CPUT Libraries is celebrating the success of its Digital Knowledge (DK) site, with the number of academic text downloads registered by the site sailing well past the 10 000 milestone.

The site was launched in September last year as a means for CPUT staff members and students to publish theses, academic papers and other publications to a digital library that could be accessed by both a local and an international audience.

By 11 January 2010, the site reported that users had downloaded academic texts 12 000 times. A report by Google Analytics tracking site visits since the September launch stated that the site had been visited by users from 109 countries, including the US, UK and India.

According to DK’s reporting systems, the most popular CPUT download for the period 11 December 2009 to 11 January 2010 was a dissertation by Patience Aseweh Abor titled “Medical waste management at Tygerberg hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa.” The item was accessed 201 times in the four-week period.

The growing collection of CPUT items hosted by Digital Knowledge is the result of the efforts of Faculty staff members, who have contributed poster presentations, articles, conference proceedings and speeches, and Library staff members who have assisted academic staff, and undertaken the laborious process of scanning documents for the collection.

According to Deborah Becker, who serves as the Digital Knowledge co-ordinator for CPUT Libraries, the University has digitised most of its collection of pre-2005 Peninsula Technikon theses and loaded them into the Digital Knowledge database.

“12 000 downloads emphasises the visibility Digital Knowledge offers and the value of adding items to the collection,” said Becker.

“The library would like to thank staff and students who are contributing to the development of the database.”

The Library is still scanning its collection of Cape Technikon and CPUT theses. Becker, and fellow Library staff member Imraan Baderoen plan to have these texts uploaded by the end of 2010.

Other plans for 2010 include growing the site’s collection of historical photographs and documents and rolling out a means of recording citations in DK,

The Library recently also added a number of e-books to the DK site, which are available for free to staff and students.

The CPUT DK site is hosted by USA-based online publisher Berkeley Electronic Press and is based on the organisation’s Digital Commons platform.

Students and staff members wishing to contribute items to DK can access the site directly at http://dk.cput.ac.za/ or contact Imraan Baderoen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further assistance. For technical enquiries, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Note that to access Digital Knowledge, some users may need to adjust their browser settings.

By Ilana Abratt

Photograph: CPUT Libraries staff members Imraan Baderoen and Deborah Becker are hard at work digitising the University’s collection of dissertations and uploading the texts to Digital Knowledge.

Written by CPUT News
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A new website, launched by CPUT Libraries will help the institution’s staff and students find an international audience for their research papers, presentations and theses.

The site, known as Digital Knowledge, was launched on 22 September 2009. It includes facilities that allow any staff member or student to upload items to an online library of academic work. The site is searchable via Google and Google Scholar, enabling academics from Universities around the world to access CPUT research output.

Welcoming guests to the Digital Knowledge launch event, CPUT Libraries Director Dr Elisha Chiware described the historical role of libraries as a centre for storing and organising works and looked at the various methods libraries have used over the centuries to accomplish this purpose –from indexes to abstracts to today’s online search engines.

He drew attention to modern society’s demand for immediate access to information and stated that web presence is becoming a key factor in rating academic institutions.

“Through the Digital Knowledge platform, CPUT will not only increase its web presence but will also attract top academic staff,” he said.

CPUT Vice Chancellor Prof Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga, also addressing the audience at the event, took the opportunity to formally welcome Dr Chiware, who joined CPUT as Library Director earlier this year.

She said she was elated with the development of the new site and thanked senior library staff for their hard work in bring the project to fruition.

The Digital Knowledge site is hosted by USA-based online publisher Berkely Electronic Press and uses the organisation’s Digital Commons platform. Other institutions with research repositories based on Digital Commons include Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon Universities in the USA, the Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland, and Bond University, Australia.

CPUT Libraries signed a three-year hosting contract with Berkely Electronic Press in January 2009 and worked in conjunction with the company to develop the repository according to CPUT’s needs.

Library staff member Deborah Becker served as Project Co-ordinator with Imraan Baderoen assisting with information uploads.

Several staff members and students have already uploaded their work to Digital Knowledge and have witnessed a rapid turnaround in international interest. A thesis on Managing Absenteeism written by Library Staff member Janine Lockhart was recently uploaded to the site and was downloaded 53 times within a two-and-a-half week period.

Staff, students and other users can access and contribute to the Digital Knowledge site by clicking the Digital Knowledge button on the CPUT Libraries web page, or by visiting http://dk.cput.ac.za

By Ilana Abratt

Photograph: (top) Attending the launch of Digital Knowledge were CPUT Libraries staff member Michael Smith, Libraries Director Dr Elisha Chiware, Digital Knowledge Co-ordinator Deborah Becker, CPUT Vice-Chancellor Prof Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships Dr Chris Nhlapo and CPUT Libraries staff members Michiel Moll and Janine Lockhart. (lower left) Part of a screen shot from Digital Knowledge (lower right) The CPUT Libraries home page

Written by CPUT News
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.