Open Access core team.

The annual research week marked the official launch of KovsieJournals published on KovsieScholar, the UFS output repository.  Library and information Services and the office of the Vice Rector: Research, Prof Corli Witthuhn, hosted the week-long events of 26-29 July 2016 on the Bloemfontein Campus. 

KovsieScholar is the UFS’s research repository that collects, preserves, and distributes open access digital material. It is an important tool for preserving the university’s legacy, facilitating digital preservation and scholarly communication. It aims to increase the university’s global visibility, the impact and profiles of its researchers, and contribute to the preservation and sharing of knowledge. Currently, it holds journals published since 2010.

The main launch event of 27 July was opened at the Equitas Building’s Senate Hall by Mr Charlie Molepo, Deputy-Director: LIS Research and Scholarly Communications, who also presented the project background.  Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector said it is a great initiative that will allow anyone to have access to UFS research outputs anywhere in the world, something he is glad to see happening during his term.

A roundtable discussion brought together more than ten senior professors and heads of department to explore topics such as Open Access and its benefits and pitfalls, centralisation of institutional research output, and the future publishing platform of KovsieJournals, amongst others.  Research Week will end with training for Open Access and Centre for Teaching and Learning’s core teams.