Dear alumni

The warm glow of the lights cocoons you against the darkness outside the windows. You are sitting in near-silence. The only sounds are the occasional scraping of a chair leg, or the soft swoosh of pages being turned. Far-off footsteps. Whispers behind the nearest book shelf.

Can you guess where this trip down memory lane took you? Yes, of course – we travelled back to the time we spent as students in our campus library.

Today, our students still have the privilege of experiencing these places where knowledge abounds. In fact, it is a priority for the NWU to upgrade and equip our libraries with state-of-the-art facilities to enhance the learning experience of their users.

These improvements include research commons, rooms for group work, quiet study areas and laptop and computer workstations with ample power points and software.

From now on, our alumni can also use these facilities. This is especially beneficial for those who are furthering their studies through postgraduate degrees or short courses such as the Primary Care Drug Therapy course for pharmacists.

Before running off to join the closest NWU library, here are some interesting 2017 figures about our libraries:

Total number of books: 909 640

Computers for students’ use: 409

Professional staff: 57

Total number of library visits: 1 787 344

Total number of loans: 233 711

When looking at some of American writer Ray Bradbury’s quotes on libraries, it seems as if he had a deep appreciation for these institutions. Among others, he said: “I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.” And: “Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future.”

How lucky we are – in the past we had the opportunity to experience the university’s libraries as students and now, as alumni, we can do that again.

Happy reading!

Nelia and the

NWU & U team