TRAINING
SCHOLARLY RESEARCH SUPPORT
UKZN Library Services offers a range of training sessions designed to support and strengthen your research skills. Click the button below to explore and register for the sessions available.



























TRAINING
UKZN Library Services offers a range of training sessions designed to support and strengthen your research skills. Click the button below to explore and register for the sessions available.
UKZN LIBRARY SERVICES, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & THE ALAN PATON CENTRE AND STRUGGLE ARCHIVES (APC) INVITES YOU TO
THEME: The Topos of the Priest in Cry, The Beloved Country and other selected novels.
DATE: Friday, 05 June 2026
TIME: 11h00 - 12h00
Platform: MS Teams
UKZN Library Services is pleased to announce the launch of our new Events and Training Calendar. We invite you to explore the schedule and register for upcoming workshops, training sessions, and library-hosted events directly through the portal. To access, click on the button below or the menu item "Library Events & Training" at the top of the home page.
Trial Date: Apr. 20, 2026 to Jul. 20, 2026
UKZN LIBRARY SERVICES is trailing the CNKI database platform which consists of the following:
* China Academic Journals Full-text Database.
* China Doctoral Dissertations/ Masters' Theses Full-text Database.
* China/International Proceedings of Conference Full-text Database.
* China Core Newspapers Full-text Database.
* China Proceedings of Conference Full-text Database.
* International Proceedings of Conference Full-text Database.
* Economic & Social Big Data Research Platform – AI Data Scholar (Institutional Edition).
* China Economic and Social Big Data Research Platform.
* China Reference Full-text Database.
* China Yearbook Full-text Database.
* Academic Q&A, Intelligent translation, Article research, Collection research, Academic summary of articles, Plagiarism check, Metadata export, Intelligent writing, AIGC check.
DATABASES
MEDICI.TV is the world’s leading classical music channel. Each year, they bring 150+ exceptional live performances from top artists and ensembles to passionate music fans worldwide. The platform is home to the world’s largest video-on-demand catalogue in the classical music industry with over 4,000 concerts, operas, ballets, documentaries, master classes and jazz programs available to stream in HD.
Note: You can create personal accounts. Benefits include:
- access to our mobile app (for institutions),
- ability to save favorites,
- ability to resume viewing sessions,
- receiving our weekly newsletter so they don’t miss any of our programming.
BLOG
Over the past few years, there have been many proposals to change the historical perceptions of libraries especially in academic libraries. Such proposals included the design of libraries architecturally, the introduction of technology and the division of spaces in the library for reading and studying and socialising sections. As this is a global phenomenon, we would focus on proposals regarding the UKZN libraries.
BLOG
Coming to university can be quite daunting. You have successfully completed the application and registration phases, and now you need to find your way around the campus to attend lectures, tutorials, and pracs. Then you have assignments and essays to submit, each with its own deadlines. Where do you go to find the relevant information? Who can help you? No need to panic. The library has resources and staff to assist you through your journey.
We are calling on the UKZN community to make a difference! Join our book donation drive and help us put knowledge into the hands of those who need it most.
The Alan Paton Centre will be undergoing renovations. Therefore, the Centre will be closed from 16 March 2026 until further notice.
Resources will remain accessible. To arrange access, please contact APC staff:
Email: Specialcollections@ukzn.ac.za
Tel: 033 260 6496 / 033 260 5926
BLOG
If you’ve visited the library over the past few years, you’ve probably seen me at the circulation counter. I was the person checking your books in and out, helping you with academic reserves, or processing inter-library loan requests.
WHAT IS CALS?
CENTRE FOR AFRICAN LITERARY STUDIES (CALS): A CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN AFRICAN LITERARY RESEARCH UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL | PIETERMARITZBURG CAMPUS
CALS forms part of UKZN Library Services Special Collections, with over 40 000 books, journals and rare-visual materials. Click the button below to learn more on CALS!
Welcome! Click below button for everything you need to know about borrowing from the Library as you start your academic journey.
Welcome to the library! We are thrilled to support you throughout your academic journey. To learn more about our library and explore our various locations, please watch the short introductory video below.
TRAINING
Passport is our award-winning market research knowledge hub for forward thinkers. This guide provides a detailed overview of how to use Passport, allowing you to find the information you need more efficiently.
BLOG
History is paved with legacies, some admirable and worthy of emulation whilst others are simply a lesson of caution and a reminder to us all, that reputations aren’t built in a moment, but shaped over an entire lifetime
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS ARTICLE
“The story of African literature is incomplete without the immense contribution of Professor Bernth Lindfors” : Professor Mbongeni Malaba
My Radio Memory takes a nostalgic look at radio over the last hundred years and what the medium has meant to listeners, broadcasters, and communities across the country. It fittingly contains a hundred anecdotal accounts
Systematic U-Pb geochronological study of detrital zircon: A case study from the Central Zone of the Limpopo Complex.
BLOG
In today’s data-driven world, research output includes more than just journal articles and theses. It encompasses datasets, videos, posters, and even codes, yet many of these valuable assets remain hidden on hard drives or departmental servers, unseen and unused.
A question worth asking?
When ChatGPT first appeared, like many librarians, I wondered: Will AI replace me? The question is both personal and professional.
DATABASE
Emerald Publishing is one of the world's leading digital-first publishers, commissioning, curating and showcasing research. Emerald's mission & purpose is to publish research that has real world impact by creating an equitable research and publishing environment where all voices are represented and heard.
Inspired by the knowledge of hundreds of researchers, this guide compiles best practices
and tips from the global systematic review community. It features clear definitions and
practical advice.
The Gandhi-Luthuli Documentation Centre invites you to take a video tour of the Centre to learn of the rich history of KwaZulu-Natal.
UKZN subscribes to an institutional license to Covidence, the world’s #1 Systematic Review tool. Using Covidence as part of your research process can reduce the time to complete by up to 35% while maintaining quality.
IRESS is a technology company that provides financial market data, trading platforms, and wealth management software to clients in the financial services industry. Its flagship product, IRESS Viewpoint, is a comprehensive platform that offers real-time market data, news, research, and analysis tools to help investors make informed decisions....
| Campus | Library | Weekdays | Saturdays | Sundays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgewood | Edminson Library | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours |
| Howard College | Barrie Biermann Architecture Library | 08h00 - 16h30 | Closed | Closed |
| EG Malherbe (Main) Library | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours | |
| Eleanor Bonnar Music Library | 08h00 - 16h30 | Closed | Closed | |
| GMJ Sweeny Law Library | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours | |
| Medical School | Nelson R Mandela Library | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours |
| Pietermaritzburg | Cecil Renaud (Main) Library | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours |
| Law Library | 08h00 - 23h00 | 08h00 - 23h00 | 08h00 - 23h00 | |
| Life Sciences Library | 08h00 - 23h00 | 08h00 - 23h00 | 08h00 - 23h00 | |
| Westville | Westville (Main) Library | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours |
| Campus | Library | Weekdays | Saturdays | Sundays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pietermaritzburg | Alan Paton Centre & Struggle Archives | 08h00 -16h30 | Closed | Closed |
| Centre for African Literary Studies | 08h00 -16h30 | Closed | Closed | |
| Westville | Gandhi-Luthuli Documentation Centre | 08h00 -16h30 | Closed | Closed |
| Campbell Collections | Killie Campbell Africana Library | 08h00 -16h30 | Closed | Closed |