Coetsee, on research collaboration among a group of post-graduate students of the Phytomedicine Programme of the Dept of Paraclinical Sciences was recently published in Ariadne, a British open access magazine that aims to keep librarians abreast of current digital library initiatives. Refshare, a feature of Refworks was used to enhance collaborative research among the students where reading lists and core documents could be shared.

Article Title: "RefShare: A Community of Practice to Enhance Research Collaboration "
Author: Tertia Coetsee
Publication Date: 30-January-2011 Publication: Ariadne Issue 66

Marguerite Nel, one of our Technical Services staff members, published an article with co-author Ina Fourie of the University of Pretoria’s Dept of Information Science on the information behaviour of veterinary practitioners in South Africa in the Mousaion journal, an accredited journal published biannually by the Departments of Library Services and Information Science of UNISA:

Article Title: "An Exploratory study of the information behaviour of veterinary practitioners in South Africa "
Authors: Marguerite Nel; Ina Fourie.
Publication: Mousaion 28(2) 2010 pp 107-133.

The University of Pretoria Library Services is subscribed to the electronic version of the Mousaion journal and staff and students of the University of Pretoria can read an electron copy of the article.

New developments in 2011

2011-01-28T08:29:00.002+02:00

We are looking forward to an exciting 2011. With a new strategic plan in the making for the UP Library Services (UPLS) for the period 2011-2015 we as a faculty library need to re-evaluate and re-align our operational plans for 2011 accordingly.

As part of a UPLS peer-review exercise that started in 2010, a review panel will visit our library in February to ascertain the quality of our facilities and services. The review panel also has access to the library’s web site and a comprehensive report drawn up for the purpose of the peer-review. We believe that this will be a fruitful exercise and that it will contribute towards an even better service for our clients.

One of the most exciting events on our calendar this year will be a study visit to the USA by one of our staff members. Marguerite Nel who was one of the participants of the Research Libraries Consortium Academy sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and held during 2010 in Stellenbosch was selected as part of a group of nine academic librarians throughout South Africa who will be visiting the USA for a period of 10 weeks. The purpose of the visit is to develop the skills of academic and research librarians supporting researchers at their institutions. During her visit she will attend a development course at the Mortenson Center of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, attend the National Conference of the Association of College and Research Librarians in Philadelphia and do an internship for six weeks at the research library of the University of California-Davis. We are looking forward to welcoming her back with new knowledge and skills that will help us enhance our service to our research clients.

Good news for some of our clients will be that the University has recently acquired a campus wide licence for Endnote, another software tool for managing references and bibliographies. Requests for the installation of the software on your computer can be done through the IT help desk.

The library has also subscribed to InCites, a Thomson Reuters product which is a powerful citation-based research evaluation tool that can be used to measure an institution’s research productivity and benchmark output against peers worldwide. Library staff will undergo training in this product during February and March.

Open Access celebrations

2010-10-21T10:35:00.002+02:00

With one of the focus areas of the library being the promotion of open access to research done at the University of Pretoria, the library is once again during this week participating in the worldwide Open Access celebrations.

The University of Pretoria’s repository UPSpace which houses the OpenUP collection, currently appears amongst the top 300 (position 296) Institutional repositories on the Ranking Web of World Repositories.

An interesting article was published on how the rankings of open access repositories are done.

OpenUp is one of the collections within UPSpace that houses the full text of published research articles authored and co-authored by UP staff and students.

You can learn more about OpenUP by reading or downloading the library's OpenUP brochure,watch a YouTube video on the benefits of Open Access and learn more about what you as a researcher can do to promote open access at your institution.

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research in Open Access format

2010-09-22T09:09:00.002+02:00

The Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, one of the premier veterinary science journals in the Jotello F Soga Library’s collection is published in Open Access format from 2010 onwards on the OP Journal’s dedicated website

The journal is published through OpenJournals Publishing,a proud division of AOSIS (Pty) Ltd (African Online Scientific Information Systems) situated in Tygervalley, Cape Town. According to their website, OJP is the first African publisher to offer publication in print, as well as Open Access in PDF, HTML and XML. Articles will be freely available upon publication. Articles from several past issues are also available electronically and information on the print journal is provided.
As the publisher promotes the archiving of journal content on multiple platforms, accessibility of new researched knowledge and teaching is improved. Articles can be easily retrieved through search engines and other electronic indexing platforms. This will ensure a stronger online presence of the journal and its articles. Susan Veldsman, Director of the Scholarly Publishing Unit of ASSAF (Academy of Science of South Africa), confirmed that the Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research will in the near future be added to their open access journal platform SciELO SA.

Soga library staff visits Onderstepoort Primary School

2010-08-03T11:39:00.007+02:00

It is always a thrilling experience to pay a visit to the pupils and teachers of our local Onderstepoort Primary School and spoil them with a few gifts.
Five staff members of the Jotello F Soga library had the privilege to pay such a visit on Friday the 16th of July. It was a visit planned a number of months before when we had the dream of supplying every child (approximately 180 pupils) with his/her own book in support of the “Every Child a Book” campaign initiated by our professional organisation “ Library and Information Association of South Africa”. We received quite a number of books as donations for which we are very grateful and though we could unfortunately not supply each pupil with his own book, we could offer the teachers a whole crate full of interesting books which they could distribute among the different class rooms.
With the visit being close to the completion of the World Cup Soccer and all the soccer magic still in the air, we thought it a good idea to add a number of soccer balls to their gift which also included the regular chips and sweets.
The visit also coincided with Mandela Day on the 18th of July and it was good to know that we could participate in the endeavour to contribute 67 minutes of our time to creating a better world around us.

Valuable resource donated to our library

2010-06-17T08:07:00.000+02:00

Dr Rick Last, a specialist veterinary pathologist of Veterinary Diagnostix in Pietermaritzburg and former student of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, donated a very valuable resource to our library on Tuesday, the 18th of May 2010:

Laboratory Manual. 2nd ed. / Last RD, Hill JM, Vorster JH, Bosch SJ, Griffiths, C. Vetdiagnostix. Veterinary Pathology Services.

The Laboratory Manual printed on durable high quality paper, contains much sought after information that will be very useful to our clients.As they mention on their Webpage http://www.vetdiagnostix.co.za/it is a 412 page comprehensive guide with practical hands on advice for sample collection and result interpretation and contains more than 1500 full colour images. It is regarded as an essential source for veterinarians, veterinary students and nurses and animal health technicians that will guarantee reliable, cost-effective laboratory results.

Impressive statistics on the use of Veterinary material in UP's digital repository

2010-03-18T10:58:00.002+02:00

We were thrilled to see that statistics distributed by the Web manager of our Dept of Library Services, Christelle Steyn, indicated that the SA National Veterinary Repository and the Veterinary Science communities of the library’s digital repository UPSpace, were amongst the 5 Communities accessed most from 4 Jan 2010 – 10 March 2010.

See statistics below.

Top 5 Communities accessed:
1. Engineering, Built Environment & Information Technology http://repository.up.ac.za/upspace/handle/2263/71
2. Economic & Management Sciences http://repository.up.ac.za/upspace/handle/2263/1682
3. Education http://repository.up.ac.za/upspace/handle/2263/63
4. South African National Veterinary Repository http://repository.up.ac.za/upspace/handle/2263/3809
5. Veterinary Science http://repository.up.ac.za/upspace/handle/2263/78

Top 5 Sub-communities accessed:
1. Architecture http://repository.up.ac.za/upspace/handle/2263/72
2. Southern African Transport Conferences http://repository.up.ac.za/upspace/handle/2263/5201
3. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research http://repository.up.ac.za/upspace/handle/2263/8641
4. Research Articles (Jonathan Jansen ) http://repository.up.ac.za/upspace/handle/2263/111
5. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies http://repository.up.ac.za/upspace/handle/2263/11004

IVY Academic Search: Veterinary Science and Medicine

2010-03-01T08:11:00.000+02:00

We have heard the welcoming news that the Veterinary collections of the University of Pretoria's Open Access Institutional Repository UPSpace, have been added to an open access subject repository of the University of Utrecht: IVY Academic Search: Veterinary Science and Medicine. As they state on their webpage, their mission is to:

"provide the local, national and international veterinary community wih a high-quality academic information search and retrieval system for veterinary research"

This will contribute to the further exposure of our Faculty's research output as well as all other valuable digital veterinary science collections currently part of UPSpace.

One of the advantages of using the University of Utrecht's IVY Academic Search facility is that a central point is provided to search the open access repositories of all participatory Veterinary Institutions worldwide. Search results can be printed, e-mailed, saved or exported to Refworks.

We are proud to contribute to this initiative of the University of Utrecht.

2009 achievements : Jotello F. Soga Library, University of Pretoria

2009-11-27T13:07:00.000+02:00

DIGITISATION / WEB PROJECTS:
• The 2 veterinary journals of South Africa have been scanned from their first volume. The Onderstepoort J. of Veterinary Research is being prepared for web publication (derivation process) and the first volumes have been uploaded in UPSpace, the institutional repository of the University.
• A special web face has been created for the South African National Veterinary Repository (SANVR) showing all the veterinary collections in UPSpace.
• The slide project has been started with the uploading with metadata of the unique slide collections of the Departments of Pharmacology & Toxicology and Pathology as well as Veterinary Tropical Diseases. The slides of the Department of Production Animal Studies are being processed now. Those of the other departments (Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Anatomy & Physiology will follow in 2010.
• The Phytomedicine webpage has been created: http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/phyto.htm

2. NAMING CEREMONY. The function celebrating the New Name of the Veterinary Science Library, namely the Jotello F. Soga Library, was held on 5 May 2009. It was a most successful occasion with a special invitation and brochure commemorating J .F. Soga. Handouts about the library and its role were also produced for this event. The Chancellor of the university was the host and many leading figures in the university and veterinary world attended.

3. TRAINING of students and staff took place with group sessions for BScIII and BVScIV (the former 5th years). Lunch hour sessions were held for postgraduate students and lecturing staff or researchers.

4. COMMUNITY OUTREACH. • An end-of-year visit to the Onderstepoort Primary School will take place at the beginning of December. Donated toys and books and drawing materials will be distributed. Library staff made posters focusing on pet ownership as well as the role of the veterinarian. These will be displayed in the classrooms.

• The Library’s Vet Books for Africa project continued with support from the library. The students’ bi-annual trip to other African countries will take place at the end of November 2010 but they are already busy with the planning. They have managed to obtain donated books of recent publication date from the Commonwealth Veterinary Association.

5. BIBLIOGRAPHIES. The 2000-2009 update of the Ostrich Bibliography is almost complete.
6. MARKETING. Various displays were held in the Library throughout the year such as the one highlighting the Darwin centenary and the Open Access international project.
During Faculty Day on 27 August faculty staff and students and visitors were shown the veterinary collections in UPSpace. The library’s home page is an important medium for featuring library activities e.g. the Naming Ceremony and awards won by library staff. http://www.library.up.ac.za/vet/index.htm

The new updated library pamphlets or brochures which were created for the Naming Ceremony are an effective marketing tool. They were also handed out at Faculty Day in August as well as at the veterinary librarians conference in Australia in September (6 ICAHIS).
INVOLVEMENT IN FACULTY ACTIVITIES
The Onderstepoort Calendar for 2010 will feature library staff as May Month. This is a student charity initiative in support Animals in Distress. The library staff were delighted to be part of this worthwhile project.

7. TRAINING OF LIBRARY STAFF. Joe Sindane completed courses in Introduction to computers and Windows. Antoinette Lourens and Marguerite Nel completed a course on Presenting Papers. Amelia Breytenbach completed an online course on the Semantic Web and Thesauri presented by the University of Wisconsin, USA.

8. CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE AND VISITS. International: 10 ICML (International Congress of Medical Librarians) and 6ICAHIS (6th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists) September 2009 attended by Tertia Coetsee and Marguerite Nel. They presented the following papers:

Information services and products for Phytomedicine and Ethno-veterinary medicine: supporting new research niche areas in Africa, was delivered at the ICAHIS session by Tertia and Marguerite. Marguerite also presented another paper, An Investigation into the Information Behaviour of Veterinary Practitioners in South Africa at the same conference. Erica van der Westhuizen presented a paper, African indigenous knowledge: dissemination of IK related information in the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute Library and the Jotello F. Soga Library, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, which she prepared in collaboration with David Swanepoel, from the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute Library. All these papers are held in a collection in the UQ eSpace repository. The URL is: http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/collection/UQ:179364. It will soon also be available on our own repository, UPSpace.

They visited the University of Queensland Libraries in Brisbane, and the University of Sydney’s Badham Library which serves the veterinary faculty.

National: African Digital Scholarship Conference in Pretoria, attended by Amelia Breytenbach and Antoinette Lourens. Amelia and Ria Groenewald delivered a paper: The use of metadata and preservation methods for continuous access to digital data.

9. INVOLVEMENT IN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS. Marguerite Nel as Hon. Secretary of HICSA (Health Information Community of South Africa) arranged the annual meeting (held at the Hatfield campus of UP in November). Feedback sessions were given on 10 ICML and 6 ICAHIS (see above) by Prof Ina Fourie and Marguerite and Tertia.
Marguerite delivered a paper at this meeting:The role of health and medical library associations in the facilitation and sharing of information and knowledge.

10. RESEARCH ENABLEMENT (RESEARCH SUPPORT). Training sessions were held as usual for postgraduate students and staff, with emphasis on Enhancing research output.

As part of the UPLS survey of data management practices 3 faculty researchers and 3 postgraduate students were interviewed in November and reports compiled.

11. QUALITY ASSURANCE. The Libstats program was implemented showing work output of the information specialists for management information. The LibQual survey showed where action needs to be taken to better serve clients and communication with academic staff in particular will be the main focus now.

12. PHYSICAL FACILITIES. Unfortunately the budget for 2009 could not cover our request for a carpet in the walk area next to the study desks. It stands over for the 2010 budget.

6 ICAHIS / ICML and BEARDED PIGS

2009-11-17T16:08:00.000+02:00

In one of the 6 ICAHIS presentations, Vicki Croft of the Animal Health Library at Washington State University (WSU) described the steps they took to locate and digitize the proceedings of all the ICAHIS conferences from the first one held in 1992 in the UK. No 3, the one held jointly with ICML in London in 2000, was especially difficult as the papers had been uploaded electronically to the ICML website but unfortunately were later removed and no copy was available thereafter. Vicki could only find one paper online and that was Tertia’s paper which Antoinette Lourens of our library had uploaded in the University of Pretoria Veterinary Library homepage.
Like us, Vicki is also using DSpace for the repository of these ICAHIS proceedings. By 25 June 2009 their site had 6241 hits.

