The extension and renovation of the Education Library (C6c) will start in January 2022. Site handover will take place on 11 January and the estimated time of completion is July 2022.
The current Education library will be renovated and a double-storey extension will be added to the front of the library. The ground floor will host a copy shop and the new EduLab, with connected working space for 104 students. Six group study rooms will be equipped with the latest technology. Modern wimpy-like benches will be installed and throughout the area will be ample power plugs for laptops and other mobile devices. The first floor will host computer workstations and individual study cubicles.
Proposed front view of the library:
Provision will be made for collaboration, discovery and social interaction. Visit the library renovation page for more information https://library.nwu.ac.za/renovations
During the construction, the Education library staff will work from the Ferdinand Postma Library. A selection of Education books and the study collection will also be relocated to the Ferdinand Postma Library.
We look forward to the establishment of innovative spaces for Education users!
The LIS celebrated the official opening of the new spaces at the library on Mahikeng Campus during a virtual event on 4 March 2021.
Mr Tiyani Mabunda, Director Open Scholarship provided an overview of the project and mentioned that after the opening of the Research Commons for postgraduate students in December 2017, attention was given to the critical needs of undergraduate students on this campus. The planning process started in 2018 to establish a Teaching and Learning Commons in the library that would add value to undergraduate teaching and learning.
Mr Tiyani Mabunda
After an extensive planning process with Facilities, it was decided that the entire lower ground floor would be repurposed and developed into an inviting Teaching and Learning Commons, focused on the needs of undergraduates. There are 119 computer workstations in the Commons, with five IT equipped rooms for collaboration, a hands-on training facility and room for a Technology Commons. This facility will be equipped by CTL and will be operational in June.
Attention was also given to the establishment of a Law Library on the 1st floor. The 24hr area, now linked to the T&L Commons was refurbished and has 178 seating spaces with four rooms for collaboration. The Information Resources section was renovated and two staff offices were added.
The new Teaching and Learning Commons
Left: 24hr study area, Right: Law Library
In her address, Ms Amo Mohajane, Curator of the NWU Art gallery mentioned that art works from Alumni Fine Art students from Mahikeng were discovered on the campus in 2019. With the assistance of Prof Balfour and other stakeholders like the LIS, the art works were framed and a great number of them found their way to the new library spaces. She confirmed the necessity of collaboration.
In a message from the Mahikeng campus student community, Mr Thabang Tlale (SCC Chairperson) and Lele Dlamini (SCC Academic Affairs Officer) expressed their excitement about the new spaces, and mentioned that the 24hr study area especially provides in a great need amongst students.
The LIS is grateful that Prof Marilyn Setlalentoa, DVC: Community Engagement and Mahikeng Campus Operations could attend the event. In her address, Prof Marilyn confirmed that it is the intention of the NWU to prepare its students for life and the world of work. NWU students have diverse social, cultural and educational backgrounds, and the University acknowledges its responsibility to provide students with an enabling teaching and learning environment. Especially the students of Mahikeng Campus have very specific needs, and the new Teaching and Learning Commons can indeed be seen as an enabling learning environment to provide in these needs.
Prof Marilyn Setlalentoa
Dr Mathew Moyo, Chief Director Library and Information Services mentioned that the project posed some challenges, with the nationwide lockdown starting just a few weeks before completion of the project. He feels grateful that, with the opening of the new Teaching and Learning Commons on Mahikeng campus, the LIS now has completed a full circle, having similar facilities on the Vanderbijlpark and Potchefstroom Campuses.
Dr Mathew Moyo
Dr Moyo gave recognition to Prof Robert Balfour, DVC Teaching and Learning for his unwavering support and financial assistance. He also mentioned the team from Facilities, with special mentioning of the Construction Coordinator, Mr Fanie Fourie for his dedication to the project. He acknowledged the hard work done by LIS staff involved in the project, and thanked the Mahikeng LIS staff for their patience and sacrifices during the project.
After the official ceremony, Prof Marilyn cut the ribbon to mark the official opening of the new spaces.
As with most other matters, the LIS infrastructure projects were hugely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The renovation at Mafikeng Library was almost completed when construction came to a halt end of March. It seems however that construction will resume any day now. After project completion, the library will boast with a renovated Law Library and 24hr study area, as well as a brand new Information Commons for undergraduate students. We are looking forward to the completion of this project!
The planning process to extend and renovate the Education Library (Potchefstroom) gained momentum. The architectural plans have been approved and the intended start of the project will be in the last quarter of 2020.
The spaces of the current Education Library will be repurposed and the EduLab space will be converted into a quiet study area. Additional workspaces and power plugs will be added throughout the library.
A double-story extension will be added to the front of the library.
Ground floor:
The ground floor will host a copy shop and also the new EduLab, with a collaborative and connected working space for 104 students.
