Page 31 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 3

Margaret Hamilton-Williams states her date of appointment as 1938. If it was the same person, she therefore had a long career in the library. According to du Plessis, she was initially not even allowed to handle certain publications despite having been appointed straight from the university!
A Miss I. Nell signed letters in a file as librarian during 1958. Her older letters must be in another
filing system that could not be traced. Anna
S. du Plessis was head from January 1959
ONDERSTEPOORT 100 J.B.Walker, senior author of a book on the
brown ticks of the world
Fouche, was in later years not regarded as sufficient. Some of the older hands amongst the librarians consulted believe that some of the assistants may indeed have held the SALA qualification, or the so-called lower diploma from universi- ties. One assistant held a school libra- rianship qualification but this was not recognized. Even the ‘library techni- cians’ from the technikons were not al- ways regarded as professional librarians. Today many of them head libraries in the Agricultural Research Council and elsewhere with excellent results.
The names of assistants known for this period are the following: Mr W. G. Beyer, Mr Brits, F.O.L. de Villiers (gender unknown), Margaret Hamilton-Williams, Hella M. Heese, Maureen Jonker, Marie Laesecke, Katrina F. Koen, Samuel Mashisi, Joseph Mokoena, Lindiwe P. Motau, Marthella
Naude, Janie Uys, Tineke van Staden.
The era of Agricultural Research Council
(ARC) authority (1992-present)
The DNE period came to an end in 1991
when all state library staff were transferred
to their host departments. This was fortu- 121 nate as it facilitated the transfer to the ARC
one year later on 1 April 1992. ARC libraries
soon founded the ARC Libraries Forum,
a body that meets periodically to discuss problems, makes decisions and arranges
courses and mutual support. From then on
the head librarian only reported to a senior
person at the Institute. In 2007 a decision
was reached that the ARC librarians would
also report to the Knowledge Manager of
the ARC. At the time of writing, details
of the new management system had not
yet been determined. In 2000 there was
an exercise to look at closer co-operation
between, if not merging of, the Institute and Faculty. Three meetings were held between the libraries before the initiative was shelved. However, excellent informal co-operation existed between the two libraries before this initiative and has continued since.
Towards the end of the 20th century the emphasis in bio- logical research shifted increasingly to molecular approaches, i.e. biotechnology. This tendency also occurred in the research
to September 1960. She was the oldest
librarian who could still be reached and
consulted. She left an extensive collection
of correspondence in the files and a
comprehensive report when she resigned.
She was later employed under her married
name at the library of the Department of
Agriculture. Dorothee E. A. Meyer was
librarian from 1962 to 1967. She applied
for study leave to go to Germany in 1965.
Magdalena Korb signed letters during 1965.
A file starting in 1968 contains letters
signed by L. Serfontein. She later became
Mrs L. du Plessis and seems to have left
in 1975. John Frylinck was librarian from
January to September 1976 and Meliza R.
Spies from 1977-1984. She was succeeded
by Yolanda E. Grundling from January to November 1985 and, in turn, by David A. Swanepoel in 1985.
The appointment of Alma Bester, later Mrs Liebenberg (1988-present), seems to be the first time that a second professionally trained librarian/library technician was em- ployed by the Institute. The definition of a professional librarian is, however, open for discussion. The certificate of the South African Library Association (SALA), held by Ben
“Towards the end of the 20th century the emphasis in biological research shifted increasingly to molecular approaches, i. e. biotechnology. This tendency also occurred in the research carried out at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute and is reflected in the titles of journals subscribed to.”
OVI Library
1908-2008
Years