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We had the opportunity to explore Durban's coast and beaches, a traditional Zulu village, the beautiful Drakensburg Mountain range, a wine estate in the Midlands and the beauty of the Free State province.

The IFLA project continues as we gather and verify data on countries around the world. During the second phase of our project we continue our online research and quest to verify data submitted by various countries. We are gaining a new perspective on the challenges faced by libraries worldwide and are fascinated by the responses to questions regarding internet use, privacy, filtering, freedom of expresson, and the promotion of women's literacy.

Their is much work to be done yet on the project. We are thrilled to be involved in the overall process and wish the IFLA research team much success as the project continues over the next few months.

It has been one full week now filled with exploration and learning. We are discovering more and more about the lifestyle and culture of South Africa. We had a wonderful weekend filled with majestic scenery and a rare glimpse of the wildlife.

I had the opportunity to travel to Mpumalanga, the province just east of Gauteng (the province where we are staying). Mpumalanga, “the place of the rising sun” borders the Kruger National Park and is home to some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.
We traveled thru the mountains and hiked to some of the most amazing viewing points in the area. We saw God’s Window, the Pinnacle, the Three Rondavels (three huge rocks with tops that look like traditional African hut roofs), The Bourke’s Luck Potholes (“nature’s wishing well”, a complex of smooth cylindrical potholes and rock sculptures hollowed out by whirlpools created at the meeting point of the Blyde River (‘river of joy”) and the Treur River (“river of sorrow”). The area is filled with lush forest areas and beautiful waterfalls. The whole experience was amazing.

On Sunday we visited the Lion Park and got up close and personal with some 4 month old lion cubs. Allisa was holding hands with one the cubs and did not want to let go! The guided drive through the park took us to 4 different lion camps. They are big hungry creatures! We also saw some other wildlife such as cheetah, hyena, zebra, impala, and springbok.

The project has begun… On Tuesday we were warmly greeted by Prof. Theo Bothma, Head of the Department of Information Science at the University of Pretoria, School of Information Science. Over coffee he explained a bit more about the project we will be working on. Currently, IFLA’s Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) is working on the data collection for the 2007 World Report. This will be the fourth time that IFLA/FAIFE will be publishing a World Report on the state of intellectual freedom and libraries worldwide. Similar to the 2005 report, this year’s report will again address the following themes: Anti-terror legislation and libraries, Women and freedom to access to information, and HIV/AIDS awareness and libraries. The data collection process consists of questionnaires that are distributed to IFLA members, National Libraries, and Library Associations worldwide. Our job will be to assist in the data collection process by conducting Internet research and verifying data on the questionnaires. With the outstanding search strategies that all of the SOIS students have acquired thru education and experience, the project is going quite well.

Everyone we have met here at the University has been very kind and welcoming. The faculty and staff at the School of Information Science are amazing and have helped us to get settled in quite quickly.