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Special Collections Section
Mission Statement

The Special Collection Section of the University Library aims to be a support base for current and future research and teaching activities of the University.

Aims and Objectives

to acquire and document information on Namibia and Namibians which will aid Faculty and students in executing their respective activities
to make this information freely available and accessible to the university community, outside researchers and the general public
to establish and maintain an effective liaison between relevant academic departments to assist in the planning and development of services in accordance with the changing needs of the University
to collaborate with other Africana Libraries and Librarians thus encouraging information exchange and networking
to collaborate with strategic information generating organisations within the University as a form of current-awareness

Materials

The Special Collections Section aims at having a comprehensive current collection of Namibiana (any material dealing with Namibia, of national and international imprint, and which subject matter falls within the realms of the University's mission statement) and related material in humanities and social sciences, and natural and environmental resources management. Materials in the collection include: published books, theses and dissertatins, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, NIED syllabi of Namibian school subjects, and unpublished material.
Materials in English are given priority but linguistic materials and vernacular texts are acquired where necessary.

Access to the Collection

The Special Collections Section operates as a Closed Collection, i.e. users are not able to browse the collection freely. However, material can be requested from the enquiry desk located at the entrance to the Section. The Section is open from 08:00 to 16:00

Lending Procedures
The Special Collection operates on the same premises as the Reserve Collection except for the fact that overnight loans are not allowed. A valid student card or membership card must be shown at all times.
Material may be used in the library for a limited period of two hours. The number of items which can be borrowed are limited to two per user including items from the Reserve Collection. Items on loan can be reserved. Items in process can be requested by completing special application forms. Items issued after 16:30 are returned to the main Circulation Desk.

Electronic Information Sources

Special Collection offers access to specialised databases of materials kept in the Section and to other information services in Namibia and the world:

Pamphlet Collection: Holds information material of pamphlets, booklets, International Monetary Fund documents, NIED syllabi of various school subjects, HIV/AIDS material. The database can be searched at:
http://196.44.141.214/wwwisis/PAMPH.01/form.htm or the
Greenstone digital library server of UNAM Library.
Newspaper Clippings: Local newspapers are scanned for articles about UNAM, adverts by UNAM, and also of general interest about the following topics: economic issues, information about government ministries and their activities. Articles are entered into a searchable on-line database --> click here
NAMLIT: The most comprehensive database of information about Namibia published in and outside Namibia, publications with a Namibian imprint, containing well over 60 000 titles in Namibian and foreign libraries.

Access to remote databases such as the

National Library of Namibia
Polytechnic Library
School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London
The Mayibuye Centre
Namibian Resources on the Internet
Stanford University's Africa South of the Sahara: selected Internet Resources... Lists a variety of both Namibian and overseas web resources
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Centre of African Studies features an interesting mix of African links as well as a useful list of African Collection Libraries

For inquiries, please contact:
Kavevangua Kahengua
Special Collections Librarian
Tel: (264-61) 206 3883
Fax: (264-61) 206 3876