Kristine Alpi of North Carolina State University discussed “Assessing dissemination of animal health research findings”. She recommended that funders should make their findings more accessible. And that researchers webpages should link to free online abstracts or full text .

The keynote by Ian Frazer of the University of Queensland had the interesting title “Fossilised knowledge? Librarians as repositories of knowledge in biomedical research in the cyberspace era”. Since the time of the ancient Egyptians till now the place of the librarian seemed secure. But today the Megabyte information process centre has become the library. With mobiles and the Internet, will libraries survive? He pointed out some challenges:
- too much knowledge
- the rate of change of knowledge
- much valuable knowledge is pre-Medline
- there is knowledge created in the developing world which is not yet processed and made accessible.
He sees the role of the librarian will be to catalogue ideas rather than books, and to prioritise the value of sources of ideas. Ideas are the intellectual capital of the 21st century.

LIBRARIANS NEED SOME FUN TOO! The Conference Gala Dinner was a unique experience. The dishes were served in so-called Australian style i.e. by alternation, meaning that every second person received a dish different from his neighbour! All were delicious. The entertainment was provided by The Bearded Pigs – a medical librarian band! “The first and only open access international library band” – a fitting end to the conference.

6 ICAHIS and 10 ICML conferences in Australia 2009

2009-11-16T16:11:00.000+02:00

RECEPTION AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE, QUEENSLAND

During the conferences foreign delegates were invited to a special reception by the State Governor of Queensland, Ms Penelope Wensley. The accompanying note on Protocol instructed us to address her as Ma'am or Governor, and her husband as Mr McCosker. Unfortunately he was unable to attend the occasion and she told me that as he was a veterinarian he would have liked to meet us veterinary librarians. Government House is a beautiful building dating from 1910, full of Australian art. It was a great thrill meeting her and seeing this lovely home, and enjoying an interesting variety of snacks, including kangaroo meat! I was told it tasted just like biltong.
View the beautiful building and gardens at http://www.govhouse.qld.gov.au/government_house/visitorsprograms.aspx

CONFERENCES in Australia, 31 August - 5 September 2009

Some thought-provoking keynotes and presentations during 10 ICML :

Bruce Madge: "Art of Medicine - visualising medicine from Vesalius to MRI". He asked medical students at a Romanian medical school if appreciation of art is useful for medicine, and 71% answered Yes! He told us about a British artist, Angela Palmer who creates works of art comprised of layers of MRI scans - they sell at GBP 6000 each!

Trenton Boyd: helped us gain insights into the world of veterinary postcards of which he has a collection of 3000. The first veterinary postcard was produced in Austria in 1869. I wonder how many have been produced in South Africa - this could be a new hobby field for a retired librarian?)

One keynote was delivered by someone not actually present physically. Prof P. Glasziou from the Centre of EBW, University of Oxford presented live all the way from the UK. He had to stay up late to do this, while in Australia it was the following morning.

He asked: Do we know the right things? Can we find the correct answers?"

10 ICML and 6 ICAHIS conferences in Australia, 2009

2009-11-10T14:32:00.000+02:00

Tertia Coetsee and Marguerite Nel from the Jotello F. Soga Library attended the 10th International Congress on Medical Librarianship and the 6th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists (6ICAHIS) from 31 August to 5 September 2009 in Brisbane Australia. They were funded by the Library Services Conference funds as well as the self-generated funds of the Jotello F. Soga Library. They were awarded a scholarship from the ICML organisers which further helped to cover their costs. Erica van der Westhuizen (now retired) also attended the veterinary librarians’ conference, 6ICAHIS, and she funded herself.

This Congress is held every four or five years giving the health library sector an opportunity to come together to address major issues confronting the profession.

The 6th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists (ICAHIS) was held with the ICML. This was the second time the ICAHIS Conference was held in association with the ICML. Following on from the 5th Conference held in South Africa in July 2005, which was hosted by us, it was a great opportunity meeting again other librarians specialising in animal health from around the world to discuss a range of issues relevant to our profession.

Five hundred delegates from over 43 countries attended the 2009 ICML conference in Brisbane. The keynote speakers were outstanding and of a very high quality. To give you an idea, we want to mention some of the outstanding papers:

Jeffery Drazen is the Editor in Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine. He discussed the importance of communicating research findings, specifically referring to a research project to develop a new medicine which was supposed to lower cholesterol.

Prof Ian Frazer is the Director of Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine, University of Queensland. He discussed the important role of libraries to preserve knowledge and research for the future.

Another interesting and entertaining presenter was Prof John Pearns, who looked at reasons why some publications become best sellers and others not.

The scientific programme consisted of 6 concurrent sessions each day. One of these sessions was devoted to the ICAHIS conference. There was also an exhibition of posters in the exhibition area.

A paper titled Information services and products for Phytomedicine and Ethno-veterinary medicine: supporting new research niche areas in Africa, was delivered at the ICAHIS session by Tertia and Marguerite. Marguerite also presented another paper, An Investigation into the Information Behaviour of Veterinary Practitioners in South Africa at the same conference. Erica presented a paper, African indigenous knowledge: dissemination of IK related information in the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute Library and the Jotello F. Soga Library, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, which she prepared in collaboration with David Swanepoel, from the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute Library. All these papers are held in a collection in the UQ eSpace repository. The URL is: http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/collection/UQ:179364. It will soon also be available on our own repository, UPSpace.

During the closing ceremony, a brief overview was given on the whole conference and everybody agreed this was one of the best organised ICML conferences ever.

Library visits

Brisbane

The tour to the University of Queensland libraries focused mainly on the physical
facilities. We were impressed with the “State of the Art” facilities and resources
which include amongst others a garden, spaces for multiple learning styles and
access to information technologies.

Open spaces with large areas for study and collaboration, study cubicles in quiet areas as well as a variety of seminar rooms are available with modern, hi tech furniture and facilities to facilitate study and research. Wireless network access is available for all enrolled students. Special areas and facilities are allocated to post graduate students.

Sydney

The Badham library serves the Veterinary faculty of the University of Sydney. They deliver more or less the same services as our Jotello F Soga library, which also serves the Veterinary faculty. The team leader of this library, Karen Black and her team also showed us their electronic products. They focus a lot on developing student’s research and information skills. There is also an increased interest in digital repositories and preservation of the knowledge products of the university as well as the community.

We learned a lot from the conference as well as all the visits to other university libraries. We built new contacts through networking with professionals from all over the world, caught up with old friends, shared ideas and discussed similar situations and obstacles.

The photo above shows Erica, Marie Teissier (OIE), Tertia and Marguerite with Brisbane in the background.

[More photos can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/13687587@N03/]
Contributed by Marguerite Nel

Erica van der Westhuizen retires as Head

2009-11-10T14:13:00.000+02:00

27 YEARS AS HEAD OF THE VETERINARY SCIENCE LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA

Erica van der Westhuizen

The Faculty has played such an important role in my life for the past 27 years that retirement at the end of September will take some getting used to! However, the joys of water aerobics, tea parties with old girlfriends and frequent Cinema Nouveau visits should compensate somewhat!

These were momentous years, with mostly highs, fortunately. Four Deans (Proff. Le Roux, Coubrough, Kriek and Swan), 3 BVSc degree changes (51/2 years, 6 years, 7 years), the amalgamation (MEDUNSA and UP = new National Faculty), all impacted on my work as the Head of the Veterinary Science Library, now named the Jotello F. Soga Library.

The support of the Deans has been especially important in helping the library to achieve its goals. The success of our 2 international veterinary librarians conferences which we organised and hosted (1995 and 2005) was largely due to Prof Coubrough and Prof Kriek respectively.
As we now increase our focus on electronic storage and accessibility of information, in particular the research output of the faculty, it is the present Dean, Prof Swan who is our main ally and supporter.

I would also like to mention the successful and inspiring cooperation of departmental heads and lecturers through the years. Prof Johnny van der Walt was one of our most enthusiastic users, helping us to build a strong physiology book and CD collection, Prof Abrams, former head of Poultry, always ensured that the library had fresh sweet peas, Prof Anna Verster who donated the unique photo collection of the Theiler daughters to the library for safekeeping, Prof Frank Verstraete (now at the University of California Davis) who invited me to witness the crowning of a tiger’s tooth, Prof Herman Groenewald who allowed us to digitise the unique biomedical illustrations of Christine Seegers, making them electronically available worldwide, Prof Banie Penzhorn, a regular, much appreciated donor of conference proceedings, Prof Koos Coetzer and Prof Roy Tustin who are currently involved with us in placing digitised slides in the electronic SA National Veterinary Repository – these are examples of the type of clients that help a library to develop as a unique and relevant information provider.

Students also play an influential role in library affairs. I must mention the students who are involved in library activities, such as the Vet Books for Africa project (started by the library in 1993 with the help of Gerhard Steenkamp, then a final year student, now head of the Dental Clinic). It has been especially rewarding working with the after-hours student library assistants. These have included such well-known vets as Drs Willem Burger, Paddy Morgan and Gary Bauer.

Of course, a successful library and information service needs an enthusiastic, creative, highly intelligent, witty and resourceful team of information specialists and library assistants. I was blessed with such a team – thank you, Amelia, Antoinette, Barbara, Johannes, Joe, Marguerite and Tertia
(and the students, Aileen, Kate and Vince).

The photo shows Erica with her oldest staff member on the left, Johannes Moropotli, and her newest staff member, Joe Sindane, right.

LibQual 2009 survey of Soga Library

2009-09-25T12:35:00.000+02:00

LibQUAL+® is a suite of services that libraries use to solicit, track, understand, and act upon users’ opinions of
service quality. These services are offered to the library community by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL).
The program’s centerpiece is a rigorously tested Web-based survey paired with training that helps libraries assess and improve library services, change organizational culture, and market the library. The survey instrument measures library users’ minimum, perceived, and desired service levels of service quality across three dimensions:
Affect of Service, Information Control, and Library as Place.
The goals of LibQUAL+® are to:
• Foster a culture of excellence in providing library service
• Help libraries better understand user perceptions of library service quality
• Facilitate the on-going collection and interpretation of library user feedback
• Provide comparable information from peer institutions
• Identify best practices in library service
• Enhance library staff members’ analytical skills for interpreting, and acting on data
More than 1,000 libraries have participated in LibQUAL+®, including Canadian government libraries, colleges and universities, community colleges, health sciences and hospital/medical libraries, law libraries, public libraries, and secondary school libraries---some through various consortia, others as independent participants. LibQUAL+® has expanded internationally, with participating institutions in Africa, Australia, Asia and Europe. It has been translated
into a number of languages, including Afrikaans, Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, and Welsh. The growing LibQUAL+® community of participants and its
extensive dataset are rich resources for improving library services.

The 2009 survey of the Jotello F. Soga Library highlighted the following areas needing attention:

Improving communication between the Library and clients regarding information sources :
- not all veterinary journals (e.g. Veterinary Technician) are as yet electronically available in full text format
- the book budget does not allow us to purchase multiple copies of text books for extended loan

Improving training sessions to enable clients to access the library website and e-journal collections more effectively

Marking quiet study areas upstairs for clients needing to study. Indicating clearly that areas near Library Counter and in Reserved Collection area are not for study, but for groups working together on projects. There is also a group area upstairs in the AudioVisual Room.

Marking journal shelves more effectively to show which titles are now only available electronically.

Marketing the use of the computers in the adjacent Computer Laboratory for student assignments and for printing. These computers are connected to the network so all databases etc on the library system can be accessed there as well.

Encouraging clients (lecturers and students) to attend training sessions offered throughout the year. This is of importance especially to students in their first year of study at the Onderstepoort Campus.

We would like to thank all clients who kindly participated in the survey, enabling us to improve our services and products.

We will be using plasma screens , posters in the Computer Lab and the cafeteria, notices on our Website, online messages to Everyone, as well as focused articles in newsletters of the Library and the Faculty to keep our clients informed.
We intend visiting clients in their offices as well to improve communication.

Erica van der Westhuizen, September 2009

Goals for 2009

2009-09-25T12:25:00.000+02:00

As published on the Veterinary Science Library University of Pretoria Blog: Uniekevet (http://www.uniekevet.blogspot.com)

Goals for 2009, Veterinary Science Library, UP
Aligned with the E-STRATEGY of the University of Pretoria Department of Library Services, we will be focusing on the following :
1. DIGITISATION PROJECTS- Scanning full text and uploading in the institutional repository, UPSpace, the 2 veterinary journals of South Africa: Onderstepoort J. of Veterinary Research: J. of the South African Veterinary Association
- Uploading with metadata 4000 unique slides of the Departments of the Faculty (a continuation of the project of the Dept of Education Innovation)
- Digitising and uploading all documents and photos relevant to the first South African to qualify as a veterinarian, Dr Jotello Festiri Soga (Edinburgh, 1886)
- Creating the Ethno-veterinary collection in UPSpace (slides, documents, articles)

2. The new name of the library in honour of Dr J F Soga (JOTELLO F. SOGA LIBRARY)- arranging function with Rector's office and Head of UP Marketing

3. TRAINING of clients- RefWorks and Ref Manager- CAB and Medline- Enhancing your research output- Basic information literacy and computer literacy for C3 workers at the faculty

4. COMMUNITY OUTREACH projects- supporting the Onderstepoort School with books, drawing materials, pictures, animal magazines, and electronic information (on memory sticks)- helping to promote pet ownership and the role of the veterinarian and veterinary nurse in support of attracting more black applicants to study at the Faculty- arranging a get-together of all community-related activities at the Faculty- compiling a CD showing all Onderstpoort community outreach projects- continuing to run the VET BOOKS FOR AFRICA project in conjunction with students
5. BIBLIOGRAPHIES (paper and electronic)- African rhinoceros update 1997 - 2008- Ostrich update 2000 - 2008- Black Fly (New)
6. MARKETING activities- Displays in library and at conferences of clients- through the library web page
7. TRAINING OF LIBRARY STAFF- Joe (MS Word, SABINET)- Tertia (Web-ready Digitised items)- Antoinette and Marguerite (Presenting papers)- Tertia and Amelia (Presenting papers)8. ATTENDING CONFERENCES- International (10ICML / 6 ICAHIS - Brisbane, Australia, Sept) Marguerite and Tertia- NationalLIASA - Joe andAfrican Digital Scholarship (Pretoria)- Amelia and AntoinetteSANLIG (on behalf of Technical Services - Marguerite )

9. INVOLVEMENT IN NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS (HICSA)- arranging workshops (on presentations, ....)- arranging speakers and meetings (Prof Skinner on Darwin)

A list of goals achieved will appear shortly.
Erica van der Westhuizen, September 2009)

Posted by Erica at 7:44 AM 0 comments
Monday, February 16, 2009

History of the Veterinary Science Library, University of Pretoria 1974-2007

2009-07-06T13:53:00.000+02:00

The history of the Veterinary Science Library of the University of Pretoria falls into two periods, from its beginning in 1974 to 1986, and then the period 1987 till 2007 during which it moved into the Sir Arnold Theiler building and embarked on its steady growth as a Virtual Library.

1974 – 1986

The Veterinary Science Library is a branch library of the University of Pretoria Department of Library Services (formerly known as the Academic Information Service). It dates back to 1974 when it opened its doors in the building which today is part of the Department of Production Animal Studies, formerly the Ethology section. This section allocated to the library used to be the students’ tearoom. The current dean, Prof Gerry Swan can still recall those early days of the library’s existence.

From 1920 when the Faculty of Veterinary Science was started under Sir Arnold as first dean, till 1973, students and staff used the library of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI). A room was allocated in the Onderstepoort Students Hostel to be used as a library and books and journals in the veterinary medicine/clinical field were purchased by the Merensky Library for their use.
As explained in a short report in the Journal of the South African Veterinary Association (JSAVA) the OVI had a declining budget at that stage and it could not buy books in subject fields needed by veterinary students. Medicine and surgery were after all not the Institute’s core activities.
The prestigious scientific journal, Nature, was one of the journals placed in the hostel library, to ensure that students were exposed to the latest research output worldwide. It is interesting to note, however, that Fair Lady and Huisgenoot were also included, as the librarians at the main library of the university felt that the students were isolated from the city and should, therefore, also have access to more relaxing types of literature! To this day the Huisgenoot is still available to users in the library.
The 1974 library accommodation was expanded towards the end of 1981 when an upper level was added to house the journal collection and provide some seating for library users. This upper level was officially opened by the Rector, Prof Danie Joubert.
The book collection and reference section were shelved on the lower level. There were no computers. Books were issued on a card system, and literature searches were done manually by using Index Veterinarius and the Veterinary Bulletin.
When computer searches for literature references became available in the mid-1980’s the librarian had to travel to the Medical Library at the HF Verwoerd Hospital, to do searches on the Dialog databases.
Staff comprised the librarian, the library assistant and Johannes Moropotli whose duties were mainly to act as messenger. Johannes is the longest serving member of the library personnel, still serving in the centenary year, but no longer as messenger as he now is the library assistant handling document delivery.
1987 – 2007

By 1986 the library was very crammed as journal and book holdings increased and the need to provide computer facilities grew.

We were delighted to be able to move into the new Sir Arnold Theiler building in April 1987. Although we were warned that there was only room for 10 years’ growth, that seemed a very long time ahead!

The move had to take place as cost-effectively as possible. With the help (a few hours per day) of 2 students and the Faculty’s lorries, normally used to transport feed to the production animals the collection was moved. Boxes of books and journals, neatly numbered, were transported from the old library to the new. It took 3 months thereafter to have them arranged correctly on the shelves!
We were allowed 3 days, no more, to be closed to clients, thereafter we had to be open, issuing books from a makeshift counter, while the huge and cumbersome lending desk was being assembled. This one was finally replaced with a more streamlined and functional desk 20 years later, in July 2007.

THE COLLECTIONS

Until 2006 the budget for information sources, both paper and electronic has been adequate, enabling this library to purchase all the relevant books and journals necessary to support the Faculty in its teaching and learning and research objectives. Unfortunately with annual increases in journal prices, especially electronic publications, and the falling rand, the future for acquisitions does not look as satisfactory as in the past. This library has a unique role in the country as it serves the only veterinary faculty in South Africa. It cannot rely on other libraries to share some of this load, as in the case of the health sciences libraries where there is more than one such library in the country. It receives some support from the South African Veterinary Association through the journals the Association receives in exchange for its journal, but there are only about 5 titles that are of significance, so the impact on the budget is minimal.
A good relationship has always existed with the library of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute but the subject coverage of the two libraries differs as the former concentrates on diseases of production animals of Africa, vaccines etc whereas the faculty’s library has to cover all subject areas as presented in the veterinary curriculum, such as medicine, surgery, pharmacology, human-animal bond, animal nutrition, animal production and breeding and animal welfare.
The amalgamation of the country’s 2 veterinary faculties in 1999 led to an increase in the library’s information sources collection as books and journals that the MEDUNSA library no longer needed could be incorporated into the UP faculty’s collection.

The collection also includes a well-used multimedia section. Videos are now being supplanted by CDs and DVDs and are very popular with students. Visual material has a greater impact than written texts.

As this is a fairly new library, there are not many old books, but mention must be made of an acquisition that Prof H A de Boon, former Head of the Department of Anatomy, arranged. This book is the Anatomia del cavello infermita (Atlas of the horse), by Carlo Ruini. It was first published in Italy in 1598. The library purchased the 3rd ed. (1602) when it was put on sale in the USA. This anatomical atlas is significant because it was the first such atlas to be devoted to a non-human species. As Prof Malie Smuts mentioned in her inaugural address as head of the Department of Anatomy in 1984 (?) this work was as significant for veterinary anatomy as Vesalius’ Fabrica was for human anatomy. Apparently there are only 3 copies of this early edition available in libraries worldwide.

FROM PAPER TO ELECTRONIC: THE GROWTH OF THE VIRTUAL VETERINARY LIBRARY

We have actively supported the creation of a virtual library environment where our clients and others can find relevant information via their computers.
Our Virtual Veterinary Library, called The Library in your Office is a one-stop information centre that we introduced in 1999. (http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/virtlib.htm)

The decade starting in 2000 saw various e-products and e-services being implemented in the Library Services.
InfoPortal was specially designed for lecturers and researchers - a personal starting point for all information management related activities. It is a one-stop electronic service, linking the lecturer to databases, e-journals, e-theses, websites and the library's online catalogues. The Virtual Groups facility enables him to form online Communities of Practice (people working in the same subject or research field, or sharing the same interests).
ELECTRONIC BOOKS (E-BOOKS) became part of the library collection in 2002.
An E-book or electronic book is a written work readable on a computer screen, downloaded to a PC or digital assistant like SoftBook or Rocket eBook readers
E-books will not replace paper books. They just help librarians provide improved service to their users. Traditional books will always be around but the library's most important goal is to connect people with information in whatever format.
While most of the books now available in electronic format are older, more and more are published online soon after print publication.
Links are provided in the library catalogue, UPExplore to the full-text book on the WWW. Currently (2007) there are 103 e-books are available in UPExplore and the UPPortal for veterinary library users, including the following;
Breeding for disease resistance in farm animals - 2nd ed.,CABI, 2000
Principles of cattle production, CABI, 2001
The mineral nutrition of livestock - 3rd ed., CABI, 1999
The ethology of domestic animals: and introductory text, CABI, 2002
Nutrient requirements of beef cattle / U.S. National Research Council. - 7th rev. ed., Update 2000.
Nutrient requirements of dairy cattle / U.S. National Research Council. - 7th rev. ed., 2001.
The genetics of the horse / edited by A. T. Bowling and A. Ruvinsky, CABI, 2000.
Merck veterinary manual / editor, Susan E. Aiello. - 8th ed., Merck, 1998.
Veterinary care of African elephants / J.G. du Toit, 2001
Rhino ranching: management manual for owners of white rhinos / J.G. du Toit, 1998
Livestock handling and transport / edited by T. Grandin, 2000
The cranes: status, survey and conservation action plan / Curt D. Meine, 1998

Through the library cataloque and various platforms in the E-book section, users can access almost 130,000 titles, covering all possible subject fields, not only veterinary.
ELECTRONIC JOURNALS
Tyds@Tuks, the electronic journal gateway of the University of Pretoria, was developed in 1998 to promote easy access to e-journals.Through the library web page users can access almost 35,000 e-journals. A fraction of these are on veterinary topics, but the rate at which publishers are making their journals available in e-format is increasing rapidly. About one-third of the paper journals in the library are now only available in e-format. Users are able to download the full text of an article on their computer screen, so the trip to the physical library is becoming unnecessary.
Titles now available in e-format include Animal Reproduction Science, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Theriogenology, Current Therapeutic Research, Journal of Animal Science, Journal of Dairy Science and the Journal of the SA Veterinary Association as well as the Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research.
http://www.up.ac.za/asservices/ais/TYDSTUKS/home.htm
Most of these e-journals are only available in full text for the most recent years. Only some titles have been digitized back to their earliest issues.

LIBRARY NEWSLETTER
The electronic library newsletter, Infomania, hit faculty computer screens in April 1998, serving as an effective communication channel for the library and its clients. (http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/infomania/infomani.htm) It features news about new products and services from the library world, specifically geared to the needs of the Faculty.

A feature that has been included in recent issues is the “Conversations with Sir Arnold” column in which the development of information products and the growth of the collections are highlighted. For example, the growth in the number of veterinary or animal health journals over the years since 1920 was featured in one issue. This was followed by the one listing all the doctoral theses that have been presented at the Faculty since 1920 (Addendum : List of doctoral theses).
A list is available at http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/documents/vtheses.doc
The total number of Doctoral Theses (DVSc, DSc, PhD and DPhil) :
1920-1974 = 50
1975-2006 = 47 (including 10 electronic)

COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROJECTS

- Our project Veterinary Books for Africa enlisted the help of the student community since 1993 when we started it. In that year 2 students took books and journals by bakkie to the veterinary school libraries in Zimbabwe and Zambia. In the past decade it has grown to become a full component of the Students’ Outreach Programme, with a trip undertaken every 2 years by a group of 6 – 8 students. They raise the funds and are responsible for all the logistics. In this way we are helping to improve the information collections of other veterinary libraries in Africa.

- Onderstepoort Primary School is being helped with information sources such as picture books and animal magazines as well as nature journals which are duplicates of those in our collection. A large donation of such material as well as toothbrushes and toothpaste was received in 2007 from veterinary practitioners in the USA and the library staff presented this to the school.

ART IN THE LIBRARY

Special mention must be made of two unique murals created for the library by talented veterinary students. To record the 75th anniversary of the founding of the faculty, James Lockyear decorated the pillar at the entrance of the library with a scene of jumping springbuck, in 1995. A few years later the wall at the entrance was painted by Romain Pizzi with a cheetah and cubs. It is interesting to note that the cheetah’s gaze is determinedly fixed on the springbuck!

Nicolene Swanepoel is another former veterinary student whose art hangs in the library. This is a painting based on an illustration by Carlo Ruini in his Anatomical atlas of the horse (Anatomia del cavello infermita, 1598).

Other artists whose work are to be found on the library walls are Marcella de Boom, Miriam Friedland, Jean Kotze Louw, and Anna Vorster.

To commemorate the past 20 years since the library’s move to the Sir Arnold Theiler building, a special wall hanging in the form of a quilt was designed by Ms Barbara Kellermann, a staff member. With the help of some of her colleagues a beautiful scene depicting ostrich, rhino and buck was created. It was unveiled by the Director of the UP Library Services, Mr Robert Moropa and the Dean of the Faculty, Prof Gerry Swan on 18 October 2007 during a special function.
STAFF
The past 20 years have not only seen a growth in veterinary information sources but the staff component expanded too. A library planned for 4 staff had to accommodate eventually 8. These included 2 cataloguers when it was decided to decentralize certain tasks such as book and journal orders, cataloguing and classification. We welcomed these members as they could provide an on site service, sharing their expertise with us and hearing directly from clients about their information needs.
This has helped us to develop and adapt more easily in the electronic information environment. Today we find we are able to face challenges of providing more effective services to our clients and develop products for their specific needs, such as enhancing the use of their unique slide collections through metadata, or helping lecturers with web-based course material, of supporting their research output by means of reference collection management tools.

From 1974 till 1989 there was only one post for a qualified librarian. In September 1989 a second post was granted. Since that time this post has been filled by Mrs Krista Verster, followed by Mrs Ansie Earle, and then in 1997 by Mrs Tertia Coetsee.
A third post for a qualified librarian was filled by Mrs Antoinette Lourens in later years.

Library assistants since 1974 : Mr Johannes Moropotli, Mrs Rina Pelser, Mrs Shirley Kingsley, Mrs Ida Thomson, Mrs Lourina de Beer, Mrs Hannetjie Boshoff, Mrs Marietjie van der Westhuizen, Ms Sanah Mphaga, and Ms Barbara Kellermann.

In 2002 a new organizational model was implemented for the Library Services.
As part of the new organisation structure of the Academic Information Service (Library Services), each service unit (branch library) was divided into a so-called Back Office and a Frontline Office. Staff in the Back Office perform tasks that clients do not see, such as ordering books or journals, receiving them, cataloguing and classifying information sources and creating web products.
Frontline staff are in face-to-face interaction with clients, dealing with queries, circulation of material, literature searches,training clients to use the various databases, supporting their research and postgrad endeavours etc.
In 2007 the staff and their responsibilities were listed as follows:
Head: Erica van der Westhuizen (Erica.vanderwesthuizen@up.ac.za)
Book ordering, receiving, cataloguing & classification
Marguerite Nel (marguerite.nel@up.ac.za)
Amelia Breytenbach (amelia.breytenbach@up.ac.za)
Journals (paper & electronic)- Ordering, receiving, binding & claiming
Marguerite Nel (marguerite.nel@up.ac.za)
External Market
Marguerite Nel (marguerite.nel@up.ac.za)
Electronic Books
Amelia Breytenbach (amelia.breytenbach@up.ac.za)
Digital repository
Amelia Breytenbach (amelia.breytenbach@up.ac.za)

Information Specialists
Erica v d Westhuizen (erica.vanderwesthuizen@up.ac.za)
(CACS, Anatomy $ Physiology, ERC)
Tertia Coetsee (tertia.coetsee@up.ac.za)
(VTD , Paraclinical Studies, UP Biomed unit )
Antoinette Lourens (antoinette.lourens@up.ac.za)
(Production Animal Studies and Wildlife)
Finances
Barbara Kellermann (barbara.kellermann@up.ac.za)
Inter Library Loans
Marguerite Nel (marguerite.nel@up.ac.za)
Sanah Mphaga (sanah.mphaga@up.ac.za)
Circulation Desk
Barbara Kellermann (barbara.kellermann@up.ac.za)
Photocopiers / journal shelver
Johannes Moropotli (johannes.moropotli@up.ac.za)
Book shelver
Sanah Mphaga (sanah.mphaga@up.ac.za)
Web products co-ordinator
Antoinette Lourens (antoinette.lourens@up.ac.za)

DIRECTORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA LIBRARY SERVICES
From 1974 till 1975 the Director was Mr A J van den Bergh
Prof Eggie Gerryts became Director in 1976 and retired in this post in February 2004 after 29 years as director.

