| According to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act
no. 200 of 1993, Chapter 3 (Fundamental Rights), Article 23, every person has the right to access
information in order to apply it for his own needs.
The Department of
Library Services (i.e. the UP library) supports the principle of man
being an autonomous person who is dependent on
information to make meaningful decisions. As such
man uses and adapts information.
The following
values apply:
The freedom to
obtain information which implies the free flow of
and free access to information. It also implies that
the Department of Library Services undertakes to
contribute to the accessibility of information by
supporting value added processes such as the
identification, organization and preservation of
information, regardless of the form in which the
information may appear. This gives the user the
opportunity to make his choices from all the
information at his disposal.
The Department of
Library Services acknowledges:
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The academic
and intellectual freedom of the individual
which means that there is no censorship |
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That the
privacy of the individual will be respected |
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That the
confidentiality with regard to personal
information will be maintained |
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That the
clients will be bona fide students or
researchers of the University of Pretoria |
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That other
clients can include formal partner
institutions of the University of Pretoria |
The Department of
Library Services and clients also acknowledge our
social responsibility towards the community which
implies that we will, to the best of our ability and
with the resources available to us, make information
accessible and preserve documents. This is vested in
the value of communicability which accentuates
mutual respect and caring for each other. This
implies that each one of us is involved in the
welfare of another and will not be the cause, by
either damaging or alienating information, that
information is not available.
The other role
player, the client, is expected to undertake the
following when making use of the services and
facilities of the Department of Library Services:
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Services and
facilities will not be abused |
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Good relations
and understanding will be maintained with
fellow users |
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Refrain from making noise |
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Honesty and
transparency in communication with personnel
and fellow users will be maintained |
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When
transgressing the prescribed code of
conduct, the transgressor will be subjected
to the monitoring channels created for
transgressors |
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