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08 June 2021 | Story Legopheng Maphile | Photo Charl Devenish
Nthabiseng Kotsokoane in front of the Sasol Library on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State. She is wearing a pink blouse with floral patterns and leaning with her left elbow against a ledge whilst looking into the camera.
Nthabiseng Kotsokoane is a renowned library professional whose passionate efforts to advance library and information services in Africa and beyond are widely acknowledged Photo: Charl Devenish

The University of the Free State is proud to announce the appointment of Nthabiseng Kotsokoane as chairperson of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) new Regional Council and member of the IFLA Governing Board 2021 – 2023.

IFLA is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession.

Nthabiseng Kotsokoane is currently the Assistant Director at the University of the Free State Library Information Services. She previously worked at Monash University for 10 years as a director of the library services. Ms Kotsokoane is a renowned library professional whose passionate efforts to advance library and information services in Africa and beyond are widely acknowledged. She has vast experience in serving at various committees regionally and internationally. She served as a member of the IFLA women information Libraries Special Interest Group. She was later elected by LIASA into the IFLA IT committee. She is the current IFLA Africa section Chair 2017-2021.

 

Serving the international library community

Nthabiseng is not only active in IFLA but on the African continent as well, she is the past chair for the African Library & Information Associations & Institutions (AfLIA) academic library section Chair and a member of the AfLIA Governing Board.

As IFLA’s Regional Chair her key role will be to in increase the presence of world regions in IFLA and IFLA’s presence around the world focusing on advocacy and building capacity. She will lead efforts to provide input on IFLA advocacy work and review success in developing the regional dimension of the IFLA Strategy, as well as work to promote IFLA membership and fundraising in the regions.

This will include coordination and development of Regional Division action plans, review Regional Division activities in the following regions Regional Council and Regional Divisions for Asia and Oceania, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America and Sub-Saharan Africa. With her passion of developing and mentoring new library professionals we are certain that this new role will be of benefit to the international library community.

News Archive

UFS academic joins an elite league of achievers
2010-04-14

Prof. Dingie van Rensburg, Director of the Centre for Health Systems Research  Development at the University of the Free State
Prof. Dingie van Rensburg
Prof. Dingie van Rensburg, Director of the Centre for Health Systems Research & Development at the University of the Free State (UFS), has joined an elite list of a only few distinguished individuals who have been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Antwerp (UA) in Belgium.

He is only the third South African to be honoured in this way by the UA, following in the footsteps of Constitutional Court Judge Albie Sachs (2000) and former State President, Nelson Mandela (2004).

He is the first social scientist from South Africa to receive this honorary doctorate from the UA – the highest academic distinction of that university. The university has previously only awarded three honorary doctorates to social scientists: Prof. Raymond Boudon, sociologist at the University of Paris-Sorbonne (1995); Prof. Robert Putman, political scientist at Harvard University (2000); and Prof. John Nash (of A Beautiful Mind fame), mathematician and economist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Princeton.

The award ceremony will take place on 29 April 2010 in Antwerp.

Prof. Van Rensburg has authored, co-authored and was editor of many books/volumes, chapters in books, monographs, research reports and articles in scientific journals. He has also presented and co-presented at numerous national and international conferences; and supervised a significant number of master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral students.

In his 17 years as director of the Centre he has initiated, managed and led approximately 50 research and development projects, several of them large and long-term projects, and many of an inter-institutional and multidisciplinary nature.

In 2002 he became an NRF-rated researcher and in 2007 his rating as an established researcher was renewed. In the past two decades he received several research grants simultaneously from both the National Research Foundation and the Medical Research Foundation of South Africa, mostly for projects on Tuberculosis, HIV/Aids and antiretroviral treatment.

Prof Van Rensburg holds membership of both the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns and the Academy for Science of South Africa; he also served for varying periods on the Councils of both these academies. He was also a member of various health bodies of the Free State Province and the National Science and Technology Forum.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za  
14 April 2010
 

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