Prof Gerryts was followed by Prof Hans Boon in March 2004. Mr Robert Moropa was appointed Director in 2005

HEADS OF THE VETERINARY SCIENCE LIBRARY
1974 - 1975 Ms Rita Erasmus
1976 Ms Francina de Villiers
1978 – October 1981 Mrs Mathilda du Preez
November 1981 – present Mrs Erica van der Westhuizen

DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS
WEB PORTALS
The information specialists of the Veterinary Science Library developed web portals for relevant topics during the past decade. These portals serve as gateways to approved websites on specific topics. They also contain information provided by researchers and lecturers at the faculty, or by the information specialist.
The paper on these web portals that the information specialists presented at a conference of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) in Polokwane in 2004 can be viewed at https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/1399
A further paper on this topic was delivered at the 5th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists in July 2005.
GOAT WEB was the first web portal, developed by Amelia Breytenbach when she was information specialist for the Department of Production Animal Studies.
This product was very well received by the goat community in South Africa and abroad. The list of experts was especially successful as it enabled interested researchers as well as goat farmers and breeders to make contact with each other.
OSTRICH WEB (http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/ostrich/)
was developed by Erica van der Westhuizen, based on the bibliography she compiled in 1993, updated 1997 and 2000. (Ostrich Bibliography, compiled by Erica van der Westhuizen and Ansie Earle. Pretoria: Academic Information Service, University of Pretoria,1993)
In 2003 Tertia Coetsee and Antoinette Lourens developed:
DENTAL FORMULA FOR DIFFERENT SPECIES
http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/dental/dental1.htm
This is a comprehensive website of dental formulas. It is a world first, covering dental formulas of all species. Relevant reference works were consulted and are listed on the website. The number of each type of tooth varies from one species to another and the conventional way of describing them is by a "dental formula".
POULTRY WEB followed in 2004, developed by Antoinette Lourens. It was started due to the increasing number of requests received for information on poultry farming. Poultry production is recognized as one of the tools for poverty reduction, contributing positively to the nutritional status of low-income farming communities in South Africa.
POISONOUS PLANTS web portal was created in 2006 following the model of the one at the Veterinary Medicine Library of the University of Illinois. Both libraries are collaborating on this topic so that the plants of the 2 different continents (North America and southern Africa) will be shown in their variations and uniqueness.
DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES is a web portal of importance in the 9/11 aftermath. Not only man-made disasters are covered, but also natural disasters such as floods and fires. Emerging diseases are also featured. This web product was created as a result of the Health and Biosciences Section Satellite Session of the 73rd IFLA Conference where this was the theme.
Four staff members of the library presented a paper on the topic at this Session. https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/3395
All these web portals feature the following sections with links to useful information sites:
Associations, Books, Conferences, Diseases and health issues, full text articles, List of experts, Newsletters, Journals, Research Centres

METADATA
The development of digital products such as scanned slides necessitated the application of metadata for maximum access or retrieval of the object. One of the information specialists of the Veterinary Science Library (Amelia Breytenbach) developed metadata templates and systems which could then be applied by the University researchers and lecturers.
In support of learning, teaching and research at the University of Pretoria it was decided that the Dept. of Telematic Learning and Education Innovation would digitise all the slides available at the Veterinary Faculty. Each lecturer received a CD-ROM with his images in JPEG format. The project was taken a step further with the TLEI/AI Digitisation Project to link metadata to these images for better retrieval and the capturing of tacit knowledge. The data is stored on a server to ensure a secure recapture of the total source in future.
Personnel of the Faculty of Veterinary Science complete the metadata template provided for the slides, and the metadata editor of the library completes the process - editing, converting to XML format and adding value like controlled subject headings. She then stores the item on the server for future retrieval, use and preservation. In this way the preservation of valuable “grey” resources for the university and the Faculty are preserved for research and educational purposes.

INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORY

An institutional repository (IR) is an integrated online locus for
collecting and preserving - in digital form - the intellectual output of an
institution. In the case of a university this would include research
articles, theses, dissertations and other digital objects generated by
normal academic life.
The main objective of an IR is to enhance the visibility of the knowledge
products created by an institution's members by providing easy open
access.
The following collections are part of the Institutional Repository (UPSpace) of the University of Pretoria:
OpenUP : The collection of research articles produced by UP affiliates.
It is called openUP to signify its strong relationship
to the international open access movement. Open access underscores
the philosophy that "the research literature, which is not written
for profit but for the advancement of science and which is largely funded
by public money, is a public good and should be accessible to everyone
who has a need for the information."
Encouraging more lecturers to provide Open Access of their journal publications by placing them on OpenUP (http://openup.ais.up.ac.za/), is a further development in the e-information environment, thereby making UP research output accessible to the rest of the world.

UPSpace Collections

Our growing digital “Collections” in UPSpace are further examples of our involvement and participation in the electronic information environment. Sir Arnold Theiler is featured there, as well as the Arnold Theiler Memorial Lectures, Pastures, and Christine Seegers Biomedical Illustrations.
(https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/78)

VET LIBRARY’s digital Theiler under the spotlight
As reported in Infomania in 2006:
The Veterinary Science Library participated once again in Faculty Day at Onderstepoort with a hands-on display of one of its growing UPSpace communities, the Theiler Collection. (UPSpace is the electronic institutional research repository on the web of the University of Pretoria for digitised items). (https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/)

Ably assisted by Ria Groenewald, the AIS digital expert, and Amelia Breytenbach (our library’s digital expert and main force driving the project) we were able to show our clients and visitors what a powerful tool such a digital collection is, enabling access to historical documents including rare photographs of ARNOLD THEILER who founded the Faculty in 1920 and his colleagues and friends and family.
Ria made an excellent scanned copy of his own thesis presented at Berne University in Switzerland in 1901 (Die Malaria des Pferdes) and it is included in the Collection for all the world to read. I wish I had been there in 1901 to tell him that the future would give him even greater exposure than he had in Pres. Paul Kruger’s time! (https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/bitstream/2263/172/2/atphd1901.pdf)

Diseases of production animals are of importance worldwide, but Africa has a special abundance of diseases and therefore attracts interest from various research bodies internationally. Most of the early research reports on Africa’s animal diseases appear in our local veterinary or animal science journals. The need to digitise these early works is imperative. Theiler’s report on Lamsiekte (Parabotulism) in cattle in South Africa, published in 1927, is being studied now by a Research group in Germany – we provided the material which was unobtainable in any library in that country.
Negotiations are taking place for fundng to digitise these early publications.

SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL VETERINARY REPOSITORY

Greater challenges lie ahead as we create the National Veterinary Repository, a joint endeavour with the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, preserving past information sources such as photos and slides in digital format for the future.

LIBRARY COMMITTEE
The Library Committee came into being in March 1997. It has been a great help with communication between the library and the departments of the Faculty as information about services and products is shared and faculty needs are communicated.
The Faculty’s Library Committee focuses on facilitating communication between departments and the Academic Information Service in support of teaching, learning and research at the Faculty. The departments are represented as follows:
Anatomy & Physiology: Prof Roy Meintjies
Ms Dalene Meyer
Production Animal Studies: Dr Martin Schulman
Ms Heleen Els
Paraclinical Sciences: Dr June Williams
Veterinary Tropical Diseases: Dr Volker Schwan
Companion Animal Clinical Studies: Dr Mirinda Nel
Relevant library-related issues are discussed at meetings, which are held 5 times per year.
Regular items on the agenda include new information products or product enhancements, training needs, curriculum matters and library regulations.
PHYSICAL FACILITIES
During 2002 the library underwent great restructuring
Due to the much-needed expansion of the Computer Laboratory on Level 5 of the Sir Arnold Theiler Building, the library moved its book collection into the former CAI (Comuputer Aided Instruction) laboratory. New stairs had to be built and part of the former stairway closed to enable the new Computer Lab to be a closed facility with no entry via the Library.

A sound-proof room with video and slide equipment was designed for users needing to watch audiovisual material, and also for those working on group assignments, also on the upper level of the Library. New shelves were installed to house the video collection next to the video-seminar room.

INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT

- VETLIB-L participation. The information specialists of the library actively participate in this listserv of veterinary librarians from all over the world. It is managed by Vicki Kok, head of the Veterinary Medicine Library of the Virginia Tech University, USA and has been running since 1991. It is a most useful means of sharing problems, finding solutions, obtaining those very difficult articles not available through normal interlending channels and keeping oneself up-to-date in the animal health information world.

- International conferences

We have been very fortunate in having opportunities not only to attend and present at international veterinary librarian conferences, but also to host them. In 1995 we organized the 1st Conference of African Animal Health Information Specialists and in 2005 we organized and hosted the 5th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists (5ICAHIS).

HOSTING AND ORGANISING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

1st Conference of African Animal Health Information Workers, July 1995.
This was the first meeting of veterinary librarians to take place in Africa. It was inspired by the 1st International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists that was held in Reading, UK in 1992.
With the help of funding received from the OIE Africa Regional Office, 7 librarians from veterinary libraries in other African countries were able to attend and present papers. In this way information provision of veterinary libraries in sub-Saharan Africa was promoted. It was organized by the Veterinary Science Library and held at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Onderstepoort.

With the theme “Running wild, running free: capturing, harnessing and disseminating knowledge flows in support of animal health” this conference brought information specialists from both developed and developing countries together to share knowledge and expertise in the critical animal health information field.
The Fifth ICAHIS, hosted by the Academic Information Service, Service Unit: Veterinary Science (Veterinary Science Library) University of Pretoria, was attended by 65 participants, most of them representing 30 veterinary libraries or institutions from Africa, Europe, Australia and the United States. Since this was the first time this conference was taking place on the African continent (the former ones were held in the UK (at Reading and London), Denmark (Copenhagen) and Hungary (Budapest) participation from other African nations was especially encouraged. Thanks to support from the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Wageningen, The Netherlands, seven information specialists representing Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe were able to attend and deliver papers at the conference.
Vice Principal Prof Andy Mogotlane and the Acting Director of the Academic Information Service, Mr Robert Moropa, as well as the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Prof Nick Kriek welcomed all participants on behalf of the University of Pretoria.

The first day’s keynote speaker, Dr. Adi Paterson, Deputy Director-General, Department of Science and Technology, South Africa addressed the country’s electronic information research agenda. He praised the efforts of the ICAHIS, noting that self-organised groups are much more effective than governmental or institutional bureaucracies for crafting global solutions to problems related to information access and exchange.
During the course of the conference 23 papers were delivered - 7 from other countries in Africa, 7 from South Africa, 1 from Australia, 2 from the UK and 6 from the USA.
The Poster Session consisted of 13 posters on a variety of topics relevant to information and knowledge management (2 from South Africa, 1 from Mozambique, 3 from Scandinavia, 1 from the UK, 2 from the USA and 4 from Italy).
Feedback received from participants, showed that the four days of meeting presentations, poster sessions, tours, and the four pre-conference workshop days were very successful.

Workshop participants in the computer laboratory

(As Greg Youngen, Veterinary Librarian, University of Illinois, USA writes:
“Conference organizer Erica Van Der Westhuizen, University of Pretoria, and her magnificent team of AIS colleagues are to be commended for hosting the event. Erica, along with the other members of the conference scientific committee, Trenton Boyd, University of Missouri, Fiona Brown, University of Edinburgh, Vicki Croft, Washington State University, Ruth Lawrence, Dept. of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia, Theodora Oker-Blom, University of Helsinki, David Swanepoel, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, South Africa are all to be congratulated for assembling an informative and entertaining agenda for the advancement of knowledge in the field of animal health information. Bridging the information gaps in animal health, along with establishing enduring contacts between information professionals in service to the profession, were the goals of the conference, and by all levels of expectation, they were met, setting the stage for future ICAHIS endeavors.”)

Further information on the 5ICAHIS Conference and the workshops is available on the conference Blog: www.knowledgeflows.blogspot.com

Erica van der Westhuizen
Head: Veterinary Science Library, UP

Digitisation of Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research

2009-07-01T16:16:00.000+02:00

The digitisation of the Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research is beginning to show results. If you visit the website:
https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/8641

you will find that the Index 1903-1932 has been uploaded in UPSpace as well as some of the early issues (1908 - 1910). All items in blue will link you to the digitised document.

It has been placed in the university's research repository, as part of the SA National Veterinary Repository. We would like to thank the UPSpace manager, Ina Smith for so patiently dealing with all our requests and queries, helping us to create this online research resource for current and future researchers worldwide.

So we are getting there, slowly but surely.

With thanks to the scanner, Elliot Matukane, using the special Digibook scanning equipment at the Merensky Library, Ria Groenewald of the Merensky Library who oversees the digitisation process, ensuring a very good end product, the 2 veterinary students who prepare the scanned image for web publication (Aileen Pypers and Kate Moseley), Antoinette Lourens who uploads each article with keywords in UPSpace and Marguerite Nel who does the final metadata editing.

A special word of thanks to Prof Guthrie of the Equine Research Unit for supporting this project financially by funding the work of the students.

Erica van der Westhuizen

Jesse Lewis jnr - Jotello F. Soga researcher

2009-07-01T15:11:00.000+02:00

Jesse receiving a gift from Erica van der Westhuizen on behalf of the Jotello F. Soga Library staff.

Mr Jesse Lewis was the driving force behind our Soga project. He is a citizen of the United States, with a great interest in South African history. It was his article about Soga which alerted us to the significance of this South African veterinarian. It appeared in the Beeld supplement of 6 January 2007.

We were very honoured to have Jesse as our Guest Speaker at the Naming Ceremony on 5 May 2009.

The photo top right shows Jesse chatting to the sculptor of the Soga bust, Lusanne Peens.

