PNCL COMMEMORATES INTERNATIONAL OPEN ACCESS WEEK TO EXPLORE WAYS OF INCREASING ACCESS

In commemoration of International Open Access Week (21 - 27 October), librarians, scholars, and academics from WSU, the University of Fort Hare, and UNISA gathered at the Phyllis Ntantala Collaborative Library (PNCL) recently to explore different ways to increase and improve access to information in libraries and their platforms. 

Speaking at the PNCL Open Access Week programme themed "Community Over Commercialization" on Thursday 24 October, UNISA Executive Director of Library and Information Services, Prof Mpho Ngoepe, explored the potential and challenges that lie in the thorny terrain of “open access”.

"In South Africa, we consume more than we produce, and if we as a country want to sustain and open Open Access, we need to produce our products and platforms that can be more easily available to the people of the country, not burdened and confronted with paywalls that limit access to information," said Ngoepe.

In a bid to lay the platform and create context ahead of the day's deliberations, UFH Librarian for User Services, Sibongiseni Mrwashu, who was voted 2024 Librarian of the Year in South Africa, highlighted the importance and potential impact of this year's theme - "Community of Commercialization".

Mrwashu said the theme was significant in prompting the scholarly community to reconsider their approach to knowledge sharing.

“Today, our objective is to examine methods to guarantee that academic research is retained within the community but also innovators, policymakers, and citizens who may utilize this information to address real-world issues," she said.

Mrwashu was adamant that the discourse about open access extends beyond the realm of scholars and librarians, asserting that how knowledge is disseminated significantly influences the broader world.

In her conclusion remarks, WSU Marketing and Communication Directorate Executive Director Yonela Tukwayo praised the librarians at the Phyllis Ntantala Collaborative Library for their sterling work in maintaining high service standards. 

"The people that manage and look after our libraries, our librarians, are champions of knowledge-sharing. Our librarians are knowledgeable about the literature needed for any given occasion. They are also custodians of authentic information and not the fake news that we have become accustomed to, yet still, they are protectors of knowledge," said Tukwayo.

She also asserted that open access to information is critical to knowledge expansion, and for scholars to continue contributing to the academic body of knowledge, open access must become a stepping stone and a building block to knowledge production and generation.

By Thando Cezula