University of Cape Town Libraries

File:Bolus Herbarium Library top view.JPG

UCT Libraries comprises eight libraries located across various campuses of UCT. Chancellor Oppenheimer Library, also known as the "Main Library", is located in the centre of UCT's upper campus, serving the Science, Engineering, Commerce and Humanities faculties and the Centre for Higher Education Development. Branch libraries are found near to the faculties which they service.

• [http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/lib/libraries/col Chancellor Oppenheimer Library]
• [http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/lib/libraries/bolus Bolus Herbarium Library]
• [http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/lib/libraries/bel Built Environment Library]
• [http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/lib/libraries/hsl Bongani Mayosi Health Sciences Library]
• [http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/lib/libraries/hhl Hiddingh Hall Library]
• [http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/lib/libraries/ich Institute of Child Health Library]
• [http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/lib/libraries/law Brand van Zyl Law Library]
• [http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/lib/libraries/music WH Bell Music Library]

The founders of the South African College expressed the need for a college library for their students in 1829.{{Cite web|title=The History of UCT Libraries · Our Story · Ibali|url=https://ibali.uct.ac.za/s/library-history/page/our-story|access-date=2022-02-18|website=ibali.uct.ac.za|language=en-US}} The establishment of the college library was made possible through donations from residents of Cape Town and prominent figures in the society of the time.

Professor W.S. Logeman, a multilingual philologist at the then South African College (SAC) was the founder of what became the University Library.{{cite book | title=University of Cape Town 1918-1949: The Formative Years | publisher=UCT in association with the UCT Press | author=Phillips, Howard | year=1993 | location=Cape Town | isbn=9780799214994}} From 1905 to 1920, Logeman was appointed Honorary Librarian and became the first chairman of the University Library.{{cite web | url=http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/history-of-the-library/ | title=History of UCT Libraries | publisher=University of Cape Town | access-date=19 July 2014}} To commemorate his contribution in the founding of the university's library system, the Logeman Reading Room within the Hiddingh Hall Library was established in 1967.

When Hiddingh Memorial Hall opened in 1911, the ground floor became the home of the College Library, the first purpose-built library of the South African College.{{Cite web|title=Centenary celebration of Hiddingh Hall library {{!}} Centre for Curating the Archive|url=http://www.cca.uct.ac.za/cca/arc/visual-university/hiddingh-centenary|access-date=2022-02-18|website=www.cca.uct.ac.za|language=en}} The Logeman Reading Room opened inside Hiddingh Hall Library in 1967 to commemorate Logeman's contribution to the founding of the university library.

In April 2021 the Special Collections Library was destroyed by a wildfire{{cite news |last1=Naidoo |first1=Yasantha |last2=Hyman |first2=Aron |date=18 April 2021 |title=Two firefighters hospitalised as Cape Town heritage gems including Mostert Mill and UCT library gutted |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-04-18-two-firefighters-hospitalised-as-cape-town-heritage-gems-including-mostert-mill-and-university-library-gutted/ |work=TimesLIVE |access-date=2021-04-18}} resulting in the loss of many of the 1,300 collections and over 85,000 books and other items held there.

• OpenUCT is the University of Cape Town's open access institutional repository. It houses scholarly outputs such as theses, dissertations, journal articles and other open educational resources. The platform was launched in 2014 and managed by UCT Libraries according to UCT's Open Access Policy.{{Cite web |title=OpenUCT Initiative (2011 – 2014) {{!}} University of Cape Town |url=https://ched.uct.ac.za/cilt/projects-open-education-initiatives/openuct-initiative-2011-2014 |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Centre for Higher Education Development |language=en}} The Libraries' Digital Library Services department is involved in a retrospective digitisation project of all UCT theses. The aim is that all UCT's Master's and Doctoral theses, dating back to 1929, will be available via OpenUCT.
• ZivaHub is the University of Cape Town's institutional open access data repository. It houses scholarly outputs such as books, conference contributions, datasets, figures, journal contributions, media, online resources, posters, preprints, presentations, and software. The platform was launched in 2017 and is managed by UCT Libraries according to UCT's Open Access Policy and UCT's Research Data Management Policy.{{Cite web |title=Research Data Management policy |url=https://uct.ac.za/administration/policies |access-date=2023-07-05 |language=en}} The Digital Library Services department (DLS),{{Cite web|url=http://www.digitalservices.lib.uct.ac.za/|title=Digital Library Services|language=en|access-date=2020-06-24}} together with the UCT-wide network of Data Stewards that it convenes,{{Cite web |title=Data Stewards |url=https://lib.uct.ac.za/digitalservices/data-stewards |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Digital Library Services |language=en}} actively curates the submissions to [https://zivahub.uct.ac.za/ ZivaHub]. The repository allows researchers to securely store and share research data supporting other scholarly outputs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.re3data.org/repository/r3d100012633|title=ZivaHub {{!}} re3data.org|website=www.re3data.org|access-date=2018-10-12}} Ziva is a Shona word meaning "to know".
• Ibali is the University of Cape Town's institutional showcasing repository for digital collections, hosted by UCT Libraries. Users are invited to explore an abundance of textual and audio-visual materials that reflect the diverse topics of UCT-based research. [https://ibali.uct.ac.za/s/ibali/page/welcome Ibali] runs on a locally hosted [https://omeka.org/s/ Omeka S] publishing server, in conjunction with locally installed iiif media and manifest servers. The name "Ibali" comes from the isiXhosa word for "story," encouraging users to experience many different stories while they explore the collections.

{{update-section|date=August 2021}}

The Manuscripts and Archives Department collects primary source material of historical value for use by the academic community and other researchers. It was housed in the Jagger Reading Room of UCT Libraries which was destroyed by a wildfire on Sunday 18 April 2021. Since the Libraries are still assessing the damage and loss, the library holdings for Special Collections (African Studies Library, Government Publications, Rare Books and Manuscripts) may no longer be accurate.

• The Jack and Ray Simons Collection (BC1081)
• The Black Sash Collection (BC668)
• The Colin Legum Papers (BC 1329)

• Richard Rive Collection
• Louis Leipoldt Collection

• Herbert Baker Collection
• Roelof Uytenbogaardt Collection

• Bleek and Lloyd Collection (BC151-156)
• [https://atom.lib.uct.ac.za/index.php/immelman-papers René Immelman] Collection

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/ UCT Libraries website]
• [https://uct.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=27UCT_INST:27UCT&sortby=rank UCT Libraries Catalogue and Discovery Tool]
• [https://open.uct.ac.za/ OpenUCT]
• [https://zivahub.uct.ac.za/ ZivaHub]
• [https://ibali.uct.ac.za/s/ibali/page/welcome Ibali]

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Category:Libraries in Cape Town