Other photos of Jesse and guests at the function appear above left.

We have been noticed!

2009-06-15T15:40:00.000+02:00

It was great seeing this evaluation of our electronic library services and products including our blog recently. Thank you to the IAALD blog (http://Iaald.blogspot.com) for noticing us.
As follows:

29 May 2009 Pretoria Vet Sciences library reaches out with accessible tools
Earlier this year, this blog [IAALD] reported several discussions on future library services in agriculture.One of the approaches advocated was to transform libraries into more proactive spaces where information and knowledge are exchanged, often using new tools and approaches.The Veterinary Sciences Library at the University of Pretoria offers us some good examples of what can be done, in a pragmatic way:

The home page gives lots of search and navigation options (catalogue and google)
They use Dspace for the South African National Veterinary Repository
The Veterinary Science Dean supports open access and his Faculty staff also contribute to the university repository
The library pages can be bookmarked on services like Delicious using an 'addthis' widget
The library's newsletter Infomania has a range of views and stories, as well as practical tips beyond 'pure' libraries
They engage in several special projects and international networks linked to their mandate
Their blog reports on major developments in the library services. The postings on service plans (for 2009) and achievements (in 2008) are especially useful - and offer transparency.

As we look at ways to enhance the accessibility of agricultural information, such cases can help us identify the large and small pathways we can all adopt.

We have been noticed!

2009-06-15T15:29:00.000+02:00

It was great seeing this evaluation of our electronic library services and products including our blog recently. Thank you to the IAALD blog (http://Iaald.blogspot.com) for noticing us.

As follows:
29 May 2009

Pretoria Vet Sciences library reaches out with accessible tools
Earlier this year, this blog [IAALD] reported several discussions on future library services in agriculture.One of the approaches advocated was to transform libraries into more proactive spaces where information and knowledge are exchanged, often using new tools and approaches.The Veterinary Sciences Library at the University of Pretoria offers us some good examples of what can be done, in a pragmatic way:

The home page gives lots of search and navigation options (catalogue and google)
They use Dspace for the South African National Veterinary Repository
The Veterinary Science Dean supports open access and his Faculty staff also contribute to the university repository
The library pages can be bookmarked on services like Delicious using an 'addthis' widget
The library's newsletter Infomania has a range of views and stories, as well as practical tips beyond 'pure' libraries
They engage in several special projects and international networks linked to their mandate
Their blog reports on major developments in the library services. The postings on service plans (for 2009) and achievements (in 2008) are especially useful - and offer transparency.

As we look at ways to enhance the accessibility of agricultural information, such cases can help us identify the large and small pathways we can all adopt.
Labels: aaa, aginfo, communication, libraries, livestock, south_africa, veterinary_medicine, web2.0
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Soga Library Blog continues this blog

2009-06-12T17:28:00.000+02:00

Please read the SOGA LIBRARY BLOG for further information and news items etc about or from the Veterinary Science Library of the University of Pretoria.

http://www.sogalibrary.blogspot.com/

The name change to JOTELLO F. SOGA LIBRARY occurred on 5 May 2009.

Naming Ceremony 5 May 2009 - photos

2009-05-14T16:58:00.000+02:00

The bronze bust of Dr Jotello F. Soga was unveiled by his great granddaughter, Ms Carole Gallagher, assisted by Ms Thembi Soga, great granddaughter of Jotello's brother.

The unveiling took place in the Library.

The bust was created by Lusanne Peens. It is a copy of the one commissioned by the CEO of the Agricultural Research Council for the Jotello Soga Ethnoveterinary Garden at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute. It was unveiled there during the Centenary Celebrations of Onderstepoort in October 2008.

After the unveiling: from l. to.r.

Carole Gallagher, Prof Wiseman Nkuhlu (Chancellor of the University of Pretoria), Mrs Nkuhlu, Robert Moropa (Director of UP Library Services) and Thembi Soga

Jotello F. Soga - where he studied

2009-05-14T10:03:00.000+02:00

Jotello Festiri Soga studied veterinary medicine at the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies (Dick Vet), Edinburgh. He qualified in 1886, and was awarded the gold medal for botany.

The college was reconstituted as an integral part of the University of Edinburgh in 1951 and became a full faculty in 1964. Reorganisation of the university in 2002 abolished faculties and the Dick Vet is now a part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. The Faculty's degree in Veterinary medicine is accredited in the UK, Canada, and the United States.

He is listed as one of the college's notable alumni, as shown in the Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_(Dick)_School_of_Veterinary_Studies

Notable alumni
Sir Frederick Fitzwygram, President of the RCVS (1875-77) and as such unified the veterinary profession.
William Robertson, Principal of London Vet College 1881-87
George Fleming, Founder of the Veterinary Journal in 1875, architect of the 1881 Vet Surgeons Act
James Law, The first professor of veterinary medicine in the United States (Cornell)
James McCall, Established the Glasgow Vet College in 1862
William Williams, the Welsh veterinary surgeon who founded of the New Veterinary College in Edinburgh in 1873 (which went on to become the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Liverpool) and author of several standard works on veterinary science
John Luke Poett, the first veterinary surgeon in the Canadian North West Mounted Police.
Andrew Smith, founder of the Ontario Veterinary College, Canada, the oldest veterinary college in the Americas
Sir Thomas Dalling, Director of Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries
Sir John McFadyean, principal of the London Veterinary School and credited as the founder of modern veterinary science
Duncan McNab McEachran, Established the Montreal Vet College in 1875
JOtello Festiri Soga, First South African veterinary surgeon
Albert E. Mettam, First Principal of Royal Vet College, Dublin
Sir Stewart Stockman, Built first UK research laboratories (Weybridge) President of the RCVS (1923-24)
Sir John N. Ritchie, Chief Veterinary Officer, the highest veterinary post in the Government, Dean of Royal Vet College, London
John Boyd Dunlop, inventor of the first practical pneumatic tyre, and founder of Dunlop Rubber Company
Sir Alexander Robertson, CBE, MA, BSc (Aber), PhD (Edin), FRIC, FRSE
Robin Coombs, He devised 'The Coombs Test', a critical diagnostic test for use in haematology and blood transfusion.
Noah M. Wekesa, Minister for Science and Technology in the Kenyan Government
Hamish Moore, Through his recordings, teaching, and pipe-making he has done much to promote the bellows blown pipes of Scotland.

The Chancellor's welcoming message 5 May 2009

2009-05-13T17:40:00.000+02:00

Message from the Chancellor of the University of Pretoria, Prof Wiseman Nkuhlu at the Naming Ceremony of the Jotello F. Soga Library

Honoured guests

The Faculty of Veterinary Science on the Onderstepoort Campus is the only one of its kind in the country and a national asset. It is also the 2nd oldest of the 46 Faculties of Veterinary Science in Africa and the first in sub-Saharan Africa. Established by Sir Arnold Theiler in 1920 it has a long history of excellence in teaching and learning and it is expected in future to play a leading role in veterinary education in the SADC region and further afield in Africa.

This faculty has the sole responsibility in South Africa of training veterinarians and veterinary nurses that are essential to the country in the context of defined national and international needs.

Veterinarians and veterinary services are indispensable to the health and wellbeing of animals and humans and play an important role in the economy of South Africa. Among other things, they contribute to production of sustainable sources of safe protein of animal origin and the prevention of transmission of diseases from animals to humans. The ability to diagnose and contain diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and to establish the risk of the transfer of diseases from animals to humans such as the current outbreak of swine flu is critical to the certification of the disease status of animals and of the safety for export of various agricultural products of animal and plant origin, and human health respectively.

With the amalgamation of the 2 faculties of the University of Pretoria and MEDUNSA in 1999 a new national Faculty of Veterinary Science was formed, to continue building on its past achievements and develop veterinarians and veterinary nurses for the future.

Facilities at this faculty are comparable to the best in the world. Today we focus on one of these facilities, the Library. To sustain the high regard in which the faculty is held worldwide, an excellent library and information service is essential.

This Library provides a specialised information service to the faculty and extends this role to promote animal health information provision throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

This includes holding training workshops for veterinary librarians from other countries in Africa, launching community engagement projects such as Vet Books for Africa, and organising and hosting international conferences, for example the 1st Conference of Animal Health Information Workers in Africa in 1995, and the 5th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists in 2005 - another first for Africa.

By naming this important facility in honour of the first South African to qualify as a veterinary surgeon, we are honouring Dr Jotello Festiri Soga’s unique and important role as a veterinarian in South Africa in the late 19th century.

Dr Soga serves as an exceptional role model and pioneer for the black community, encouraging and inspiring a growing number of students applying to study in this field.

To be present here today will thus make us all part of an historic and unique event that will add further relevancy and significance to the already rich history of excellence and distinction that is associated with this faculty.

On behalf of the University of Pretoria I welcome you and hope that you will enjoy today’s proceedings with us.

Jotello Festiri Soga - his significance today

2009-05-13T17:28:00.001+02:00

Jotello F. Soga was the FIRST South African to qualify as a veterinary surgeon (Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh 1886).

“Dr Soga played an important role in combating rinderpest and lung-sickness in the country as the first qualified South African veterinarian. He also laid a foundation for veterinary education in South Africa. But he is better known in veterinary circles as a pioneer researcher in the study of toxic plants and their effect on animals – both for their poisonous and curative effects.” (Prof Gerry Swan, Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria)

The South African Veterinary Association (SAVA) has established a tribute to Dr. Soga as mentioned on its website. The SAVA awards the annual Soga Medal in “recognition of exceptional community service” rendered by a veterinarian or a veterinary student.

“The fact that we award the Soga Medal is an indication that we respect and admire his contribution – not only his work as a veterinarian but his commitment to the community.This is what we want to instill in our profession. Veterinary medicine is not only a job but a commitment to the community – the entire South African community." (Dr Colin Cameron, CEO South African Veterinary Association)

Naming Ceremony 5 May 2009

2009-05-13T17:14:00.000+02:00

The Veterinary Science Library of the University of Pretoria was named on 5 May 2009 by the Chancellor of the University in honour of the first South African to qualify as a veterinarian, Dr JOTELLO F. SOGA.
He studied at the Royal Dick College (which later became part of the University of Edinburgh), obtaining the veterinary degree in 1886. There was no veterinary training facility in South Africa until 1920 when Sir Arnold Theiler founded the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria.

As the present Dean, Prof Gerry Swan pointed out: "Dr Soga played an important role in combating rinderpest and lung sickness as the first qualified South African veterinarian. Yet he is better known as a pioneer researcher in the study of toxic plants and their effect on animals."

Read more about Dr Jotello Soga on our website: http://www.library.up.ac.za/vet/soga.htm

Naming Ceremony 5 May 2009

2009-05-07T16:34:00.000+02:00

The Veterinary Science Library of the University of Pretoria was named on 5 May 2009 by the Chancellor of the University in honour of the first South African to qualify as a veterinarian, Dr JOTELLO F. SOGA.

He studied at the Royal Dick College at the University of Edinburgh, obtaining the veterinary degree in 1886. There was no veterinary training facility in South Africa until 1920 when Sir Arnold Theiler founded the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria.

As the present Dean, Prof Gerry Swan pointed out: "Dr Soga played an important role in combating rinderpest and lung sickness as the first qualified South African veterinarian. Yet he is better known as a pioneer researcher in the study of toxic plants and their effect on animals."

Read more about Dr Jotello Soga on our website: http://www.library.up.ac.za/vet/soga.htm

Goals for 2009, Veterinary Science Library, UP

2009-02-21T07:44:00.000+02:00

Aligned with the E-STRATEGY of the University of Pretoria Department of Library Services, we will be focusing on the following :

1. DIGITISATION PROJECTS

- Scanning full text and uploading in the institutional repository, UPSpace, the 2 veterinary journals of South Africa
: Onderstepoort J. of Veterinary Research
: J. of the South African Veterinary Association

- Uploading with metadata 4000 unique slides of the Departments of the Faculty (a continuation of the project of the Dept of Education Innovation)

- Digitising and uploading all documents and photos relevant to the first South African to qualify as a veterinarian, Dr Jotello Festiri Soga (Edinburgh, 1886)

- Creating the Ethno-veterinary collection in UPSpace (slides, documents, articles)

2. The new name of the library in honour of Dr J F Soga (JOTELLO F. SOGA LIBRARY)

- arranging function with Rector's office and Head of UP Marketing

3. TRAINING of clients

- RefWorks and Ref Manager
- CAB and Medline
- Enhancing your research output
- Basic information literacy and computer literacy for C3 workers at the faculty

4. COMMUNITY OUTREACH projects

- supporting the Onderstepoort School with books, drawing materials, pictures, animal magazines, and electronic information (on memory sticks)

- helping to promote pet ownership and the role of the veterinarian and veterinary nurse in support of attracting more black applicants to study at the Faculty

- arranging a get-together of all community-related activities at the Faculty

- compiling a CD showing all Onderstpoort community outreach projects

- continuing to run the VET BOOKS FOR AFRICA project in conjunction with students

5. BIBLIOGRAPHIES (paper and electronic)

- African rhinoceros update 1997 - 2008
- Ostrich update 2000 - 2008
- Black Fly (New)

6. MARKETING activities

- Displays in library and at conferences of clients
- through the library web page

7. TRAINING OF LIBRARY STAFF

- Joe (MS Word, SABINET)
- Tertia (Web-ready Digitised items)
- Antoinette and Marguerite (Presenting papers)
- Tertia and Amelia (Presenting papers)

8. ATTENDING CONFERENCES

- International (10ICML / 6 ICAHIS - Brisbane, Australia, Sept) Marguerite and Tertia

- National

LIASA - Joe and
African Digital Scholarship (Pretoria)- Amelia and Antoinette
SANLIG (on behalf of Technical Services - Marguerite )

9. INVOLVEMENT IN NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS (HICSA)

- arranging workshops (on presentations, ....)
- arranging speakers and meetings (Prof Skinner on Darwin)

2008 achievements

2009-02-16T10:52:00.000+02:00

* The creation of the South African National Veterinary Repository in UPSpace - a unique electronic collection of photos and slides as a result of the collaborative effort of the Veterinary Science Library, University of Pretoria (UP) and the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI) (https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/3809).

* The publishing of the electronic version of the Proceedings of the 5th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists, in September 2008, in UPSpace
https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/4655
This is the first such e-publication by the Dept of Library Services. It was done by Antoinette Lourens, with metadata editing by Amelia Breytenbach.