Modern ‘Wimpy-like” benches will be installed and throughout the area will be ample plugs for laptops and other devices.
Six group study rooms will be equipped with LED screens, whiteboards and power points on the tables.
First floor:
The first floor will have at least 54 computer workstations and 17 individual study cubicles, also equipped with power points.
A lift will be installed for users with disabilities.
The refurbishment at Mafikeng Library has officially started with the site handover on 12 September. During the first phase a Law Library will be established on the first floor. All the Law books in the Lower Ground floor will be relocated to the 1st floor, to make room for the Information Commons. Construction has started and also in the Law Library, we can look forward to additional computer workstations and 3 seminar rooms equipped with LED screens.
Please follow the progress of the refurbishment project at http://library.nwu.ac.za/renovations, – page down for the pictures. A big thank you to Manare and her team for their hard work up till now, and to Benford who is supplying us with the latest pictures.
The NWU LIS celebrated the completion of a 6-year renovation project of the Ferdinand Postma Library and launched a book about the history of the library recently.
During an event on 14 June 2018 in the Ferdinand Postma Library, Ms Neli Kaunda, LIS Director Shared Services, gave an overview of the refurbishment period. She paid tribute to the LIS staff for their hard work and also conveyed gratitude to PIP for their role and support during this process.
The renovation process started in 2011 under the visionary direction of Dr Tom Larney – previous Director Library Services, Potchefstroom. The 67-year-old building needed a makeover and spaces had to be repurposed according to current user needs. After a long period of consultation, planning and going through a budgetary process, the construction started on 2012. In the years to follow, a research and an honours commons were established in 2014 as dedicated spaces to meet the needs of postgraduates and researchers. In 2015 the groundfloor received a face-lift, accompanied by an information commons to cater for the needs of undergraduates. The 2nd floor was renovated in 2017, adding a quiet study area with 232 extra seats and the 1st floor has just been completed. The role of the library in the research, teaching and learning environment was emphasized by Dr Mathew Moyo, Chief Director Library and Information Service, and valued by Dr Franciska Bothma, Executive Advisor to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning.
Book launch
A book about the history of the library: Ferdinand Postma Library: Keys to the past, gateway to the future, was also launched. In this book, Dr Tom Larney documented the library’s history from 1869 – 2018. Prof Fika J van Rensburg (DVC Potchefstroom Campus) mentioned in the foreword of the book: “For many years the Ferdinand Postma Library was, and will be for many years to come, a memorable landmark on the campus, symbolising hard word, long hours, learning research and ultimately success. With its architecture (as the first modern, post-war building of the University), it is still today an important beacon and showpiece of growth and academic development of the University. It has positioned itself excellently to not only contribute to the information era, but to pioneer library and information services.”
The book is available as e-book on Boloka, the NWU Institutional Repository in Afrikaans and English.
Attending the event are Ms Elsa Esterhuizen (former LIS Director Potchefstroom), Dr Mathew Moyo (Chief Director Library and Information Service), Dr Tom Larney (former LIS Director Potchefstroom), Ms Neli Kaunda (LIS Director Shared Services) and Dr Franciska Bothma (Executive Advisor to the DVC for Teaching and Learning).
The project is progressing according to plan. We apologise for the noise in the library! We have liaised with the contractors to do the “noisy work” immediately at the start of the project and not during the final exams in October/November. Therefore bear with us please.
Progress report:
Book shelves were covered with PVC sheeting
Cables of electrical, data, telephone, fire and other equipment were removed
The large journal counter was dismantled
90% of the dry walls were removed
Old carpets and vinyl flooring were removed
Wall tiles of 3 bathrooms on the second floor were removed – this created the loud and continuous banging noise… they will start with the floor tiles today (15/9)
This serves as a notice to all library users that some sections of the library floors will be closed during the forthcoming refurbishment work which will commence on 25 August 2016. The work will be performed in two phases as follows:
Phase one: Refurbishment of the North Wing of the Ground floor and the 1st floor;
Phase two: Construction of the Research Commons for Honours, Masters and Doctoral students, and the Refurbishment of the South Wing of the 1st floor.
The first phase is envisaged to end at the end of September 2016, while the refurbishment of the South Wing of the 1st floor shall end at the end of October 2016. The construction of the Research Commons will end around the end of April 2017.
We appeal to all users to bear with us during the said period of the refurbishment of the Library and the construction of the Research Commons. We are every effort to ensure that disruption to normal service is minimal.
The lower ground floor, which includes the law library and the 24 hour study centre, is not part of the refurbishment project, and will therefore be available for normal use, in addition to the study venues available in faculties. We also encourage staff and students to borrow required books few days before the onset of the project in order to avoid unnecessary inconveniences.
A book about the history of the library: 
NWU: Library and Information Service News 