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Unisa - Information Science The Department of Information Science is an academic department that offers training in library and information science-related careers.

🎙️ Tune in to Unisa Radio tonight!Join Unfiltered Minds with Gwen Ncube for a conversation with Sibongumenzi Victor Ngem...
19/10/2026

🎙️ Tune in to Unisa Radio tonight!

Join Unfiltered Minds with Gwen Ncube for a conversation with Sibongumenzi Victor Ngema, an Adjunct Lecturer in UNISA’s Department of Information Science.

Mr Ngema holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Zululand and is pursuing a PhD in the field. His professional experience includes records and information management roles. His research interests include public libraries, literacy, lifelong learning and digital inclusion.

Tonight, he will discuss his research on public libraries promoting lifelong learning in the digital era. His master’s research has also been published and presented at the LIASA 2026 Annual Conference.

📅 Monday, 19 October 2026
🕖 19:00
🔊 Listen live: https://iono.fm/s/207

19/10/2026

At the IFLA Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Presidential Conversation 2026, Prof Mashilo Modiba of UNISA’s Department of Information Science shared the Department’s upcoming events and qualification offerings. In his role as Chair of the Department’s Marketing Committee, he highlighted opportunities for students, academics and information professionals to connect and engage.

Save the dates:
📌 Technology Symposium: 27–28 October 2026
📌 Annual Online Information Science Lecture: 24 November 2026
📌 UNILISA Conference: 2–5 March 2027

Prof Modiba also highlighted the Department’s Information Science qualifications, including the new four-year Bachelor of Information Science degree.

19/10/2026

Building Belonging and Professional Identity: Unisa Launches Information Science Students Society

Prof Makutla Mojapelo, Chair of the Department of Information Science at Unisa, officially launched the Information Science Students Society during the 2026 IFLA Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Presidential Conversation.

Speaking at the launch, Prof Mojapelo highlighted the society’s importance as a platform for student engagement, unity and mutual support, particularly within a comprehensive open, distance and e-learning (CODeL) university such as Unisa. The initiative aligns with the university’s Catalytic Niche 10, which focuses on student support.

The society will create opportunities for mentorship, peer collaboration and participation in academic and professional activities. Through these engagements, students can strengthen their professional identities and build relationships that support their studies and future careers.

Prof Mojapelo emphasised the department’s commitment to developing well-prepared professionals who can contribute meaningfully to the information sector.

The launch reflects a deeper understanding of education as both an individual journey and a shared endeavour. A sense of belonging can turn distance into connection, while a community of aspiring professionals can transform knowledge into collective purpose.

19/10/2026

Imagining GLAM in 2050: Prof Lorette Jacobs Leads World Café Discussions

Prof Lorette Jacobs, Head of Teaching, Learning and Student Support in Unisa’s College of Human Sciences, led the World Café discussions at the 2026 IFLA Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Presidential Conversation, inviting delegates to imagine the future of galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) in 2050.

Prof Jacobs explored advanced technologies and trends likely to shape the sector. These included artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, misinformation and trust, digital preservation and data futures, climate change and environmental risks, decolonisation and inclusion, and new partnerships and global collaborations.

At the centre of the workshop was a participatory exercise in which delegates were divided into groups, each focusing on one of these themes. Participants discussed the implications for GLAM institutions before reporting their insights to the wider gathering.

The discussions provided an opportunity to reflect on how institutions can prepare for an uncertain future while remaining responsive to the communities they serve. Imagining GLAM in 2050 is ultimately a reflection on responsibility: the choices made today will shape the knowledge, memories and voices that future generations inherit.

19/10/2026

Leadership, Technology and Innovation Take Centre Stage at GLAM Panel Discussion

Leadership in a changing technological world formed the focus of the Presidential Conversation and GLAM Leadership Panel Discussion, bringing together leaders from galleries, libraries, archives and museums.

Facilitated by Prof Siya Tjale, Director of the School of Arts, and Prof Saurombe, a full professor in Unisa’s Department of Information Science, the panel centred on the theme, “Leadership, Technology and Innovation in the GLAM Sector.”

The panellists included IFLA President Ms Leslie Weir; former IFLA presidents Dr Kay Raseroka, Ms Claudia Lux and Ms Ellen Tise; Dr Daniel Mosako, Chair of the Department of Music and Arts; and Dr Maite Manganye, President of the South African Society of Archivists (SASA).

The gathering brought international and local leadership perspectives into a shared conversation about the future of institutions entrusted with knowledge, culture and collective memory.

The theme raises a question that reaches beyond technology: how can institutions embrace change while remaining faithful to their human purpose? For the GLAM sector, meaningful innovation connects the preservation of yesterday’s stories with the possibilities of tomorrow, guided by leadership that places people at the heart of progress.

