UCT Fires digitalisation case study
The recording and presentation slides from our latest Ponder session are available. The presentation 'UCT Fires digitalisation case study' took place on Wednesday 4 August with guest speaker Ujala Satgoor, Executive Director Libraries at the University of Cape Town. More than 300 guests attended the event.
- Access the video: Click on the video in the sidebar
- Get the presentation: Download the Powerpoint presentation
The UCT Fires: A digitalisation case study
The Table Mountain fires that rampaged across parts of the UCT campus and set fire to the Jagger Library earlier this year thrust the protection of information assets into the spotlight. The story of how the UCT Libraries team responded and recovered is fascinating.
But of broader value for the HE sector and their supplier partners is the story of how UCT's digitalisation strategy not only helped them survive the devastation and remote working under COVID-19 lockdown conditions, but is a key element of delivering a positive return of investment.
It is important to understand that for UCT Libraries this is not just about digitising books and documents but rather adopting a systems and business mindset towards managing an academic library.
Digitalisation is broader than simply digitising information - it is the use of digital technologies and digitised data to impact how work gets done, transform how customers and companies engage and interact, and create new (digital) revenue streams.
In this session Ujala Satgoor shares her insights and answer your questions about digitalisation as a strategic necessity. She will also be available to answer any questions you have about implementing digitalisation in a library environment.
Our speaker
Ms Ujala Satgoor, Executive Director: Libraries at University of Cape Town
Ms Ujala Satgoor brings with her years of experience in the higher education environment. She is Executive Director: Libraries at University of Cape Town, and was previously the director of library services at Rhodes University and the deputy director of library services at the University of Pretoria.
With a master’s degree in information technology and a postgraduate diploma in library and information science, she is extremely well positioned to address the topic.
Her leadership roles include being the chair of the Committee of Higher Education Libraries of South Africa (CHELSA), deputy chair of the South African National Library and Information Consortium (SANLiC), chair of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) Professional Body Advisory Committee, and a member of the Council on Higher Education Reference Group: Library and Information Science. She is also the former president of LIASA (2012–14) during which time she accepted the bid to host and co-chaired the National Committee for the World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) held in August 2015 in Cape Town.
Ms Satgoor believes that the greatest asset of an institution is its diversity and human capital, and that success depends on a work environment that values and develops its employees. As a leader she recognises the importance of staff development as a strategic imperative for institutional alignment and responsiveness.
Beyond academia she has served as a partner to the Mortenson Centre for International Library Programs, University of Illinois, and a consultant to various international and national organisations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Libraries project, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ Building Strong Library Associations (BSLA) programme, the African Library Associations and Institutions (AfLIA), the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the World Library Partnership and the Goethe-Institut.
Her research has focused on the South African library and information services landscape from both a historical and current perspective (post-1994), looking at the context within which libraries function, library governance, government funding for redress, library technologies, library and information services education and the professional association. She believes that libraries are important in meeting the goals of the national development agenda towards entrenching a strong democracy and an educated and informed nation.
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