Page 4 - Annual Report 2023

PREFACE
In 2023, the Unisa LIS celebrated 77 years of existence as the centre of research, teaching and learning. The focus for the year under review was on embracing technology to provide fast, relevant, professional and efficient information services that support research, teaching and learning, as well as engaged scholarship for Unisans. As a result, the priorities were as follows: open access through transformative agreements; digitisation of archival materials, especially the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library collection; increasing the visibility of the LIS and Unisa researchers, while aligning the LIS collection with the University strategy; embracing indigenous languages and systems; and enhancing the acquisition of electronic sources and digital transformation. It was not surprising that the Council on Higher Education (CHE), through its report on the Institutional Audit of Unisa, which was released on 17 May 2023, commended Unisa LIS at all campuses and centres for being well-resourced and appreciated by staff and students. The partnerships entered into by Unisa LIS in the form of collaboration agreements with municipalities and higher education institutions active near their regional centres for shared library facilities to support students, were also highlighted by the CHE.
With the move to open science, the participation of Unisa LIS in transformative agreements helped to repurpose subscription funds, including gold open access publication of all Unisa-authored articles. This has provided an opportunity for Unisa researchers’ publications to be available immediately as gold open access, without the article processing fees. This enables broader international exposure and discoverability of Unisa’s published research. These efforts by Unisa LIS are aligned to strategic objectives and aim to increase research output, throughput rate and Unisa’s standing in the global arena.
PROF T MEYIWA
VICE-PRINCIPAL: RESEARCH, POSTGRADUATE STUDIES INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALISATION
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