Mosa Mabuza and Siphelele Buthelezi
Council for Geoscience (CGS) CEO Mosa Mabuza and Geoscientific Services executive manager Siphelele Buthelezi this week officially reopened the National Geoscientific Library (NGL).
Closed to the public since August 2022, the NGL has undergone extensive renovations, which included refurbishing 40-year-old shelves and buying new furniture.
The library boasts a new reception area, a cutting-edge library and knowledge management system, and advanced information and communications technology equipment to facilitate easy access to books, journals, reports and rare historical African geological maps and reference materials.
The CGS describes this revitalised library as an invaluable resource for junior miners, scientists and the broader community.
It says the NGL serves as an institutional repository, curating geoscience collections through cataloguing, accessioning and more.
By providing comprehensive access to geoscience resources, the library aims to support education, research and knowledge dissemination in the field of geosciences.
As the most comprehensive Earth Science library in Africa, says CGS, the NGL boasts 17 000 book publications, 2 846 journal titles, 16 500 map sheets including the Africa map library and 18 000 internal reports – some dating back as far as 1859.
“We are excited to be making available, once again, a sanctuary of knowledge for those curious minds that seek to know more about the world we live in.
“We look forward to seeing many people engaging with our knowledgeable staff about all this geology and science,” Mabuza says. 