* MARKETING (displays, posters, brochures and powerpoint ) at client conferences - VETERINARY COLLECTIONS (SA National Veterinary Repository, Theiler, Biomedical illustrations)

- SA Veterinary & Paraveterinary Conference, Sun City, July 2008

- Faculty Day, September 2008

- Pan African Centenary Veterinary Conference, 6-9 October 2008

* PRESENTATION at SA Online conference, CSIR: The librarian as author and publisher in the digital environment:launching veterinary science in UPSpaceAntoinette Lourens, Erica van der Westhuizen, Amelia Breytenbach, Tertia Coetsee and Ria Groenewald
(Department of Library Services, University of Pretoria, South Africa) and
David Swanepoel
(ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute Library, South Africa)

* IMPORTANT VISITORS in 2008
The descendants of Jotello Soga and Arnold Theiler visited the Library. We were honoured to welcome the grand daughter of Sir Arnold Theiler, Elizabeth Theiler Martin and her husband as well as the great grand daughter of Dr Jotello F. Soga, Carole Gallagher and her husband in October 2008.

* Amelia Breytenbach attended the 2008 Dublin Core Conference in Berlin, Germany, representing the UP Library Service as metadata specialist. http://dc2008.de/
She visited the Wellcome Trust Library in London where she held worthwhile discussions with their digital experts. http://images.wellcome.ac.uk/
View her powerpoint description of her visits and the conference at https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/8923
(Visits to Libraries, London, 18-19 September 2008 and DC-2008 Conference, Berlin, Germany, 23-25 September 2008 )

* Amelia and Ria Groenewald, UP Digitisation Manager, published an article in 2008 The African Elephant: A digital collection of anatomical sketches as part of the University of Pretoria's Institutional Repository – a case studyhttp://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=306310C220CFFAAD3E2ACB1225B482BA?contentType=Article&contentId=1748002

* The University Council approved the new name for the UP Veterinary Science Library: Jotello F. Soga Library. A special function will be held in May 2009.

UPSpace highlights in 2008: Veterinary Science Library

2008-11-06T13:09:00.000+02:00

UPSPACE HIGHLIGHTS 2008 – VETERINARY SCIENCE LIBRARY

1) MARKETING (displays, posters, brochures and powerpoint ) at client conferences - VETERINARY COLLECTIONS (SA National Veterinary Repository, Theiler, Biomedical illustrations)

- SA Veterinary & Paraveterinary Conference, Sun City, July 2008

- Faculty Day, September 2008

- Pan African Centenary Veterinary Conference, 6-9 October 2008

2) PRESENTATION AT SA ONLINE CONFERENCE, CSIR, THE LIBRARIAN AS AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER IN THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT: launching veterinary science in UPSpace
Antoinette Lourens, Erica van der Westhuizen, Amelia Breytenbach, Tertia Coetsee and Ria Groenewald
Department of Library Services, University of Pretoria, South Africa
David Swanepoel
ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute Library, South Africa

3) PARTICIPATION in the IR workshop, 3 October to show role of faculty library manager and information specialist in getting buy-in from faculty and doing marketing

PROJECTS 2008 in UPSpace

1) Proceedings 5ICAHIS (5th International Conference of Animal Health Information
Specialists, July 2005, Onderstepoort)
2) Proceedings of the 1st Conference of African Animal Health Information Specialists, July
1995, Onderstepoort
3) Proceedings of the Pan African Veterinary Conference of 1929
4) SA National Veterinary Repository (UP Faculty of Vet Sci and OVI)
5) Theiler Memorial Lectures

2009 PROJECTS

1) NEXT YEAR we would like to digitise South Africa’s 2 veterinary journals, from their start date till 1996/7 when they began their electronic format as SAePublications. Looking for funds! (JSAVA and OPJVR)

2) METADATA for digitised slides of various departments at the Faculty: some funds have been given by EI for students to upload the metadata, and to pay the experts who will supply the descriptions of these “learning objects”.

Erica van der Westhuizen 22 October 2008

-

Family of Jotello Soga and Arnold Theiler visit Library

2008-11-06T12:50:00.000+02:00

The great granddaughter of Dr Jotello F. Soga, the first South African to qualify as a veterinarian (1886, University of Edinburgh) visited the Veterinary Science Library in October 2008. She is Carole Gallagher, and lives in England.

The photo shows Carole and her husband, with Erica van der Westhuizen, head of the library.

The grand daughter of Sir Arnold Theiler who founded the Faculty of Veterinary Science in 1920, the only veterinary training institution in South Africa, also paid the library a visit in October. Elizabeth Theiler Martin was accompanied by her husband. They live in New York.

They were most interested to see the photo albums of Sir Arnold's world travels which we are now digitising and uploading in the university's institutional repository, UPSpace.

Pan African Centenary Veterinary Conference 2008

2008-11-06T12:40:00.000+02:00

MEETING THE THEILER AND SOGA DESCENDANTS

During the Pan African Centenary Veterinary Conference, 6-9 October 2008 the Veterinary Science Library held a display featuring various collections in the electronic Institutional Repository, UPSpace.

These include the Theiler collection.
Special posters were designed by Ria Groenewald to highlight the Open Access research articles in OpenUP, the Arnold Theiler Memorial Lectures collection in UPSpace, Christine Seegers biomedical illustrations in UPSpace, and slide material from various departments at the Faculty.
A powerpoint presentation designed by Antoinette Lourens ran throughout the conference, explaining the importance of digitising unique information sources.

The Librarians were thrilled to meet the direct descendants of both Sir Arnold Theiler and Dr Jotello Soga, two prominent veterinary figures of the late 19th, early 20th centuries. In the photo taken at the library display can be seen in front from l. to r.
Mr Gallagher, Dr Emily Mogojane, Carole Gallagher (great granddaughter of Dr Soga), Elizabeth Theiler Martin (grand daughter of Sir Arnold) and her husband behind her.

Marketing at SA Veterinary & Paraveterinary Conference 2008

2008-11-06T10:26:00.000+02:00

SA VETERINARY AND PARAVETERINARY CONGRESS 7-11 JULY 2008, Sun City

THE LIBRARY WAS THERE!
Erica van der Westhuizen

The Veterinary Science Library once again participated in this biannual event by sharing the Faculty’s exhibition stand. This important occasion in the veterinary calendar is an opportunity for marketing the library’s services and products to veterinary practitioners. With CPD now compulsory for practitioners the library plays a role in helping with the earning of points. We run an electronic monitoring system, keeping a record of the articles requested by veterinarians who have enrolled for our contents pages service.

Antoinette Lourens and Erica van der Westhuizen promoted the Library Services the first 2 days of the conference, and were followed by Tertia Coetsee and Marguerite Nel for the next 2 days.

We were kept very busy as most of the attendees visited the exhibits. There was no time for us to attend any of the lectures unfortunately, as we had been able to do at past conferences. (No time for gambling either!)

We hope that all the contacts made and information communicated about how the library can help practitioners to keep up-to-date will result in an expansion of our “external” market, for the benefit of animal health in South Africa.

PHOTOS SHOW LIBRARIANS AT THE EXHIBIT STAND

Antoinette Lourens promoting our services

From left to right:
Tertia Coetsee, Antoinette Lourens, Erica van der Westhuizen and Marguerite Nel

New staff member, Veterinary Science Library

2008-11-04T16:13:00.000+02:00

We welcome our new staff member, Joe Sindane. He will be mainly responsible for Interlibrary loans and document delivery.

Joe Sindane and Antoinette Lourens, August 2008.

See also our library newsletter, September 2008 issue.

(http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/infomania/infomania19/infoma19.htm)

E-products display in Veterinary Science Library

2008-11-04T15:43:00.000+02:00

We are concentrating on bringing the growing e-collections in the university's Institutional Repository (UPSpace) to our users' attention (and others too!).

During August 2008 we featured the various collections which we have been digitising and uploading to UPSpace, in a display in the Veterinary Science Library.

These include the Biomedical illustrations of Christine Seegers (the African elephant), the Theiler collection of photos and other memorabilia, the Arnold Theiler Memorial Lectures (an annual event), and the South African National Veterinary Repository. (https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/3809)

VET Library committee meetings 2008 - April 17

2008-08-13T13:23:00.000+02:00

MINUTES OF THE LIBRARY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 17 APRIL 2008 AT 13:30

1. PRESENT: Prof Roy Meintjes, Dr Mirinda Nel, Dr June Williams, Mss Tertia Coetsee, Marguerite Nel, Antoinette Lourens and Erica vd Westhuizen
APOLOGIES: Dr Volker Schwan, Ms Heleen Els, Ms Amelia Breytenbach
2. BOOK FUNDS 2008: it was noted that no message had been received concerning availability of funds at present.
3. NATIONAL VETERINARY RESPOSITORY UPDATE: it was noted that this joint project of the Faculty and the OVI was on course. Scanning is being done by the Vet Sci Library of UP of items belonging to the Library or to the OVI, to be uploaded in the Repository which is on UPSpace (Institutional Repository of UP). Members were asked to inform the librarians if they know of any historical material which can be included in this Repository.

4. OPENUP FACULTY PUBLICATIONS: it was noted that OpenUP is the collection of research articles of UP staff. Copyright permission is first obtained from the journal publishers before articles are placed in this collection. OpenUP staff apply for this copyright permission. Members were asked to encourage their colleagues to place their research output in OpenUP. Elsabe Olivier of OpenUP is willing to address the Faculty once again on OpenUP to explain the advantages to authors of the faculty in placing their publications in OpenUP..

5. LUNCH HOUR TRAINING SESSIONS: it was noted that training sessions have been arranged for March, April and May. CAB and Medline databases will be featured as well as Refworks and various Web2.0 tools. Members were requested to inform the librarians if there were other topics they would like to have covered. Training can also be given in the Departments.

6. NEW CAB DATABASE: it was noted that there were few changes to the database, apart from the colour now used

7. STAFF WHO RESIGN: members were asked to inform the Library when staff have resigned so that library material can be recovered before they leave. It was suggested that HR section should be asked to keep the library informed.

8. WHEN THE INTERNET IS DOWN – HOW TO FIND INFORMATION: it was noted that there are 2 paper resources in the library which can help to locate articles on topics, if electronic searching is unavailable – Index Veterinarius and the Veterinary Bulletin. The CAB database is based upon these 2 publications.

9. NEW NAME FOR THE LIBRARY: it was noted that the Faculty Board have approved the name JOTELLO F. SOGA LIBRARY. Jesse Lewis, an American researcher, has made his biographical material about Soga available to the library, to be featured in a new webpage devoted to Soga, the first South African to qualify as a veterinarian (University of Edinburgh, 1886)

10. SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT: it was noted that this agreement drawn up by the Department of Library Services and the Faculties had been personalised for the Veterinary Science Library and the Faculty it serves, and after input by the Dean, will be finalised and circulated.

11. DEPARTMENTAL MATTERS: none, apart from the need for book orders to be placed.

12. GENERAL: Dr Jevan Christie will replace Dr Mirinda Nel as representative of CACS as she has resigned.

13. DATE OF NEXT MEETING: 17 July 2008

Research output, 2008 Faculty of Vet Science, UP

2008-08-05T13:31:00.000+02:00

Research highlights 2008: Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria

(from the Dean's report, OPNews, Winter 2008)

The research programme of the faculty again showed steady growth over the past year. It represents the highest research output this faculty has ever had. The subsidy units earned from the Department of Education for publications increased from 46.13 in 2006 to 55.71 in 2007 and65.31 in 2008. Over the past year it representsa growth of 18%, and the subsidy per academic staff member of 0.65 is getting closer to the UP goal of 1.0. Noteworthy is the fact that again all the faculty’s publications were in the higher category of ISI-accredited journals. In terms of funding, the increase in subsidy earned translated into an increase in the research allocation fromR553 560 in 2006 to R1 044 960 in 2008 (growth of almost 100%).
There was a substantial increase in the number of postgraduate students from 168 in2006 to 250 in 2008, accompanied by an increase in the funding available for postgraduate bursaries from R254 454 in 2007 to R367 422 in 2008. The number of rated academic staff members increased from 14 in 2006 to 16 in 2007.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT**To formalise and make community involvementpart of the formal undergraduate and postgraduate training of the faculty, a long-term programme has been developed over the last two years.This programme involved the Mnisi TraditionalAuthority, the Directorate of Veterinary Services of the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs, and the Institute for TropicalMedicine, Antwerp, Belgium, and will officiallycommence in October 2008.

