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“We can never say we didn’t know”

Thursday November 4th marked the beginning of a new chapter on the Rhodes University campus, with the official opening of the new Rhodes library by Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education and Training.?

The ceremony was attended by some 250 invited guests. These included Deans, Heads of Departments and Institutes at the University, members of the Rhodes Council and Board of Governors, as well as representatives from donor organisations and those involved in building and designing the facility, which is constituted by both new and refurbished wings.

Proceedings were conducted from a lectern placed immediately outside of the main entrance and guests gathered in the adjoining quad. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr Saleem Badat, welcomed everyone present and pointed to the central role that such a facility plays: “A vibrant, well-functioning library is an indispensable corollary of a University.” He also emphasised that the new library embodies the determination of Rhodes University to provide a quality experience to students from diverse backgrounds and to uphold its high standards of teaching and research.

The Director of Library Services at Rhodes, Ms Gwenda Thomas then delivered what Dr Nzimande later called “a passionate presentation”, focussing on the theme of hope and paying tribute to all those concerned with making the project happen. She attributed the original vision of an enhanced and revitalised library to the late Margaret Kenyon, University Librarian in 2004, and said, “Margaret’s hope is our reality.”

Ms Thomas said a team of people worked selflessly over 26 months to turn a plan on paper into reality, and made special mention of her deputy, Jeanne Berger. She also detailed and thanked the various committees, fund raisers, contractors and Rhodes management for their support and contributions to the project. What she felt was particularly significant was the fact that library operations were kept going for the entire duration of the building project.

Mr Allan Magubane, newly-elected President of the SRC, spoke a few words on behalf of the student body and underlined their appreciation with some humorous quotations. He also emphasised the responsibility given to them as students privileged to have access to so much information: “We can never say we didn’t know.”

Dr Badat introduced the guest speaker, Dr Blade Nzimande, who lauded Rhodes for its efforts and said the library would be both an excellent resource for higher education in the region and a means to continue producing and increasing the numbers of educated young people. He was especially pleased that the design of the new facility had taken into account some of the “transformational imperatives” such as access for people with disabilities.

The proceedings were concluded with a vote of thanks by the Vice-Chancellor to the many parties that contributed to the funding of the library, from the Dept of Education to individual alumni based overseas. He attributed the fact that the library had been completed some R13 million under-budget to excellent project management and a commitment to the responsible use of taxpayers’ money.

Dr Nzimande, assisted by Ms Thomas and Dr Badat, unveiled the official plaque, where after guests attended a cocktail party in “Ground Zero”, the space at the bottom of the Library that has not yet been designated, but for which there are exciting plans such as a possible “E-learning Kaif”.

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Picture by Sophie Smith: President of the SRC Allan Magubane