“As we mark this fifth anniversary, the story of the Jagger is no longer one of tragedy. It is a story of ‘Opportunity in Loss.’” - Executive Director: Libraries, Ujala Satgoor Read her full statement: bit.ly/48I5UPF Visit the space by 15 May: bit.ly/41HSqzm

World Book and Copyright Day | 23 April At UCT Libraries, we know only too well how powerful—and fragile—books can be. Five years after the Jagger fire, an exhibition invites you to engage with the story. Join a guided tour here: bit.ly/41HSqzm

UCT marked five years since the devastating fire on 18 April 2021, which gutted the Jagger Library and several other buildings on campus. The university marked the occasion with a commemorative event, centred around a curated exhibition in and around the Jagger Reading Room. The exhibition will be open to the public from 20 April to 15 May 2026. Read more: qr.codes/R5Nbrd @LibrariesU45848

Five years ago today, a wildfire on the slopes of Table Mountain devastated the Jagger Library Reading Room. This week, the precinct is bathed in light (17–19 April 2026)—a symbol of loss, resilience and renewal. Book here for the public exhibition: bit.ly/41HSqzm

Today marks the five year anniversary of the Jagger Fire. Join us for a guided tour of the Jagger Reading Room which features an exhibition on the ongoing recovery. Bookings essential - tours run on weekdays between 20 April and 15 May. Book here: bit.ly/41HSqzm

ICA Members Join the “Emergency Response for Documentary Heritage” Training! The “Emergency Response for Documentary Heritage” workshop is currently taking place in Pretoria, South Africa from 11 to 15 November 2024. This important regional training, aimed at professionals from South and East (English-speaking) Africa, focuses on safeguarding documentary heritage in crisis situations. The ICA is proud to have funded 10 of our members to attend this workshop. These members are now part of a diverse group of professionals gaining hands-on skills and solutions to protect valuable documentary collections in high-risk areas. The training, in collaboration with the @NLSA1, the @britishlibrary's Endangered Archives Programme (EAP), and @CERorganization, is an excellent opportunity for our members to develop the capacity needed to address the growing threats facing documentary heritage in the region.

Join the society and support HIPSAs proud tradition "to publish meticulously edited original sources on Southern African history, which were inaccessible to the average South African." hipsa.org.za/join-the-societ…

The AGM and launch of HIPSAs 2024 volume took place at Protea BookStore Claremont last week. Members were treated to insights by Hudson descendant and book editor, Edward Hudson. Contact HIPSA and order your copy now. hipsa.org.za/contact/

The Department of Historical and Heritage Studies at the University of Pretoria invites you to a hybrid seminar on “Reflections on Teaching South African History” This webinar seeks to build on discussions initiated by the South African Historical Journal’s July 2023 webinar ‘Texts to Teach’, and the panel on ‘Teaching Academic History in South Africa’ that was held at the Southern African Historical Society Conference in June 2024. The aim is to foster ongoing engagement among scholars on the pedagogics of teaching South Africa’s history (and teaching history in South Africa). The panelists are all engaged in teaching South African history this semester, while contributions to the discussion from peers elsewhere will also be highly welcome. Among the themes we will seek to collectively unpack are the place of South African history within our respective undergraduate offerings; periodizing the country’s past; conceptualising ‘South Africa’; choosing textbook(s); integrating primary sources; structuring assessments; the role of tutors/teaching tech; and balancing teaching with other academic commitments, notably research. Panelists: Beaurel Visser, University of Fort Hare Stephen Sparks, University of Johannesburg Esté Kotzé, Stellenbosch University Andrew Macdonald and Tara Weinberg, University of the Witwatersrand Lindie Koorts and Thula Simpson, University of Pretoria Date: Monday, 30 September 2024 Time: 15:00 to 17:00 (SAST) Venue: Online via ZOOM To receive the link, please register here: zoom.us/meeting/register/tJI… For any enquiries: Email Zimkhitha Tsotso at history@up.ac.za.

UCTL Special Collections is celebrating the beginning of Spring and Heritage Month with a feature on the successful salvage and recovery of thirteen renowned botanical water colour paintings by Arabella Roupell after the Jagger Library fire. Read more: bit.ly/4eja8Oj

To mark International Literacy Day and SA National Book Week, Thundeza Mafungwa, Senior Librarian, wrote a piece highlighting UCTL Special Collections' commitment to showcasing multilingualism in celebration of our nation's cultural and social diversity: bit.ly/4d0ITqm

Setting the record straight on Marikana Commission records: businesslive.co.za/bd/opinio…

Join us virtually on the 4th of September at 12pm SAST, for the third Ibali Indaba, where we launch of the showcase site for the ǂKhomani | Hugh Brody Archive. Join us for a conversation with some of the key developers of the site. Register here: bit.ly/3Xkq1Ow

#TodayInHistory 25 August 1855 "Move on in the morning; and in the afternoon pass the place where we shot the lechwes, and later on reach the place where we had stopped for our midday rest on the way up. Slept here, much plagued by mosquitoes." - Johan August Wahlberg #HiPSA

"A few days ago I received a letter from Prof. Mansvelt in which the opinion was expressed that we could perhaps do more for education in this country by establishing a good teachers’ training school instead of spreading our efforts on smaller schools." - M.T. Steyn #HiPSA [3/3]

#TodayInHistory 22 August 1899 "A great friend of ours from England Mr John Hobson arrived here yesterday. … He has come out to study the South African question & write on it." - Olive Schreiner -> Isie Smuts #HiPSA #OliveSchreiner #JHHobson

The Digital Scholar Series continues on 28 August with a look at how you can use spreadsheets to tidy up your data. We will explore some of the possibilities available to you through the use of tools, formulae and basic logical operators. Register here: bit.ly/4cDkbfA

#TodayInHistory 21 August 1893 "I entirely agree with what you say in your last letter about Merriman. It is exactly what I have been trying to convince our friends of … pointing out to them over-and-over again that [1/2]

Merriman is a man who is erratic out of mere exuberance of intellectual vitality. But [?] place him in a position of responsibility or, as you say, load him with the cares of Government, and he becomes a different being." - James Rose Innes #HiPSA #JXMerriman #CapeColony [2/2]