Goals for 2008 +

2008-03-17T09:57:00.000+02:00

For 2008 and ahead:
COLLECTION MANAGEMENT:
Update book shelves with Dewey nos.
Indicate e-journals on journal display shelves
Duplicate journals list for Vetlib-L
Collection Development policy

PHYSICAL FACILITIES
Computer connecting cords refit
Connect printers at user terminals
Re-apply for security system at exit (dismantled when new circulation desk installed)
Re-apply for carpet next to study tables

DIGITAL PROJECTS (E-Information strategy)
1. National Veterinary Repository:
- include parties outside University e.g.private practitioners
- market at next SAVA conference (Sun City) to encourage participation
- involve Vet Museum at OVI
- ask Librarian at OVI to help with content
- ask Dr Verwoerd and Dr Bigalke to help with metadata (Identify photos)
2. Publish the Proceedings of our 2005 Conference (5ICAHIS) and our 1995
conference electronically in UPSpace
3. Digitisation of 2 SA veterinary journals (Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research (1903 - 1996) and Journal of the SA Veterinary Association) (1924 - 1997)
4. OpenUP: we must actively begin to upload UP articles. (Marguerite and Tertia will consult with Dr J Van Wyk re his documents to be included)
5. Veterinary Theses - the early ones borrowed from UNISA Archives must be digitised and placed in the e-theses collection.
Important to coincide with Faculty's centenary celebration

WEB PAGES
- Jotello Festire SOGA: new web page to be created. Contact author of book,
Jesse Lewis, and University of Edinburgh Libraries, and Internet. Cape Archives and National Archives
- Normal values of animals (Tertia) - new web page
- Others to be updated: Ostrich, Goat, Poultry, Dental Formulae (juveniles),
Poisonous plants, Disaster management
- LINK OUR BLOGS ON OUR WEB PAGES

TRAINING
: Lunch hour sessions for Postgraduate students, lecturers: Tertia is compiling an online help for postgraduate students re research methodology

BIBLIOGRAPHIES to be updated:
Ostrich 2000 - 2008
Rhino 1997 - 1008
Publish in paper format and electronically
Convert previous years from InMagic to RefWorks to be able to issue them as a complete electronic database.
New Bibliography : BLACK FLY (Prof Bath)

CONFERENCES in 2008
3-5 June - SA Online- Erica, Antoinette, Amelia and Tertia to submit abstract: The Librarian as author and publisher in the web environment
16-19 June - Joint Conference of Digital Libraries, Pittsburgh USA - Amelia has submitted an abstract on the National Veterinary Repository, for the poster session
15-19 June SLA Special Libraries Association, Seattle WA, USA
June - SAVA conference, Sun City (to market products and services, and the National Veterinary Repository)
7-9 October - Pan African Veterinary Congress, Onderstepoort (to market as above)

OUR INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT
Create a listserv for Veterinary Librarians in African countries (AFRICANVETLIB) to encourage cooperation and sharing of knowledge
Participate in the Livestock Library project (Australia)

TECHNICAL SERVICES (IMPS)
Amelia is overall responsible for quality of metadata and training of cataloguers and other UP staff in assigning metadata
Amelia to serve on the Oracle committee (Metadata)
Amelia responsible to Data Curation Metadata applications for Library Services
Amelia responsible for E-Books web page (new one to be completed)
Amelia responsible for UP Archives metadata
Marguerite metadata editor for Engineering and Architecture
She will help with the metadata editing of collections in the National Veterinary Repository
(Will have to re-look at her work load as she is cataloguer for 4 of our 5 departments and also responsible for the journal orders/collection and IL National and External market's SDI service)Marguerite will do benchmarking of parts of our collection, with Tertia Coetsee (for paper at Conference ? 2009)

Library quilt

2008-02-11T11:38:00.000+02:00

Highlights 2007 - Community outreach

2007-11-28T10:56:00.000+02:00

http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/documents/opprimary.ppt

Staff of the Veterinary Science Library visited a local school (Onderstepoort Primary Schoool) to take a large donation of story books, colouring-in books, colour pencils and crayons and toothbrushes and toothpaste received from a group of veterinarians in Vermont, USA and their dental technician friend. The books were donated by 2 schools in Vermont.

This kind action from concerned people in the USA helped us to play a more active role in our local school community, which we hope to develop further.

Click on the URL above for a photo tour of the event.

List of donors:
Veterinarians from Vermont, USA
Julie Moenter, DVM
Marv Greenberg, DVM
Laura Lyndes, DVM

Margaret Pierce Teitelbaum (dental technician, Vermont)

Russell Memorial Library, Monkton, Vermont
Lawrence Memorial Library, Bristol, Vermont

Highlights 2007

2007-11-07T01:36:00.000+02:00

STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS

- 4 staff members presented a paper at the IFLA conference in Durban on 18 August. This was at the Satellite Session of the Health and Biosciences Section. The title of the presentation:
Disasters and Diseases in Africa: Information Support for Animal and Human Health. Tertia Coetsee, Antoinette Lourens, Marguerite Nel and Erica van der Westhuizen
(http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/ifla/iflapap.htm)

- Amelia Breytenbach, the Library Services' metadata specialist, presented a paper on metadata at the IGBIS section of LIASA at a meeting held in Pretoria.

- Amelia Breytenbach enrolled for the online course on metadata for digital collections presented by the University of Wisconsin:Milwaukee, USA in November.

- Erica van der Westhuizen completed the editing of the Proceedings of the 5th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists.

- Antoinette Lourens was responsible for the layout of the above Proceedings and final preparation to enable the publication to be printed by the University of Illinois in November.

- Erica van der Westhuizen was asked to write the history of the Veterinary Science Library for publication in the special Centenary Book about the Faculty and the Institute (OVI) in 2008.

MARKETING

- UPSpace collections were marketed during Faculty Day in September. A special display was mounted and the collections could be viewed online at the display stand. The focus was The Elephant illustrations of the Christine Seegers Biomedical Illustrations collection.

- The Library's role in the Faculty was emphasised during the function held to celebrate the 20 years that the library has been in the Sir Arnold Theiler building. (http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/quilt.htm)

This was a marketing opportunity, enhancing communication with the Dean and Departmental Heads in particular. A special issue of the library newsletter, Infomania, focused on the history of the library and its services and products during the past 20 years. It can be viewed electronically at http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/infomania/infomania17/infoma17.htm

The making of the special commemorative quilt improved team spirit and it is a beautiful addition to the original art collection in the library.
Special mention must be made of Barbara Kellermann who designed the quilt and ensured a professional end-product.

Highlights 2007 continued

2007-11-07T00:47:00.000+02:00

PHYSICAL SPACE / FACILITIES

Circulation desk : the old cumbersome one was dismantled in July and the new streamlined one installed.

Carpets: new carpets were laid in the area surrounding the Circulation desk including the Reserved Collection area.

Shelves : additional shelves were installed on the upper level for the expanding book collection, as well as downstairs in the Reserved Collection. This has helped to improve access to books and facilitate their correct placement on the shelves.

These improvements have helped to increase staff morale leading to improved output as well as job satisfaction!

VIRTUAL SPACE

There were 3 notable developments in our Virtual information environment in 2007:

- UPSpace collection added, namely the Christine Seegers Biomedical Illustrations : The Elephant (https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/1971)

This is an example of the successful collaboration of the information specialist / metadata specialist, the lecturer who described the illustrations, and the artist.

- New Web Portals created: a) Disasters and Emergencies (http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/disaster/)

b) Poisonous plants (http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/poison/)

- the creation and management of the South African National Veterinary Repository - a collaborative effort of the Veterinary Science Library, University of Pretoria (UP) and the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI) (https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/3809)
with metadata supplied by Emeritus Professor Roy Tustin and digitised slides from the collections of the OVI and the Dept of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, UP

2006 OVERVIEW

2007-01-09T09:41:00.000+02:00

Achievements during 2006 included UPSpace developments (Theiler Collection), Training, Marketing, E-books, WIKIs and Blogs, revamped Web pages and the bi-annual visit from the SA Vet Council.

UPSpace

DIGITAL THEILER UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
(for background info: http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/infomania/infomania14/infoma14.htm)

The Veterinary Science Library participated once again in Faculty Day at Onderstepoort with a hands-on display of one of its growing UPSpace communities, the Theiler Collection. (UPSpace is the electronic institutional research repository on the web of the University of Pretoria for digitised items). (https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/)

Ably assisted by Ria Groenewald, the AIS digital expert, and Amelia Breytenbach (our library’s digital expert and main force driving the project) we were able to show our clients and visitors what a powerful tool such a digital collection is, enabling access to historical documents including rare photographs of ARNOLD THEILER, founder of the Faculty in 1920, and of his colleagues, friends and family.
Ria made an excellent scanned copy of his thesis presented at Berne University in Switzerland in 1901 (Die Malaria des Pferdes) and it is included in the Collection for all the world to read. I wish I had been there in 1901 to tell him that the future would give him even greater exposure than he had in Pres. Paul Kruger’s time! (https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/bitstream/2263/172/2/atphd1901.pdf)

FUTURE DIGITAL PROJECTS

Diseases of production animals are of importance worldwide, but Africa has a special abundance of diseases and therefore attracts interest from various research bodies internationally. Most of the early research reports on Africa’s animal diseases appear in our local veterinary or animal science journals. The need to digitise these early works is imperative. Theiler’s report on Lamsiekte (Parabotulism) in cattle in South Africa, published in 1927, is being studied now by a Research group in Germany – we provided the material which was unobtainable in any library in that country.
We are holding thumbs that they will help us with funding to digitise these early publications.

Marketing

SA VETERINARY & PARAVETERINARY CONGRESS, DURBAN, 6 – 9 JUNE 2006

Every two years the South African veterinary profession holds a congress where members share knowledge and expertise with colleagues from all over the country.

The Library was very grateful to be able to share the Faculty’s stand so that we could market our products and services to help the practising veterinarian, veterinary nurse and veterinary technician to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in their fields.

As Continuing Professional Development is now compulsory for every practitioner
the Library certainly has a role in helping him to achieve this.

To quote from an article which appeared in the British publication Veterinary Practice ( Nelson, Mike. (2006) The Nelson Touch; RCVS Council heralds some mandatory CPD . Veterinary Practice 38 (1) : 2)

”No one who wishes to keep abreast of the advances in veterinary science can afford to neglect the regular reading of the professional journals. They record for him, and thus enable him to benefit by the results of the experiences and researchers of others, at home and abroad.”

We held 2 lucky draws to win a book bag plus one year’s free subscription to our Journal Contents Pages / Article Service.

The winners were Dr Cedric Tutt from the Veterinary Dentistry and Oro-Facial Surgery Clinic in Cape Town and Dr Leith Meyer from Wits University.

NOTE: COMPETITIONS ARE A GREAT WAY TO MARKET YOUR SERVICES AND PRODUCTS

CONVERSATIONS WITH SIR ARNOLD

Sir Arnold Theiler was the founder of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria in 1920.

This feature was started in 2006 to inform users about products and services of the library. It appears as a regular column in the library's newsletter, Infomania.
(http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/infomania/infomania14/infoma14.htm
http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/infomania/infomania15/infoma15.htm

Evaluation

SOUTH AFRICAN VETERINARY COUNCIL VISIT FACULTY AND LIBRARY

They interviewed library staff, students and faculty members and made the following suggestions:
1. All Departmental CD’s and discs should be available to students in the library.
2. Improve internet access speed of computers in the library.
3. Increase hostel internet connections with satisfactory speed in order to improve student’s access to the internet and intranet.
4. Use library staff more to develop curricula and to train students in learning data retrieval and analysis.

Training

1.TRAINING COURSES TO PROMOTE INFORMATION LITERACY

Our most popular course! It should be presented earlier in the undergraduate curriculum.

INFORMATION LITERACY TRAINING

BVSC V / VI

1 a.OPTIMAL USE OF THE INTERNET FOR VETERINARY INFORMATION

Presented by Information Specialists of the Academic Information Service, 2006

These training sessions will show you the most effective ways of searching for information on the Web. The skills and techniques that you will learn will enable you to keep up-to-date as veterinary practitioners once you complete your studies at Onderstepoort.

The following aspects will be covered:

Search tips
Search tools

subject gateways
web directories
search engines / Google / Google Scholar

Subject tools for animal health (freely available on the Web)

- CONSULTANT (Cornell University, College of Vet Med)
- DATABASES : Agricola and PubMed
- Electronic Zoo (NetVet)
- FAO (Food and Agric. Organisation)
- Intute: health & life sciences (formerly called BIOME)
- Intute: health & life sciences: Veterinary (formerly called Vetgate)
- IVIS (International Veterinary Information Service)
- OIE (World Animal Health Organisation)
- Tutorials for practitioners
- Vetscite (for Current awareness)
- WHO (World Health Organisation)
- Zoonoses websites

Evaluating web resources

How to cite web resources

Creating personal databases (Reference Manager)

Tertia Coetsee
Antoinette Lourens
Erica van der Westhuizen
www.ais.up.ac.za/vet

1 b. Veterinary Public Health group tasks for 5th year students (Tertia Coetsee) - successful example of what can be achieved if lecturer is involved and students are motivated!

2. Workshops for Information Specialists -

Metadata and Dublin Core for DSpace (Amelia Breytenbach)

Blogs (Antoinette Lourens)

Improving the work environment

DESIGNING NEW CIRCULATION DESK

The plans drawn up by the UP architect were finally approved by the staff involved, and tenders were sent out in December 2006. So we look forward to an ergonomically satisfactory working environment in 2007.

Enhancing Communication

BLOGS AND WIKIS for improved communication with library staff and users

Blogs for our library: http://knowledgeflows.blogspot.com (5ICAHIS conference)

http://uniekevet.blogspot.com (all about our activities)

http://aisebooks.blogspot.com (all about the e-book collections, run by Amelia Breytenbach)

WIKIS : http://vetstrategies.pbwiki.com (for strategic aspects of relevance to our library)

Electronic resources

E-BOOKS COLLECTION

The E-book collection for veterinary and related subject fields was compiled in 2006 enabling our users to peruse electronic books with the click of the mouse.
http://www.ais.up.ac.za/ebooks/collmain.htm
There are now 96 titles in the collection.

Community project

VET BOOKS FOR AFRICA

Through our community project, Vet Books for Africa, run by the Veterinary Science Library, we help to improve the information sources collections of veterinary faculty libraries in other African countries. At the end of November 7 students from our Faculty travelled by road to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique, taking donated books, journals and CDs to their libraries. Most of these donations are sent to us by veterinary practitioners in the USA.

Re-vamping our Web Pages

NEW WEB PAGE FOR VET LIBRARY

Implementation of the new Web page for the Veterinary Science Library -
(http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/index.htm). Antoinette Lourens, our Web Specialist, converted or redesigned 136 web pages with appropriate images highlighting activities at this Library and Faculty. These web pages provide access to all relevant information sources for our clients.

E-BOOKS on Veterinary topics

2006-10-30T15:32:00.000+02:00

E-BOOKS ON VETERINARY AND RELATED TOPICS
Go to :
http://www.ais.up.ac.za/ebooks/submain.htm
and select Veterinary Science from the list

To access the full text of electronic books you need to be a registered user at the Academic Information Service (Library). All students are automatically registered at the beginning of each year.

To access the full text you will be prompted for a username (your surname) and your student/ personnel number

Make use of the "Limit/Sort" function to limit the titles in a search, if necessary. Click on the link on the bibliographic description of the ebook to access the full text on the WWW or local network server. (From the E-books blog)

Look at the E-Book Information Blog compiled by Amelia Breytenbach, for the latest news and developments regarding e-books. (http://aisebooks.blogspot.com/)

You are most welcome to post your comments on this blog.

Some titles available:

-Field manual of wildlife diseases: general field procedures and diseases of birds (1999-)-Historical anatomies on the Web (2003-)-Lumpy skin disease (2002)
-ProVet website to access the following titles:1)Clinical veterinary toxicology2)Canine and feline geriatrics3)Cardiorespiratory diseases of the dog and cat4)Feline and canine infectious diseases5)Equine cardiology

Animal biotechnology science-based concerns (2002)
The art of veterinary practice: a guide to client communication (1995)
Cattle and small ruminant production systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (2002)
Comfortable quarters for laboratory animals (2002)
Critical needs for research in veterinary science (2005)

NEW ADDITIONS TO VET LIBRARY COLLECTION

2006-10-30T15:16:00.000+02:00

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE VETERINARY SCIENCE Information Resources Collection 2005-2006

http://explore.up.ac.za/ftlist

Select VETERINARY SCIENCE from the List to see the new books, videos, DVDs and CDs acquired since June 2005.

