Previous Projects

This project began with a 2 day workshop held on 3-4 September 2018 in Durban.

The Framework will serve as a guiding document to:
1. Eradicate the resource and facility disparities amongst academic libraries
2. Set the standards for academic librarianship and library practices including strategic planning, good governance, advocacy, and accountability
3. Ensure an equitable and quality user experience across all libraries
4. Advance the role of academic libraries as partners to the teaching, learning and research endeavours of South African higher education institutions
5. Ensure best practices, introduce benchmarking for continuous improvement, equitable access and services across all academic libraries.

South Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was a national lockdown from Mar 26, 2020. The impact of the national lockdown precipitated the introduction of online/remote teaching and learning by universities and academic libraries migrated to virtual services in support of the continued teaching, learning and research endeavours. A survey was developed by CHELSA to determine how academic libraries in South Africa are managing during the COVID-19 lockdown and to ascertain the levels of service and support being provided by academic libraries during this time. The results of the survey have been compiled into a report.

The State of South African Academic Libraries Report with the theme “Embracing new frontiers”, is a broad overview of academic libraries within the context of a changing South African Higher Education landscape amidst the global pandemic. It was composed in 2020 and 2021 and finalised for publishing in September 2021

Costs and Challenges associated with maintaining quality Academic Library and Information Services supporting Teaching, Learning and Research: A Presentation to the Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education and Training, 27 October 2016