| History of Stellenbosch University Library | History of Stellenbosch University Library | <h2>Early beginnings<br></h2> The origin of Stellenbosch University dates back to the Stellenbosch Gymnasium which was established in 1866. In 1874 the Gymnasium formed its own professorial division, the Arts Department, which in turn led to the establishment of the Stellenbosch College in 1881. The name of the College was changed to the Victoria College of Stellenbosch in 1887, the jubilee year of Queen Victoria’s reign, and on 2 April 1918 the University Act, replacing the Victoria College by the Stellenbosch University, came into effect.<br><br>In 1895 a notice appeared in the Calender of the Victoria College stating that "the College has a Reading and Reference Library for the use of students and during the past year an additional room has been set apart as a Reading Room". This reading room was situated in the Old Main Building and the material available there originated from the collections of the Stellenbosch Gymnasium, the Arts Department of the Gymnasium and the Stellenbosch College, later known as the Victoria College.<br><br>During the first few years of its existence the Victoria College possessed a meagre collection of books which simply was inadequate and unworthy of an academic institution. Of this state of affairs Prof William Thomson declared in 1893: "It would require a very practical imagination to be able to call the small bookcase in the Senate Hall a library. It is not an inspiring thing to see the students waiting for the next instalment of the professional feeding bottle instead of cultivating habits of independent study and research in a well-appointed library".<br><br>It was probably this frustration among the students which caused two of them, JBM Hertzog and W Neethling, to meet the Senate as early as 1888 to request the provision of suitable housing for the existing collection. Students readily expressed interest in providing reference materials and organising and supervising the library. The result was that money for journal subscriptions was collected by them. The Junior Debating Society, the Victoria College Volunteer Corps and the Cadets became involved as well and this led to the establishment of a "reading and reference library” by 1895, as stated in the Calender.<br><h2><br>
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The first library building </h2></div>
<strong></strong>By the turn of the century, however, the establishment of a "College Library and Museum" had become a necessity. Thanks to a generous donation from a benefactor of Stellenbosch, Mr CL Marais, contributions from the Stellenbosch Distriksbank and the Colonial Government, the erection of a library building on the northern side of College Square was started in 1900 and completed in 1901.
<br><br>The graceful new building was named after Mr CL Marais and was the first building in the history of the University which was built for this specific purpose. It did, however, also house the administrative offices of the Victoria College for approximately 20 years and some rooms in the building were used as Council Chambers and Senate committee rooms.<br>
<br>The first librarian was Mr JH Rose. He combined this position with that of caretaker of the College grounds. By 1904 the library possessed 1 000 books. During this year the management of the library was transferred from the Council to the Senate and a standing library committee was appointed by the Senate, a practice maintained to this day.
<br><br>With the establishment of the Stellenbosch University in 1918, the CL Marais Library continued to fulfil its important task. Around 1920 the administrative offices of the University moved to other premises. Mr GV (George) Marais was appointed Librarian in 1926 and was Chief Librarian until 1967, a period of 42 years. Despite limited staff during the early years, the library provided an excellent service and in 1928 the University Commission reported that the "library can be regarded as a model for and inspiration to other institutions".<br><br>
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A new line of thought<br></h2><div>
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In 1926 the CL Marais Library had to be extended and by 1938 it had become clear that an entirely new line of thought was necessary.
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<br>As early as 1912 the Scots-American millionaire Andrew Carnegie donated the sum of £6 000 towards the extension and maintenance of the library of the Victoria College. An additional donation of £1 500 from the Carnegie Corporation to the Stellenbosch University in 1938, as well as contributions from alumni enabled the University to build a new library.<br><br>In 1938 the Carnegie building was erected on the site of the Pavillion rugby grounds, adjacent to and north of the present Administration building (Block B). This building would become the home of the University Library for the next 50 years.<br><br>After the move to the Carnegie Library additional staff members were appointed and the library stock increased to 97 167 volumes by 1945. At the retirement of Mr Marais in 1967 the staff numbered 45 and the library service was thoroughly established.<br><br>In 1967 Mr Francois du Plessis, who joined the library staff in 1945, was appointed University Librarian. Due to his professional and academic abilities, his love of books and his knowledge of the book trade, Mr Du Plessis was able to develop the University Library as an indispensable information source.<br><br><strong></strong>
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The library goes underground</h2></div>
Prior to his retirement in 1983 Mr Du Plessis was also actively involved in the planning of the next and present phase of the University Library, namely the erection of the JS Gericke Library, named after the Reverend JS (Kosie) Gericke who served as Vice-chancellor of the University from 1952 to 1981.<br><br>The construction of the JS Gericke Library building commenced in 1981 and in 1983 the move to the new building took place.<br> This building occupies the unique position of being built underneath the centrally situated Jan Marais Square. The reason for this unique position is that in planning a new library it was found that, apart from the Jan Marais Square, no centrally situated building sites were available on campus. However, the historical importance of the Jan Marais Square and the architectural aesthetics of the historic buildings surrounding the square meant that this site could not be defaced with a multi-storeyed building. It was therefore decided to build underground.
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<br>The JS Gericke Library can accommodate approximately one million volumes. It also provides 1 400 study seats, 10 seminar rooms, 27 study cubicles and a well-appointed lecture hall with 146 seats.<br>
<br> In the mid-1980’s a new collective name for the JS Gericke Library, the six branch and satellite libraries and the various departmental collections was devised, namely the University of Stellenbosch Library Service.<br><br>Prof JH (Hennie) Viljoen, became Director of the Library and Information Service in 1984, after the retirement of Mr Du Plessis. In 1987 Prof Viljoen was awarded professorial status by virtue of his part-time teaching assignment at the Department of Information Science and in 1993 his position as Director of the Library Service was promoted to that of Senior Director.<br><br>Under his leadership the Library and Information Service grew to a complement of 120 full-time staff members. Milestones reached during this period include the commencement of services in the new JS Gericke Library; the computerisation of the Library and Information Service; the introduction of a collection development policy and a formula for the allocations of funds; the introduction of a successful commercial information service (Infobank); a performance evaluation system for staff; and a formal agreement for regional co-operation among the former five tertiary institutions in the Western Cape (CHELiN). Under the directorship of Prof Viljoen the Library moved into the electronic information age and was at the forefront of developments in this ever-changing environment.<br><br>Currently, Ms ER (Ellen) Tise is the Senior Director of the Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service.<br> | | |