To see complete details for an item, click on the title.

DIGITISATION PROJECTS: VETERINARY SCIENCE

2006-10-30T15:10:00.000+02:00

VET’s digital community under the spotlight – ENABLING ACCESS TO HISTORICAL RESEARCH (https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/handle/2263/80)

The Veterinary Science Library participated once again in Faculty Day at Onderstepoort with a hands-on display of one of its growing UPSpace communities, the Theiler Collection.

Ably assisted by Ria Groenewald, the AI digital expert, and Amelia Breytenbach (VET’s digital expert and main force driving the project) we were able to show our clients and visitors what a powerful tool such a digital collection is, enabling access to historical documents including rare photographs of ARNOLD THEILER who founded the Faculty in 1920 and his colleagues and friends and family. Ria made an excellent scanned copy of his own thesis presented at Berne University in Switzerland in 1901 (Die Malaria des Pferdes) and it is included in the Collection for all the world to read. I wish I was there in 1901 to tell him that the future would give him even greater exposure than he had in Pres. Paul Kruger’s time!

Diseases of production animals are of importance worldwide, but Africa has a special abundance of diseases and therefore attracts interest from various research bodies internationally. Human health is inevitably linked to animals, with serious repercussions if diseases are allowed to spread as seen now with Bird Flu. Most of the early research reports on Africa’s animal diseases appear in our local veterinary or animal science journals.

The need to digitise these early works is imperative.

Theiler’s report on Lamsiekte (Parabotulism) in cattle in South Africa, published in 1927, is being studied now by a Research group in Germany – we provided the material which was unobtainable in any library in that country. We are holding thumbs that they will help us with funding to digitise these early publications.

2006 Strategic Plan: VET Library, Academic Information Service

2006-10-27T17:26:00.000+02:00

Our Goals for 2006:
Grouped according to Business Plan of the AIS for 2006:

LEARNING AND E-LEARNING SUPPORT
Circulation desk - motivate once again as ergonomically a disaster
Weeding of collection (e.g.older medical books)
Indicate e-journals on shelves(cards)to highlight growing e-collection
LibQual - keep undergrads informed.Communicate via newsletter, notices, Everyone, Red Eye, etc
Use competitions to teach info literacy
List videos under subjects (List in p-format for browsing)

RESEARCH AND E-RESEARCH SUPPORT
Onderstepoort J Vet Res duplicates return to OVI for storage
Book funds - motivate for additional
VET library committee - send minutes as soon as poss after meetings to ensure effective communication within departments
Kontak Prof Meltzer oor sy Wild-versameling (6000 artikels in kabinette)-Digital community?
Rhino Update (bibliography) Reference Manager?
Ostrich Update (bibliography) InMagic
Vet Tropical Diseases webproduct in support of MSc of Dept VTD
LibQual - keep our users informed! Dewey nos.,e-journals etc
Standards for vet libraries - investigate and apply for benchmarking (Quality management)

E-SERVICE
Apply WIKIS within SU and as communication/instruction aid for users
Implement use of RSS feeds for self and for users
Proceedings edit & publish:5th International Conference Animal Health Information Specialists
Staff development : Metadata, RSS feeds, WIKIs

DIGITAL REPOSITORY
National Veterinary Repository: komitee,werf fondse,samewerkingsooreenkomste
Metadata werkswinkels aanbied - Amelia
Further development of VET communities on UPspace:Theiler,Pastures,Newspaper clippings
Wildlife collection of Prof Meltzer (retired prof.)

2006 Strategic Plan: VET Library, Academic Information Service

2006-10-27T17:17:00.000+02:00

SEE ALSO OUR WIKI: www.vetstrategies.pbwiki.com

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

The NATIONAL VETERINARY REPOSITORY will consist of digitised documents, photos, slides, video clips etc of historical importance. It will serve the veterinary /animal health research community both in South Africa and in other countries.The Project Proposal drawn up by Sanet Haupt of the Department of Telematic Learning and Education Innovation of the University of Pretoria and Amelia Breytenbach and Erica van der Westhuizen of the Academic Information Service, University of Pretoria gives further insight into what the project will mean for the University as well as the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute and the South African Veterinary Association.
The importance of preserving the early research outputs of South African veterinary researchers as well as the data which they used in their research regarding animal diseases of Africa in particular, cannot be over-emphasised!

2005 Annual Report - University of Pretoria VET Library

2006-10-27T16:50:00.000+02:00

Academic Information Service
Annual Report 2005

Service Unit: VETERINARY SCIENCE
Review. 2005’s main activity was the organizing of the 5th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists. The Service Unit hosted the conference at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, 4-7 July 2005. Pre-conference workshops were also organized and run by the SU, from 29 June – 2 July. As part of our conference activities we developed a blog to market and record the conference : www.knowledgeflows.blogspot.com

This conference is mainly for veterinary librarians across the world and usually takes place every 3-4 years. This was the first time it was held in Africa. We managed to obtain funds for 7 colleagues from other African countries to attend it. The CTA (Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation) in The Netherlands gave the funds.

2005 also saw the introduction of our online module in Information Literacy as part of the Research Methodology course presented by the Faculty to their postgraduate students. This is a first in the Academic Information Service being totally electronic with assignments which are marked by the Information Specialists of the SU.

The SU continued with its digitization projects and the Theiler Collection was featured on UPSpace as part of the institutional repository of UP.

The increase in the number of veterinary information sources being published necessitated additional allocation of funds. We spent a total of R330,000 (?) on books and CDs/DVDs. (Journals and e-resources have separate funds)

We initiated a special hands-on Internet training course for 5th year students which proved our most popular training item so far.

Highlights
5th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists. The Service Unit hosted the conference at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, 4-7 July 2005. Pre-conference workshops were also organized and run by the SU, from 29 June – 2 July. The poster session was the largest one ever held at one of these conferences. GROUP PHOTO: 5th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists (ICAHIS).
4-7 July 2005, University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Onderstepoort, South Africa.
Participants of 5 ICAHIS – 4 July 2005

With the theme “Running wild, running free: capturing, harnessing and disseminating knowledge flows in support of animal health” this conference brought information specialists from both developed and developing countries together to share knowledge and expertise in the critical animal health information field.

Theiler Collection on UPSpace (See comments above)

Training: How to search the Internet effectively and evaluate the information you find on the Web (hands-on course for BVSc V students). (See comments above)

Alignment with AI/UP strategic plans
Organising and hosting the conference supported the AI/UP strategic plan to become an internationally recognized leader and role player in the information environment.
It also helped with our networking aim, to communicate and position ourselves and build partnerships, locally and internationally.

Our digitization project, the Theiler Collection, enhanced with metadata developed by Amelia Breytenbach, is aligned with the e-strategy of the AI.
This is a leading e-product, paving the way for similar initiatives elsewhere in the AI and/or South Africa.

Our Internet Training module as well as our online Research Methodology course module is aligned with the AI strategy of becoming a role-player in the virtual information arena, also supporting the e-strategy of the AI and UP.

Challenges

The inadequate bandwidth available to UP clients and staff is a serious hindrance.

Funds for books not sufficient to cover all areas needed by our clients.

Statistics (PLEASE CONSULT GERDA.)

Information Resources (Books, CDs/DVDs) issued: 15,410
E-journals available to UP users:
E-books available :
Database searches done by clients and staff:
Interloans: Requests received from other libraries: 1486
Requests submitted to other libraries: 1416

Collection Management: new orders placed:
No. of items catalogued:

No.of theses catalogued:

Let's KAIZEN in 2006!

2006-01-11T09:20:00.000+02:00

Word of the Day from www.askoxford.com

kaizen

• noun [mass noun] a Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices, personal efficiency, etc.
— origin Japanese, literally ‘improvement’.

Pronunciation available online: www.askoxford.com
Source: Oxford Dictionary of Englishwww.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-861057-2

2005 OVERVIEW Service Unit Veterinary Science, Academic Information Service, University of Pretoria

2005-11-09T17:05:00.000+02:00

MAIN GOAL: organising 5th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists, 4-7 July 2005 . Read all about it at : http://knowledgeflows.blogspot.com

OTHER GOALS:
1. Organising Pre-conference workshops, 29 June-2 July 2005 covering various databases in the animal health field, and software packages to manage reference databases (EndNote and Reference Manager), and How to search the Internet effectively.

2. Fundraising for participants from other countries in Africa to attend the conference. Sponsorship obtained: CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands (R78000) for 7 information specialists from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria.

3. Organising optional post-conference tours: 8 July to Cradle of Humankind and Lion & Rhino Reserve; 9-12 July to Kruger National Park. 24 overseas participants and 4 South Africans

4. Training library users a) in using information resources / organising information resources: Reference Manager(faculty staff and postgraduate students)
b) Searching the Internet effectively and evaluating info found on the Web (final year undergraduate students (BVSc VI)

5. Initiating new Web-based course in Information Literacy as part of the Research Methodology (WebCT) Faculty course for postgraduate students. (Design and implementation). Marks allocated.

6. Issuing e-lists of new accessions via UPexPlore ( http://explore.up.ac.za/ftlist)

7. Compiling e-journal lists on Veterinary Science topics from Tyds@Tuks, for the Web page
(http://www.up.ac.za/asservices/ais/TYDSTUKS/Onderwerpe/Onderwerpvetsc.htm)

8.Marketing the Library's services to the Large Animal Practioners Group and the Equine Practitioners Group at their conference in July 2005, Drakensberg

9. Further marketing : 2 issues of the Library's newsletter Infomania published in paper and e-format. View it at:
http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/infoma13.htm

10. Library staff kept up-to-date and ensured continuing education by attending conferences:
LIASA Gauteng InterLibrary Loans, HICSA Gauteng meetings(2), Gaelic conference, SA Online Conference and 5ICAHIS (our own conference)

11. Library staff (5) presented papers and posters at 5 ICAHIS (3 papers and 1 poster)
(http://www.ais.up.ac.za/vet/icahis/5icahpro.htm)

12. E-books initiated and co-ordinated by one staff member for the AIS (A.Breytenbach)
( http://www.ais.up.ac.za/eBooks/)

13. Veterinary Digital Repository initiated and developed by one staff member (A.Breytenbach) to serve as model for AIS and other faculties. (In cooperation with the Faculty and Dept of TLEI and OVI and SAVA History Committee). Special role of metadata highlighted. Will help with development of the UP Digital Repository.

Improving outputs (of hoe om te oorleef)

2005-04-29T14:43:00.000+02:00

TIP no.1

"I think that I have just remembered something. I have just remembered something that I forgot to do yesterday and shan't be able to do tomorrow. So I suppose I really ought to go back and DO IT NOW". (Winnie the Pooh)

Standards for the academic veterinary medical library

2005-04-20T17:24:00.000+02:00

These are the Standards drawn up by the Standards Committee of the Veterinary Medical Libraries Section of the MLA, USA. (from Journal of the Medical Library Association. 2005 January; 93(1);130-132)

They can serve as guidelines for us.

Standard 1: The library's collection supports the educational, clinical and research programs of the veterinary medical institution. The collection may be the library's principal collection or may be integrated with other complementary collections...

Standard 2: The library's services support the educational, clinical and research programs of the veterinary medical insitution and encourage optimal use of the library's resources

Standard 3: The library's services are directed by a qualified professional librarian. Additional qualified professional and paraprofessional staff are provided to support library services and address user needs.

Standard 4: The library's reporting relationship allows active participation in the institution's planning and resource allocation process. Adequate financial resources are provided to meet the information needs of the individuals the library serves. The library assesses the needs of its users and the quality of its services on an ongoing basis and provides evidence of effectiveness.

Standard 5: Appropriate space is provided for the library's collections, personnel and services and supports the research and study needs of students, faculty and staff

Standard 6: The library participates in cooperative programs with other libraries, consortia, networks, vendors, and agencies to assist it in meeting its goals and addressing user needs.

5 Fokus areas van die AI - 2005

2005-04-04T09:39:00.000+02:00

1. E-inligting strategie
2. Navorsing inligtingsdiens (Navorsers/nagraadse studente)
3. Buitemark (Infonet)
4. Meer met minder = Meermin
5. Leer (leersentrum) - voorgraadse diens

2004 doelwitte nie voltooi nie

2005-04-04T09:12:00.000+02:00

Miskien moet die volgende doelwitte van 2004 na 2005 oorgedra word?

VIDEOversameling : nagaan vir verouderde/beskadigde items - afskryf

: onderwerpshoofde toeken

Doelwitte vir VET 2005

2005-04-02T14:08:00.000+02:00

Service Unit: Veterinary Science, Academic Information Service

GOALS 2005

Organising international conference (5 ICAHIS)

including a)Publishing proceedings (August/September)
b) Publishing programme book by 27 June

Fund raising for African participants 5 ICAHIS

Digitisation project: National Veterinary Repository (with TLEI)

Presenting papers and poster at 5 ICAHIS - 5 staff members

Installation new circulation desk/enquiries counter

Attending courses for CPD (Workshops at 5 ICAHIS) 29/06-2/07) ; Internat. IL(OCLC)

Attending conferences: Gaelic 9-10 May, SA Online (24-26 June), 5ICAHIS 4-7 July

Attending National Meetings: Gauteng IL 14 April, HICSA Gauteng 21 April

Designing and implementing WebCT course on Information Lit. for Res Meth PG course

Project Plan for "Vetinfo for Africa"

Issuing e-lists of New Accessions via UPexPlore

Compiling e-journal lists of journals relevant to Veterinary Science from Tyds@Tuks

Expanding collaborative initiatives with OVI library

ENIG IETS UITGELAAT? Laat my weet asb. Dankie, Erica

Oulike missie (elders gesien!)

2005-04-02T14:00:00.000+02:00

Our CUSTOMERS are king
Without them our whole existence is meaningless

Our SERVICE will be the benchmark of the industry

Our TECHNOLOGY will lead us

Our ATTITUDE will be noticed by customers and envied by our competitiors (!)

Our PRODUCTS will be a part of a range that compliments each other.
They will be of the highest quality and offer the most value for money on the market

Our RESOURCES will be used efficiently and effectively to ensure that they are aligned to the needs and goals of the institution (UP)