A gripping narrative of Anthropology in practice

 

By Jillian Viljoen

Anthropology is a fascinating subject. The idea that you can understand past civilizations by examining bones that are fossilized and have been buried for many years is amazing. You can even gauge physical characteristics from a single bone. Unearthing mass graves is long and hard work but anthropologists all over the world have discovered so many links to ancient worlds that we have never even thought or heard of.

One particular book written by an anthropologist was a captivating read. “The bone woman: among the dead in Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo” is a candid and riveting narrative by Clea Koff on her experiences as a forensic anthropologist working to get justice for the many people who fell prey to genocide by dictators in war-torn countries like Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. She journeyed to each of these countries, on behalf of the United Nations, with a team of forensic anthropologists to excavate various sites where millions of skeletons were discovered and the painstaking process took place to reassemble the jumbled bones and to reunite these senselessly murdered individuals with their families. 

The way these individuals were murdered, their ages, gender, and clothing that were found, were all investigated and these reports were given to the United Nations where international committees deliberated and prosecuted dictators based on the evidence found. Every life is precious and deserves justice. 

Clea’s candor is refreshing as she takes you on a journey of her life from her decision to become a forensic anthropologist, to being approached by the United Nations to assist in their quest to investigate genocides, to the digs and findings, and the results of her efforts. She graphically explains the perils that she faced on digs. She bravely faced imminent danger daily because she was driven by her passion for truth and justice. For her, being an anthropologist was not just a job but a labour of love. 

With every experience that Clea relates, you feel like you are right there with her, cheering her on to keep going, to never give up. You rejoice in the highs and share her concerns in the lows. The roller coaster of her experiences and the satisfaction of helping to serve justice for the ones who cannot speak for themselves clearly showcases anthropology as a valuable career in the humanitarian field. 

If you have ever wondered what the value of anthropology is in the modern world, this book is definitely worth the read. Being a factual book makes it more relatable. Clea has a wonderful way of engaging the reader on every page, and at the end, you truly see her as a hero and champion in her career.

Librarians love the library … and so should you

 

By Jillian Viljoen

Traditionally, 14 February is Valentine’s Day; a day when people show their love or affection for their significant other. Red and white are the colours of the day and red roses are sent to loved ones, reminding them that someone loves them and is thinking of them on this special day. Hearts are seen in stores and heart-shaped balloons are popular gifts, apart from chocolates and other items.

Librarians show love for their library because the library has many special attributes that benefit the University community.

Information comes in many forms. Find them all in your university library. Books, journals, dictionaries, online newspapers and magazines, electronic information, DVD’s, CD’s, maps, atlases, encyclopedias, microforms … and library staff! 

The library’s webpage is your gateway to many resources. The catalogue and databases have a wealth of information to assist you with your assignments and research. Library staff are available to assist with queries. 

Your academic journey is not easy but there are resources and staff to assist you to reach your academic goals. Use these resources and you will definitely notice the benefits. 

Charles William Eliot was quoted as saying, “The library is the heart of the university”. This quote inspires librarians to provide an efficient and effective service to the University community because you matter. 

When celebrating Valentine’s Day, don’t forget to love your library because your library is there to help you every step of the way. Visit the library and find out how.

The pursuit of truth

 

                                                                      By Jillian Viljoen

What is truth? Who decides what truth is? Where do we find truth? These questions are a constant in our daily lives. We encounter situations where we search for truth to guide our opinions or decisions.

 

In ancient Egypt, a goddess named Maat was believed to represent truth, justice, balance, and order.
The Egyptians were expected to follow the ethical and moral principles which Maat represented. It was believed that in death, your heart would be weighed against the ostrich feather that was on Maat’s head. If your heart was lighter than or equal in weight to the feather, then you were a good person and would go on to a better place in the afterlife. The heart was considered to be the equivalent of the soul. Each new Egyptian king was expected to rule according to the principles of Maat to maintain harmony and balance in their kingdom.

