A history of college libraries in the Transkei from 1882-1994.

Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.This study is a brief history of college libraries in the former Transkei, from 1882 (the period of the missionaries) to 1994 (the year when Transkei was reincorporated into the Republic of South Africa). The history of college libraries in the Transkei has never been fully documented, despite the fact that some of the colleges and their libraries have been in existence for some time. Besides, there were some colleges which were without libraries. Even those that existed had not been fully developed, and the reasons for this have not been articulated. The author, therefore, considered it relevant to research the development of college libraries in this region. Fourteen college libraries were examined chronologically, starting from the colleges established during the missionary period (1882-1953), to the colleges established during the period of independence (1977 -1994) . Other periods covered were those of Bantu Education (1953-1962) and self-government (1963-1976). In order to provide a framework for the study, the historical development of each of the college libraries was examined in terms of the following criteria: adequacy of library accommodation; staffing; budget; the size and type of collection; users and types of services offered. The researcher gathered data by consulting and interviewing relevant people. Both primary and secondary sources were consulted. Conclusions drawn in this study clearly show that college libraries in the former Transkei were far from being centres of teaching, learning and research. Library staff were hampered in their efforts to improve library services, not only by a lack of funds and resources but also by the lack of a clear government policy regarding college libraries and by a lack of moral support

Transformations in Higher Educational Institutions: A Review of the Post-COVID-19 Era

The COVID-19 epidemic was initially experienced in China, in a city called Wuhan (December 2019), and Europe, the USA and Australia were not left behind. South Africa was the worst-hit country, with a total of 88,914 deaths recorded on October 24, 2021, and like many other countries of the world, it suffered the loss of human lives and livelihoods. In 2021, almost 65,000 South Africans had been lost to the pandemic. This pandemic has destabilised systems and processes that define human existence, thereby wreaking havoc on many facets of human life, with education being predominantly affected. COVID-19 has fostered global readjustments in education with the advent of online teaching or, as referred to in some studies, emergency online education. This paper examined many of the challenges faced by students and lecturers, including adaptation problems among lecturers and students, internet connectivity issues, an unconducive teaching and learning workspace, and associated health risks. This study also reviewed positive developments that took place since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the WiSeUp Moodle Training, academic discourse, and capacity development. In addition, it is suggested that researchers carry out further studies on the effects of COVID-19 with reference to teaching and learning. The paper concludes by reviewing the positive and negative teaching and learning outcomes of the transformations that Higher Educational Institutions underwent after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic