“Access to information is affected by our current copyright law which is restrictive, outdated and does not address the digital world. The copyright bill needs amendments to allow easy access to information for educators, librarians and all groups of people with disabilities,” these were the words from Ms Denise Nicholson, Scholarly Communications Librarian at Wits University during her presentation on the World Book and Copyright Day held at CUT on 20 April 2017. 

In her view, the copyright law is outdated and has many restrictions. She pointed out concerns regarding the draft bill, stating the spelling and grammar errors, contradictory language, too broad, unclear and does not cover all groups of people with disabilities. “If we can provide access to information, more people will be educated and uplifted, more knowledge will be shared and rural communities will be able to access information which is currently a challenge. Hopefully, the amended bill will address some of these concerns in the near future,” she concluded. 

Dr Solomon Makola, Welkom Campus Director and Prof. Maina Maringa, Snr Lecturer: Mechanical/Mechatronic Engineering also presented their scholarly and literary work as they launched their publications. Dr Makola mentioned that his book entitled ‘Find Meaning, Stop Wondering’ has grown out of a testimony of hope that has touched and changed millions of lives. Prof. Maringa presented his research book entitled ‘The Elastic Behaviour of our Dual Moduli Materials in Bending’, which he said his motivation for publishing it was to share his research findings with the wider audience to generate more research on the property of some materials. 

The World Book and Copyright Day was first proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 23 April 1995. The main objective of the celebration beyond reflection and information sharing is to pay a worldwide tribute to the authors by sharing some of their work production. This also promotes reading by encouraging everyone, and in particular, young people to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.   

1: Ms Denise Nicholson, Scholarly Communications Librarian at Wits University. 

2: Ms Tanya Reid from Van Schaik bookstore showcasing some of their books.