In future, the library might also offer topics that recognise the importance of digital literacies for information literacy, thereby acknowledging that 21st Century students are also producers of information.  Topics would include evaluating, capturing, organising and retrieving information; presenting information; working with images; and mobile apps for life.  The growing interest in undergraduate research also indicates that the library could be working more closely with other academic developers on campus, such as Teaching and Learning Specialists and the Writing Centre.  

3.1.8 Teaching Library and Information Science courses

Mrs Shehaamah Mohamed, Snr Librarian: Information Literacy, lectured part-time students in the Department of Library & Information Science (LIS). She taught two modules, ICTS and Libraries and Information Literacy Education to the PG Diploma class.  This experience enabled her to explore current educational technologies as well as various forms of assessment for the Framework.  This experience further equips her for her engagements with the faculty librarians.

3.2 Postgraduates

3.2.1 Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

UWC Theses represent unique local knowledge outputs and are managed and preserved within the electronic theses and dissertations archive.  The ETD Submission portal provides PG students and supervisors a convenient online reviewing tool to ensure that correct versions of theses are handed to the University prior to graduation.  The paperless system is now deeply institutionalised.  Unfortunately, the server on which the portal is hosted ran out of space in the lead up to the December graduation requiring a workaround email process.  The problem has been addressed.  A total of 42 doctoral dissertations and 188 masters theses were added to the ETD archive in 2017.

3.3 Academic staff

3.3.1 UWC Research Repository

Quarterly reports on the growth of the Repository were presented to the Senate Library Committee showing the breakdown of faculty contributions and the dominant role of the library in this project.  Overall, there was a growth of 38.5% growth through the addition of 656 articles.  The low level of faculty engagement with the repository is persistent.  Library literature indicates that this problem is experienced worldwide.  Additional efforts could be made to engage departments, though requests made by the Snr Librarian: Digital Scholarship Services to be given a spot at meetings are generally not acceded to.   He reports that good results usually follow informal, unplanned discussions with individuals whom he meets in the course of campus research engagements. The UWC Open Access policy makes provision for review after three years and this will be pursued in 2018.  It is worth noting that the digital scholarship portfolio has only one full-time staff member who works with several staff who are regularly pulled away to tend to other responsibilities.
Article Uploads by Faculty
Open Access Publications
Subscription Publications
Total Uploaded
ART
34
71
105
CHS
186
58
244
DNT
25
9
34
EDU
2
3
5
EMS
20
22
42
LAW
8
26
34
NSC
119
52
171
Total
394
241
635
GROWTH OF THE RESEARCH REPOSITORY IN 2017

3.3.2 Open Access Week

“Behind the Scenes: the editor’s experience” A lunchtime panel facilitated by the library took place in the Library Auditorium on 25 October.  Six editors of journals associated with UWC shared their experiences by describing the successes, challenges of publishing journals and their ideas on the future of journal publishing.  The purpose of the event was to highlight the editorial leadership played by academics in the publishing environment and to encourage networking amongst editors at UWC.  Challenges concerning training for editors and reviewers were expressed. One practical outcome was the creation of an online #Slack workspace named UWCPressClub which is designed to share knowledge and experiences within the academic publishing environment.  The library also took the opportunity to promote its journal hosting services.  Among the audience was the Director of the Institute for Post School Studies.  Prof Joy Paper has since invited the library to take on the hosting of a new, DHET funded journal, Journal of Vocational, Adult and Continuing Education and Training (JOVACET), see also 3.3.4 below.