Bringing South African librarians together

Over one hundred South African librarians recently attended Elsevier's 1st Online South African Library Connect conference where library and information science professionals shared best practices, issues, current technology and trends important to them.

“Despite COVID-19 challenges, we have a responsibility to keep in contact with stakeholders in the research community in Africa, especially our librarians," said Mohamed Sayed, Regional Marketing Manager, Elsevier Africa, and the coordinator of the event.

Six live sessions were led by experienced speakers on a range of timely topics including:

• Hero to Superhero: improving Stellenbosch University Library’s service of excellence to clients during COVID-19 lockdown

  • Pieter du Plessis, Science Librarian, University of Stellenbosh

  • Link to recorded session opens in new tab/window

• Differentiating between predatory and low-quality journals

  • Lucia Schoombee, Senior Customer Consultant, Research Intelligence, Elsevier

  • Link to recorded session opens in new tab/window

• The reality of virtual and remote education: shared experiences and success stories

  • Ahmed Samir Helmy, Engineering & Geoscience Solutions Manager, Elsevier

  • Link to recorded session opens in new tab/window

• The Power of Data to Advance the SDGs: Mapping Research for the Sustainable Development Goals

  • Ylann Schemm, Director of the Elsevier Foundation and Chair of the Research4Life Executive Council

  • Link to recorded session opens in new tab/window

• Digital Transformation from Physical Library

  • Daisy Selematsela, Professor of Practice: Information & Knowledge Management, University of Johannesburg

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• STEM Educational Content on Science Direct

  • Katey Birtcher, Publisher, STEM Education Content, Elsevier

  • Link to recorded session opens in new tab/window

"Using the VERA platform as a venue for the virtual event allowed us to share all the great presentations with our attendees very smoothly," said Sayed. "Many people came together in harmony to ensure the event was a success - our fantastic speakers, our local agency Daiyra 360 Communications, and the Elsevier team!"

This online conference is just a start for a series of virtual activities conducted by the Elsevier Africa team to continually support and share updates with the librarian and research communities in Africa.

“As an academic librarian, I deem myself as a vital link in the research support chain. I see these webinars as events connecting librarians to relevant and pertinent resources to enhance research support and empower researchers,” said Leslie Adriaanse, Ph.D., College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, Library Services, Science Library, University of South Africa.