Page 20 - Library Annual Report 2019

and Unisa PhD candidate, Mr Mbongiseni Mdakane, encouraged inmates to use their time while incarcerated to pursue their studies. The Unisa Library pledged its continued support to Unisa students in various correctional centres in South Africa. The Unisa Library’s Deputy Director for Regional Libraries, Mr Freeman Zulu, met with Ms Mokoena, the Head of Formal Education at the Groenpunt Correctional Centre and with other stakeholders for discussions on proposed and ongoing relations with the correctional facility, based on the Unisa and Department of Correctional Services Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which aims to ensure support for inmates who want to pursue their studies.
5.3. Unisa Library hosts high school learners
The Unisa Library hosted 140 learners from EPP Mhinga High School in Limpopo during April 2019. They said the books and the environment of excellence inspired them to go for their dreams!
Photo. Ms. Mokgadi Senyolo with students from EPP Mhinga High School
6. Improving ICTs in the Library
6.1. Moving from Kidz to eGain
The Kidz system was used by Unisa Library students and staff to request literature searches online. The system was however, not fully developed as per the Library’s requirements. This resulted in the system lacking crucial functionality, i.e. the processing of requests was cumbersome and required manual intervention. During 2018, the Information Search Librarians (ISLs) embarked on a project to identify a new client contact management system that will meet all the necessary requirements to support the Unisa Library’s clients. eGain, a cloud-based customer engagement solution, was identi ed as a replacement system as:
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