The library changed my life for the better

WHEN I first started at CPUT the library seemed like a place that was only for the intellectually advanced and I never thought that it would be as instrumental in my life as a university student.

I remember being given a communications assignment in my first year. the assignment was on either health in the workplace or safety in the workplace. I chose health in the workplace. We received information literacy training from Ms Davids, whereby she showed us how to use the online library. In hindsight, it was the best lecture I attended in terms of all future assignments.

The online library offered features that were so specific; we could choose if we only wanted to look at databases, journals, books, or articles. It was amazing that I could choose a date range that would keep my assignment relevant to the current times and also compare it to times before.

It provided a wide variety of options, and you had the choice to narrow it down to the year, author, and especially the title of a specific book or journal. the online library saved my life with this assignment as the weighting of the assignment contributed 25% to my year end mark.

For the specific requirements of all my assignments, the library is the source of all my information. online, the digital platform showed if the books I needed were available in the library, which library I could find it in and where the book could be found in that specific library. the library has made my life easier to access information and data. It provides me with a platform to compare notes from different books and to illustrate its relevance. this proves its necessity in my life as a student. the library has made it possible for me to access physical books anytime I need them.

After establishing the locations of the books, I went into the District Six campus library and was able to find the books that I needed. I saw that they were in fact there and that they were available. I like the fact that I could take the books out for a week which gave me enough time to do my research.

I love that I can touch an actual book as it is a reminder that books are a source of power and knowledge.

- Arlene Nazo