Role of libraries in research March 24, 2010
Posted by Zweli in : Events, Humanities and Education Studies, Open Access Scholarly Publishing , add a commentSouth African Library Week 2010 will be celebrated from 22 – 27 March 2010 with the theme: “Reading changes lives“. SALW2010 was launched on Saturday 20 March at the National Library of South Africa to coincide with the date of the declaration of the first public library in South Africa in 1818.
The Academy is made up of researchers wanting to benefit society through their research. Libraries play a crucial role in this endeavour.
During Library Week we acknowledge the role that libraries play in the production of research. Whereas the internet at large provides general information resources, libraries provide authoritative information resources such as books, journals and access to academic electronic resources. Click here to read more about SALW2010.
Earth Hour March 23, 2010
Posted by Zarina in : Uncategorized , add a commentOn the 27 March 2010 at 8:30pm, the world will yet again be celebrating Earth Hour. Earth Hour is a global movement that encourages people to switch off their lights for one hour, in support of action against climate change. In 2009 it is estimated that approximately 1 million South Africans participated in the event, which resulted in an energy saving of approximately 400MW.
‘It’s also a saving of 400 tons of carbon dioxide, 224 tons of coal and some 576 kilolitres of water’, says Dr Steve Lennon, Eskom’s MD for corporate services. If more people pledge to switch off their lights this year and maybe even their geyers, which consume more energy, imagine the amount of not only energy but also water and other resources we can save. It can be a small stepping stone to creating awareness for achieving Low Carbon Cities in our country. For more information please see http://www.earthhour.org.za
Earth’s axis moved in Chile quake, claims NASA researcher March 11, 2010
Posted by Louise in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so farNasa reports that one of their Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory research scientists, Richard Gross, has calculated that Chile’s 8.8 magnitude earthquake of 27 February 2010 may have shifted the Earth’s axis by about 8 centimeters and made days a bit shorter. Using a complex model Gross has come up with a preliminary calculation suggesting this has made our days 2.7 milliarcseconds shorter than before. To read the article click here .