 

In academia, research is based on truth. Any assignment, essay, article, thesis, or dissertation that is submitted is based on facts that are sourced from various resources. Research is published daily, throughout the world, by researchers who have collected data that is tested and analysed to conclude whether or not the final results verify or refute the topic of the research. The results of this research are used in various sectors of our lives. For example, research on particular soil types will assist in deciding whether or not the underlying soil will be stable enough to build houses or shopping centres. Research on a particular plant will indicate whether or not it would be harmful to certain types of insects or animals, or would affect the water quality in a particular area.

 

Unlike subscribing to the principles of Maat, academic truth is based on referring to other researchers’ research to substantiate our research. The library provides various online resources to assist you with your research:

·       Where do you access the resources? You can search on the iCatalogue, which is the library’s catalogue where you can view the holdings of all the UKZN libraries. You can also access information on the online databases that the library subscribes to where articles by various researchers can be viewed and downloaded. You can also refer to older theses that have been submitted by UKZN students on ResearchSpace, which is the online repository of theses and dissertations.

·       Who will assist you in learning the skills to use these resources? The subject librarians provide library training sessions and can be contacted via email, telephone, or in their offices. There are also scheduled library training sessions throughout the year which are posted on the library’s home page and the University Notices.

 

The pursuit of truth in academia is not based on a belief or idea that cannot or has not been proven because other researchers will also refer to your research for their studies and your results will guide their studies. If your research is based on proven facts, other researchers can add to or expand on your research and apply it to other scenarios.

 

Can you see how important your research is, not only at UKZN but to the whole world? You could be the next Albert Einstein (physicist), Isaac Newton (mathematician), or Sigmund Freud (psychologist).

 

The pursuit of truth is possible using library resources. Make use of these valuable resources to add quality to your research. They are always available for your use.

 

References:

Britannica. (2023, February 2028). Maat: Egyptian goddess. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maat-Egyptian-goddess [Accessed on 16-07-2024].

 

Mark, J. J. (2016, September 2016). Ma’at. World History Encyclopedia https://www.worldhistory.org/Ma'at/ [Accessed on 16-07-2024].

South African Library Week 2024

By Jillian Viljoen

The UKZN PMB Main Library hosted South African Library Week with lively festivities from 18-24 March. The theme of the week was ‘Libraries foster social cohesion’. There were song competitions throughout each day with many prizes being handed out. A snippet of a popular song was played over the intercom and the first student to identify the song and singer got a prize. This created a lot of excitement and interest in the program and the library as a whole. Some students said that they had no idea that they could have fun in the library. There was also a range of guest speakers from various departments on campus. Some students mentioned that they learned a lot from the guest speakers and enjoyed engaging in the talks. All participants conveyed their appreciation for being included in the program and for the library being used to highlight the services of various campus departments. Freebies were handed out to attendees at the talks, which were a hit with the students.

 

The winners of our song competitions:

To add to the celebrations, we had a dance competition where 6 students participated enthusiastically. It was very exciting.

The winners of the dance competition, with Dr Nonhlanhla Ngcobo in the middle:

The various guest speakers discussed the services which they provide and they included the theme of South African Library Week “Libraries Foster Social Cohesion”.

The guest speakers:

Some of the attendees at the talks:

Many entries were received for the competition on the library resources, based on the online training sessions offered between 4-16 March. With so many correct entries, it was a pity that there could be only 5 winners.

Four of the winners of the library resources competition:

The fifth winner was Ms Aamina Danka.

The library is a source of information for assignments and research but it is also a place where we can engage in discussions on various topics. South African Library Week was a platform for social engagement in the library and we had loads of fun in the process. Have a look at the pics and judge for yourself. Hope you will join us next year for another exciting program.

Inspiring creativity in the library

By Jillian Viljoen

Libraries are usually viewed as buildings where books and journals are housed; where noise is taboo and speaking is done in low tones … a rather boring place. But did you know that libraries are places of learning where creativity can be encouraged and nurtured?

 

The UKZN PMB Main Library hosted 2 creative writing sessions on 22 and 29 September, in the spirit of Heritage month. We all have varied experiences, thoughts and views which we could share and what better way to do it than through creative writing.

 

Both sessions were facilitated by Brett Dix from the English Department. Brett’s passion was infectious as he focused on poetry and how the creative processes are born and explored. He explained the intricacies, various styles and skills to produce a publishable poem and encouraged abstract creative thought. During both sessions, we were given 10 minutes to write a poem related to the focus of each session. In the first session the poem was on any animal and in the second, the poem focused on an experience which we cherished. Brett encouraged us to read and use the books available to us in the library for research for our poems and for inspiration. Both sessions were thought-provoking and insightful.