19/10/2026

Global Connections, Local Voices: IFLA President Leslie Weir Calls for Inclusive Librarianship

International librarianship gains meaning when it remains rooted in the communities it serves. This message emerged from the keynote address delivered by IFLA President, Ms Leslie Weir, at the 2026 IFLA Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Presidential Conversation.

Ms Weir highlighted the importance of international cooperation and global librarianship, while stressing that local communities must be actively included in the work of archives, museums and libraries. Her address underscored the value of connecting global perspectives with local knowledge, experiences and aspirations.

Recognising Africa’s contribution to international library leadership, she acknowledged former IFLA presidents Kay Raseroka (2003–2005) and Ellen Tise (2009–2011). She also reflected on significant milestones, including the 1984 Nairobi Manifesto and the IFLA World Library and Information Congress gatherings hosted in Durban in 2007 and Cape Town in 2015. She expressed appreciation for South Africa’s remarkable collaboration with IFLA.

Her message invited reflection on the purpose of information institutions: their strength lies in both the knowledge they preserve and the people they empower. When global connections embrace local voices, libraries, archives and museums become places where communities can recognise their past, participate in the present and imagine their future.

19/10/2026

Prof Z Nkosi Calls for Unity in Advancing Africa’s Access to Knowledge

Prof Z Nkosi, Executive Director in Unisa’s College of Human Sciences, called for greater collaboration among Africa’s information institutions during her message of support at the 2026 IFLA Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Presidential Conversation.

Providing the strategic framing for the gathering, Prof Nkosi highlighted the alignment between Unisa’s mission to widen access to knowledge and information across Africa and its collaboration with IFLA. She expressed delight at Unisa’s successful hosting of the IFLA President for this regional engagement.

Prof Nkosi urged archives, museums, libraries and information science professionals to move beyond working in silos and support one another in providing information services that respond to African realities.

Her message offered a reminder that knowledge flourishes through connection. For Africa, widening access requires institutions to build bridges across professional boundaries, recognising that their collective strength can open doors that individual efforts alone may leave closed.

Join here: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/316342037508128?p=SEDp3jThimU8WqEVWt

19/10/2026

Prof Mpho Ngoepe Calls for Ethical AI and Community-Centred Information Services

Prof Mpho Ngoepe, Vice-Principal for Teaching, Learning, Community Engagement and Student Support, opened the 2026 IFLA Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Presidential Conversation on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof PulengLenkaBula.

In his opening remarks, Prof Ngoepe highlighted the information profession’s responsibility to serve communities. Drawing on the IFLA–UNESCO Public Library Manifesto 2022, he emphasised the importance of libraries, archives, museums and information services as hubs of knowledge, memory and learning.

Turning to artificial intelligence, he reflected on how technological “pain” could become “gain” through ethical and responsible use. He expressed the view that AI should strengthen human capabilities and support professionals in their work.

His message underscored a philosophical principle: the value of progress lies in how it serves humanity. As information institutions embrace AI, their enduring purpose remains to preserve memory, widen access to knowledge and empower communities.

Join here: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/316342037508128?p=SEDp3jThimU8WqEVWt

What can a century of library leadership teach us about the future?Join the conversation and hear directly from the IFLA...
16/10/2026

What can a century of library leadership teach us about the future?

Join the conversation and hear directly from the IFLA President and past IFLA Presidents as they share perspectives on leadership, libraries and the next generation.

📅 Monday, 19 October 2026
🕧 From 12:30
📍 Kgorong Function Hall, UNISA, Pretoria

Attend online on MS Teams:
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/316342037508128?p=SEDp3jThimU8WqEVWt

RSVP:
🎓 Students: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/u280h7f7TU?origin=lprLink
👥 Guests: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/eavq3Sz4Fu?origin=lprLink
Save the date and be part of this landmark discussion.

The Department of Information Science is proudly represented at the 23rd National Oral History Conference, hosted by the...
16/10/2026

The Department of Information Science is proudly represented at the 23rd National Oral History Conference, hosted by the Oral History Association of South Africa (OHASA).

Taking place from 12–16 October 2026 at Pine Lodge in Gqeberha, the conference brings together people interested in oral history under the theme, “Voices Across Time and Space: Oral Histories of Resistance, Collaboration and Resilience.”

We are pleased to see our members engaging with this important gathering and contributing to conversations about preserving stories, memories and lived experiences.

Address

Preller Street, Muckleneuk Rand
Pretoria
0003

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 16:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 16:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 16:00
Thursday 08:00 - 16:00
Friday 08:00 - 16:00

Telephone

+27124296071

Website

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