South African Library Week 2024

South African Library Week: Beyond the prizes, the true treasure lies in the knowledge gained and the memories created during this unforgettable experience

South African Library Week serves as an annual celebration, wherein libraries across the country commemorate their profound impact on local communities. In 2024, the theme, “Libraries Fostering Social Cohesion” resonates deeply, highlighting the pivotal role libraries play in bringing communities together and fostering unity.

On the 19th of March 2024, the NWU libraries across three campuses in collaboration with the MTN Group hosted a hub of exciting activities as students embarked on an extraordinary quest in celebration of Library Week 2024. As part of the week-long celebration, the libraries hosted an Easter egg hunt event, where the students had an opportunity to hunt for hidden chocolate treasures within various library spaces, furthermore, an Information Literacy Hunt event was organised, with the primary purpose of equipping students with skills for lifelong learning, through a series of clues designed to facilitate the retrieval of information and library resources stationed in different locations within the library spaces, and engaged students in a thrilling pursuit of knowledge, tasks, and, of course, enticing prizes.

The success of the Library Week information literacy hunt was further supported by the active involvement of staff members from various library entities (Information and Learning Services, Research and Open Scholarship, and Shared Services), and the presence of our beloved campus mascot, “HeY Eagi,” who added an extra layer of excitement and good fellowship to the proceedings. These dedicated staff members played a pivotal role in facilitating the event by providing clues to participating students and guiding them through the various stages of the competition. Their enthusiastic participation not only added to the excitement of the event but also promoted collaboration within the library community.

The tasks and challenges that were incorporated within the information literacy hunt, were carefully curated to encompass a diverse range of information literacy skills, including information seeking and retrieval and information use to get to the next clue. The incorporation of real-world scenarios and practical applications ensured that participants gained valuable insight on how to use the library catalogue, how to locate the books on the shelves and how and where to check out the books.

Furthermore, the celebrations for the week were enhanced through outreach activities, where both Mahikeng and Vanderbijlpark Campus libraries reached out to their communities to share their expertise and donated books.

Mahikeng Campus staff members advocated for libraries through a presentation at Library 600 at Ramatlabama Village in partnership with North-West Library, Information and Archives Services. Amongst the various stakeholders who shared their experiences of how libraries have contributed to their empowerment were local authors, pupils from local schools, Dr Lefenya Motshegare (Director of Community Services), UNISA Library, and the Ward Councillor. Furthermore, two colleagues, Ms Maphefo Maake and Mr Kgasane Seemela gave two radio interviews at NWU FM and Mahikeng FM as part of celebrating South African Library Week.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the dedicated NWU LIS staff members whose unwavering commitment and enthusiastic participation made each Library Week event a resounding success. Your passion for serving our community shines brightly, and we deeply appreciate your invaluable contributions.

Blog contributors: Miss Xolile Vilakazi, Lindi Mahlangu, Tshimbiluni Mamedzi, Kgashane Seemela & Maphefo Maake.