 

Sqedile and Nox from the UKZN Press attended the session on 29 September. They explained the services that the UKZN Press provides and their respective roles at the UKZN Press. They also encouraged everyone to continue with their creative writing endeavours and to visit the UKZN Press.

 

The Library served as a venue to inspire creative writing and to market the UKZN Press; not so boring after all.

 

We look forward to other initiatives and activities in the library space. This initiative was just the tip of the iceberg.

Our budding poets and authors

                                                         

South African Library Week at the UKZN Pmb Library, 2023

 

                                                                             

By Jillian Viljoen

In collaboration with the Pmb subject librarians.

All photos taken by Renee Damonse. Thanks Renee!

South African Library Week (SALW) is celebrated every year in March. It highlights the valuable role of libraries, librarians and all library staff in communities. Libraries can have a life changing effect on individuals in various ways. The theme of SALW this year was “Libraries: telling powerful stories”.

Professor Ruth Hoskins receiving her gift

When you think of a story, what comes to mind? An imaginary tale? A recounting of an event involving certain individuals? Listening to a senior family member reminisce about past events? Stories can be powerful tools to teach life lessons or to emphasise or highlight pertinent points.

 At the Pmb Library, Professor Ruth Hoskins, the Dean of Teaching and Learning in the College of Humanities, expanded on the theme by explaining the history of the UKZN Pmb Library and the value of all library resources. She gave a brief account of her studies towards becoming a librarian and how that experience became a foundation for future career choices. An interesting and inspiring account of events.

                                                        

Dr Nonhlanhla Ngcobo with the students. 

Can you identify Dr Nonhlanhla Ngcobo in the crowd? 

She looks like one of the students.

Dr Nonhlanhla Ngcobo, the Director of Library Services, engaged the students on the history of libraries and encouraged them to provide their views on the challenges of libraries over the years, the way the digital age has changed the way libraries provided a service and the role of libraries on the whole. The feedback was phenomenal. The students displayed a genuine understanding of the role of libraries and there were positive reviews on the staff and aesthetics inside the buildings. Thanks to the staff for flying a positive flag high for the library. Your efforts have paid off and are being noticed. 

               

Professor Mbongeni Malaba, from the School of Arts, provided an enlightening background on the establishment of the Centre for African Literary Studies (CALS) on the Pmb campus, as he was the curator at the centre for eighteen months. This centre has a valuable collection of literature of African authors. This continent has a wealth of literature

In the centre:
Professor Mbongeni Malaba
and Mr Wiseman Masango

and authors and these rare and unique collections have been sourced by Professor Bernth Lindfors, resulting in the establishment of CALS.  Professor Lindfors is a professor emeritus of English and African literatures. He is the author of a number of books on African literature and folklore. He still sends boxes of books and manuscripts which he discovers to CALS for documenting. Mr Wiseman Masango is the custodian of this special collection and he highlighted some of the popular authors. He mentioned that many researchers from the United States and other countries visited the centre to study the collections which are in many languages. That centre certainly is a gem at UKZN.      

L-R: Ms Sqedile Mbambo and Ms Noxolo Mthethwa 

Ms Sqedile Mbambo and Ms Noxolo Mthethwa highlighted the history and varied collections of books which the UKZN Press publishes. They include different subjects and range from poetry to novels, to children’s stories, to factual content. What a variety of publications by this small publishing house. Dynamite really does come in small packages. Of interest to the postgraduate students was the option of publishing their completed PhD theses as books. The criteria and processes was explained to them and their questions indicated that this option was a welcome alternative for future consideration.    

   

L-R: Ms Edista Ngubane and Ms Slindokuhle Ndlovu

Ms Mariam Jassat from the Humanities Student Counselling Support Services, and Ms Edista Ngubane

and Ms Slindokuhle Ndlovu from the Humanities Career Development Office, reminded students that they are not alone on this academic journey. If they have any academic, personal or psychological challenges, help is available. The Student Counselling Support Services are free and qualified psychologists are on hand to guide you through each challenge. We all need a helping hand once in a while. There are Career Development Offices in each College. They provide assistance with creating CV’s, writing covering letters, job interviews, deciding on a career, assisting you to get part-time and full time employment and so much more. The staff are there to help you achieve your career goals. What a wonderful service!

