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Library and Information Service launches Centenary Exhibition
Author: Corporate Communications Division
Published: 31/07/2018

The Library and Information Service at Stellenbosch University (SU) launched its Centenary Exhibition on the Stellenbosch campus on Friday (27 July 2018). Offering a pictorial glimpse of SU's past and present, the exhibition focuses on the Library Service - “then and now", student life - “the spirit of the times" and Maties sport - “champions then, champions now". The images used for the exhibition are mainly from collections held by the Library Information Service Service.

At the launch, Prof Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at SU, praised the library staff for the innovative and beautiful exhibition at the library. LibraryMemoryWall-12.jpg

“The library is a space which really bridges any gap that may exist between teaching, learning and research. The other fascinating thing about a library is that you can have a student working here, pick up one book and walk out with a career. This is a wonderful space," Cloete said.  

Some of the photographs used at the exhibition were taken mainly from photographic collections housed in Special Collections, for example, the Victoria College and SU photograph collections. Photographs were also taken from Matieland and other publications kept in the library.

Two examples of collections from which photographs were taken are those of journalist Gus Cluver and formidable linguist J.J. Smith.

The collection of August de Villiers (Gus) Cluver, who was a Matie between 1932 and 1935, has recently been digitised. Cluver was a student cheerleader and editor of the liberal “Pro Libertate" student publication of which the fragile original is kept in the Africana Section of Special Collections. His valuable collection pictured student life through the years, as well as Intervarsity songs are on exhibition.

J.J. Smith, who made his mark in the history of SU as well as Nasionale Pers, provides some interesting photographs and information. His collection has detailed information on the early years of SU which came into existence after Victoria College. Bilingualism was a question which was wrestled with even at that time. Appointed as professor in French and German at Victoria College, Smith was offered the position of the first professor in Afrikaans and Dutch in 1918 at SU. The SU Library has its own library collection where photographs and slides are kept of the excavation of the Rooi Plein and subsequent building of the new library.


Most of these scarce original copies have been digitised and uploaded to SUNDigital Collections and can be viewed here. A QR code has been created which links to the webpage on the exhibition in order to make the exhibition interactive.