Library’s Corner

Julia Paris named 2011 LIASA Librarian of the Year Award

LIASA named Julia Paris, campus librarian at the University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein Campus, the 2011 LIASA Librarian of the Year in East London on Thursday, 6 October 2011.  Congratulations to Julia on her achievement.

Prior to receiving this prestigious award, Ms Paris also won the provincial (Gauteng South Branch) LIASA first prize of R1 500, and a trophy, which automatically qualified her for the national competition.

Ms Paris, who is a trained life coach, youth worker, community activist and motivational speaker, has been working in the field of librarianship for the past 28 years. She contributed to the professional development of numerous librarians and information workers serving the LIS sector, and is known as “the community’s librarian, or people’s librarian”.

She was past-recipient of a US Aid fellowship in 1996, and travelled to the USA to investigate information literacy. She was also the Africa Secretariat for The International Association for Social Science and Technology (IASSIST), as well as a member on the Board of Directors for the South African Data Archive and Phumani Paper, respectively. Among her achievements, she lists establishing law resource centres as a highlight, as was being instrumental in the development of the TWR and UJ archives.  She has delivered numerous presentations and papers, wrote a collection of 100 poems, and is currently writing a book called ‘Being the Seed,’ which is about her mother’s legacy.

Ms Paris’ philosophy in life is inspired by John Ruskin’s expression that says “when love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.”

The ‘Librarian of the Year’ competition was sponsored by Universal Knowledge Software (UKS), who also donated the first prize of R30 000.  EBSCO Publishing and Information Services sponsored the second prize of R20 000, and SABINET sponsored R10 000 awarded to the third prize winner.

The prize money can be used for educational purposes only, which could include visits to relevant institutions locally or internationally, attending relevant conferences or to further studies.

Research: Message from the Executive Dean, Professor André Swart

With the advent of the University of Johannesburg, a renewed emphasis has been placed on the importance of research, together with excellence in teaching and community engagement.

The Faculty of Health Sciences is committed to strengthening the health and well being of society, and the important role of research in this initiative. Furthermore, we have a responsibility to address matters relevant to national and regional needs, thus contributing towards nation building in our young democracy as well as regional development.

During 2006, the Faculty produced particularly strong results in the areas of Optometric Science; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene; Low Level Laser Therapy and Photodynamic Therapy application related to wound healing and cancer treatment; Mycotoxicosies; Aggression in Secondary Schools; and Sports Impact Measurement.

These initiatives, amongst many others, were fortunate to have the support of seven NRF rated researchers situated in our Faculty. In addition to the benefit of access to core funding, our researchers have a sustained record of productivity in their fields and are recognised by their peers as having produced a body of quality work, the core of which has coherence and attests to ongoing engagement with the field. Furthermore, these individuals have demonstrated the ability to conceptualise problems and apply research methodologies to produce high quality outputs.

In order to further develop and increase research output, we have in 2006 committed a further R1,5 million to research infrastructure and initiatives. We have also secured significant external financial support for from the Medical Research Council (MRC), the National Research Foundation (NRF), CSIR – National Laser Centre of South Africa, Sport and Recreation South Africa, the South African Sports Commission, the Australian Sports Commission and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Characterised by a philosophy of integrity and accountability, we aim to continually expand our research initiatives and our capacity within the Faculty. We are also committed to forging research links with partners from the public and private sector that would result in a greater sharing of resources and benefits to all South Africans.

Professor André Swart
Executive Dean
Faculty of Health Sciences