    L-R: Mr Dhirshan Gobind
and Mr Sphamandla Gwamanda

Mr Sphamandla Gwamanda and Mr Dhirshan Gobind, from the Disability Support Unit, outlined their services for students with various disabilities. They also explained the processes involved with assisting visually impaired students to get access to information in a format which they can read. They have various assistive devices like wheelchairs, etc. For students to get assistance from the Disability Support Unit, they need to indicate the disability which they have and what assistance they require. Some students may not want to disclose their disabilities but there is always the risk of the disabilities hindering their progress or they may not be adequately accommodated in lectures, pracs, tests and exams, especially if they require extra time to complete tasks due to their disabilities. Use this free assistance because it’s specifically designed for you.

                                                      

On either side of the poster:
Mr Golide Ndlela and his colleague.

Mr Golide Ndlela from SANCA (South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence) gave an impactful account of how the abuse of alcohol and drugs has a detrimental effect on the organs in your body,

especially your brain functions. His visual aids clearly portrayed the organ damage which we are not aware of when we look at ourselves on the outside. His detailed explanation of the degeneration and the fact that the damage cannot be reversed or repaired in most instances was alarming. This talk was eye opening but also sad because we all either have loved ones or know people with substance abuse challenges and the reality of the serious health risks were driven home. Food for thought.

Asathi receiving his gift from a student 

Asathi, from the Golden Key Society, was a last-minute addition to the programme. He had requested the opportunity to set up a table in the library to speak to students about the Society after seeing the South African Library Week programme of speakers advertised on the University Notices. He was given an opportunity to address the students formally, like the other speakers, and his session was well attended. Students were delighted to hear about the benefits of being chosen to be part of this international society and were impressed by the charity work that they engaged in. Asathi clearly enjoyed what he did and his enthusiasm was infectious. There certainly was a lot of excitement after his talk.

               

Photos taken in the Research Commons

Attendees at the talks

             

On the left:
One of the competition winners.

Pens were given to all attendees at each talk. Needless to say, there were many familiar faces by the end of the week. Guess how many pens they collected. There was a competition based on the library training sessions. There were 5 lucky prize winners. With so many entries with correct answers, it was disappointing that it had to be narrowed down to 5. Everyone was a winner because they learnt something new.

 

The interactions and discussions during the talks were lively and cordial. Students were free to express their opinions, views and to ask questions. How often are students encouraged to have high-spirited discussions in the library? This was one time when they weren’t shushed and they made the most of it.

What an amazing diversity of speakers and interesting discussions! The library was a platform to highlight various stories. Student engagement was fruitful. All in all, it was a wonderful celebration of South African Library Week amidst the online library training sessions. Talk about multi-tasking.

#SpringDay2022InTheUKZNPmbLibrary

 

By Jillian Viljoen

In collaboration with the UKZN Pmb library colleagues

1 September is traditionally known as Spring Day. The day that replaces our winter blues and fills us with hope and expectation of warmer days and a brighter tomorrow. Sounds very promising and inspirational, doesn’t it?

 The UKZN Pmb libraries embarked on a Spring Day initiative which celebrated the day and highlighted the library resources.

 There were 2 competitions; 1 on the blogs and 1 on using the library resources. There were 5 prizes altogether. There were so many correct entries that selecting 5 winners was a bit of a challenge.

 A display was created and students were encouraged to take selfies with the hashtag in this blog’s title.

 Spring Day display

Students taking selfies

                                                                                                               

Dr Siyanda Kheswa, from the Information Studies Department, presented a talk on the importance of libraries and library resources. Attendees at the talk got freebies which they were excited about. The prizes for the competitions were presented to the students by Siyanda after his talk.

The library staff also had fun celebrating Spring Day by having competitions and taking lots of selfies. Guess who was the most excited about Spring Day? It’s kind of hard to tell, right?

