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we were able to show our clients and visitors what a powerful tool such a digital collection is, enabling access to historical documents including rare photographs of ARNOLD THEILER, founder of the Faculty in 1920, and of his colleagues, friends and family.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.
