The University of South Africa's (Unisa) Library and Information Services (LIS) hosted a successful Vendor Day on 25 and 26 May 2025, bringing together leading international publishers, information service providers, academics, researchers, librarians and students to explore innovative digital resources shaping the future of research, teaching and learning.

Aligned with Africa Month's focus on digital transformation, the event highlighted the library’s commitment to expanding access to global knowledge resources while supporting the university's teaching, learning and research agenda.

Opening the event, Dr Janice de Wee, acting Executive Director of LIS, welcomed delegates and emphasised the importance of strategic partnerships in strengthening research support and ensuring that the Unisa community remains connected to world-class scholarly resources and emerging technologies.

Vendor Day also provided an opportunity to strengthen collaboration across various library divisions, including client services, information distribution and research support teams, reinforcing a shared vision of innovation and digital transformation.

Representatives from some of the world's leading academic publishers showcased a range of resources and publishing opportunities available to the Unisa community. Ashley Parsraman from Cambridge University Press introduced publishing solutions designed to enhance accessibility and increase the global impact of scholarly work. At the same time, Philip de Kock from Springer highlighted workshops and masterclasses to support both emerging and established researchers throughout the publishing process.

A significant focus of the event was the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic research. Zanele Nomvete from World-Wide Information Services (WWIS) demonstrated the academic writing lifecycle and showcased AI-powered tools available through Unisa's subscriptions. She explained how these technologies can assist researchers in identifying suitable journals, analysing citation trends and navigating the publishing landscape while maintaining ethical research practices.

Delegates were also introduced to advanced research and discovery platforms. Tami King from Clarivate presented premium datasets that support interdisciplinary research, while ProQuest highlighted extensive digital collections of theses, newspapers, magazines and other scholarly resources. Colleen Mills from EBSCO reinforced the continued value of curated databases and reference resources in supporting student and academic success.

Day two featured presentations from several leading publishers and information providers, including De Gruyter Brill, Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, Jonathan Ball, Cengage, and IEEE. One of the most engaging sessions was delivered by Apelline Renauld from JoVE and CABI, who demonstrated innovative text-to-video technology that transforms complex research methods and protocols into high-quality visual learning resources. Technology illustrated how multimedia content can improve accessibility and comprehension, particularly within a distance-learning environment such as Unisa.

The demonstrations generated considerable interest among attendees, particularly around the potential of multimedia technologies to enhance research communication, teaching and learning. Discussions highlighted how emerging digital tools can improve accessibility, simplify complex concepts and support more engaging knowledge-sharing practices across disciplines.

According to Dudu Sizakele Nkosi, Director: LIS, Vendor Day serves as a strategic platform for connecting the Unisa community with global information resources and emerging technologies that support the university's teaching, learning and research mission. She noted that such engagements strengthen partnerships between libraries, publishers and technology providers, ensuring that researchers and students can fully benefit from the institution's subscribed resources.

The event underscored the growing importance of innovation, collaboration and technology-driven solutions in advancing research excellence. By bringing together international publishers, technology providers, librarians, researchers and students, Vendor Day demonstrated how strategic partnerships can strengthen research capacity, enhance scholarly communication and expand access to world-class information resources.

The event reaffirmed LIS's strategic role as a gateway to global knowledge and a key partner in enabling research excellence at Unisa.

* By Itumeleng Mpete and Yandisa Makaluza, Library and Information Services