 Main Library

Life Sciences Library

Law Library

                                                                         

Our library staff competition winners. Aren’t you glad you joined in the fun!

                

The staff also had a tea which was really yummy. Doesn’t the colour scheme look festive? Don’t you wish you were here?

Spring is sometimes viewed as a new beginning or a cleansing or refreshing. Let’s hold on to happy thoughts and be thankful for blessings and positive experiences. Most of all, let’s have fun on Spring day, and every day, and make it memorable. Hope your Spring Day was as much fun as ours. The best is yet to come!

Your academic archaeological footprints within library resources

 

By Jillian Viljoen

The Oxford English Dictionary defines archaeology as the “study of ancient cultures, esp. By the excavation and analysis of physical remains.” This concept can be metaphorically applied to your academic life. I bet you’re wondering if I misunderstood the definition as we do not fall into the category of ancient cultures which are usually extinct.

Here’s the correlation. When you travel your academic journey, you leave footprints which can be discovered by anyone who endeavours to investigate your academic life, long after you have exited the institution. These footprints can be discovered through the library resources. The library is an invaluable resource for searching for information from undergraduate to postgraduate level.

When you register at the institution, you get a student number and that student number is your username. When you login via the off-campus access, your student number is recognised and you are granted access to the library resources. When you request a book via My Library Account, your student number grants you access. The library books that you borrow are issued on your student card, attaching the record of those books to your student number. When you return books at the library, you receive a confirmation email to your student email account. Every time you enter and exit the library, you tap your student card at the turnstile and you are granted access.

At postgraduate level, when you submit your completed thesis or dissertation, that document is submitted on ResearchSpace where it is accessible worldwide. When you publish articles in journals, those articles are accessible via the databases which the library subscribes to.

Every step that you make academically can be traced via the library resources long after you have left, either by your student number or your name. When your academic journey has run its course, what will be discovered about you? What will the excavation uncover? A student who regularly used the library resources? A Masters and PhD thesis or dissertation on interesting research topics? Or perhaps a well published researcher with a high h-index?

When your academic journey is over, you may be gone but not forgotten. Your academic footprints will remain and will be discovered by future generations of aspiring researchers. You could be an inspiration to students and researchers locally and internationally without being aware of the impact you have made.

Did you know that library resources could be so interesting? Go ahead and try to discover the academic footprints of your lecturer or supervisor. You might be surprised by what you find.

The jigsaw puzzle of research … demystified

 

By Jillian Viljoen

Have you ever tried completing a jigsaw puzzle of 1000 pieces? When I opened the box of my first 1000 piece puzzle, I looked at the beautiful countryside scenery image on the box, then stared at the many tiny puzzle pieces, and thought “What were you thinking?” It was a daunting reality that I had to now make sense of the disorder of pieces to create the end result on the box.

 As with any jigsaw puzzle, you usually sort the pieces with straight edges into one pile, and create the frame, and then you put pieces with similar colouring together and add those in the frame to complete the picture. But how do we know to use that method to get the end result? We were probably shown by someone when we did our very first jigsaw puzzle, right?

 

Sometimes, conducting research is like a jigsaw puzzle. We have the final picture which is what we hope to achieve based on the topic, research questions and objectives. But we need to fill in the blanks and add substance to the research by finding information to substantiate or expand on the topic, apart from the data collection and analysis. That is where the library comes in.

 The library has many online and print resources which include print and ebooks which can be found via the library’s catalogue and electronic articles which are found on the databases which the library subscribes to. The information that you require for your particular topic is contained within all the resources at your disposal. You need the skills to identify and extract that particular information. Learning how to access and effectively use these resources for information searches can either be done by using the step-by-step guides on the library training LibGuide or by contacting a subject librarian for assistance. The subject librarians provide training and skills necessary for you to focus your searches specifically on your topic and how to then collate everything into a comprehensible arrangement; much like someone showing you how to complete your very first jigsaw puzzle.

 

Once you have learnt and mastered the information searching skills, you are well on your way to being a productive, independent researcher. These skills are the foundation of all research endeavours.

 If you are currently experiencing difficulties with information searches for your research, contact a subject librarian today. After all, the completed jigsaw puzzle of your particular research provides valuable insight for other researchers throughout the world.