* ABET Adult Basic Education and Training 
* ACE Advanced Certificate in Education 
* ACNL Advisory Committee on the National Libraries 
* ACRL Association of College and Research Libraries 
* ACTAG Arts and Culture Task Group 
* AGM Annual General Meeting 
* ALASA African Library Association of South Africa 
* ANC African National Congress 
* BLINDLIB South African Library for the Blind 
* CALICO Cape Library Consortium 
* CEO chief executive officer 
* CEPD Center for Education Policy Development 
* CEPD Continuing Education and Professional Development 
* CHE Council on Higher Education 
* CHEC Cape Higher Education Consortium 
* CHELSA Committee for Higher Education Librarians in South Africa 
* CICD Center for Information Career Development 
* CNENSA Cape Non-European Night Schools Association 
* CNLSA Conference of National Librarians of Southern Africa 
* COLIS Community Library and Information Services 
* COMLA Commonwealth Library Association 
* COSALC Coalition of South African Library Consortia 
* DAC Department of Arts and Culture 
* DACST Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology 
* EAC East African Community 
* ECHEA Eastern Cape Higher Education Association 
* EFA Education for All 
* ELITS Education Library Information and Technology Services 
* ESAL Eastern Seaboard Association of Libraries 
* ESATI Eastern Seaboard Association of Tertiary Institutions 
* ESI Ecole des Sciences de l’Information 
* ETD electronic theses and dissertations 
* FOTIM Foundation of Tertiary Institutions of the Northern Metropolis 
* FPASA Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa 
* FRELICO Free State Library and Information Consortium 
* FSHETT Free State Higher and Further Education and Training Trust 
* FULSA Forum for University Librarians in South Africa 
* GAELIC Gauteng and Environs Library Consortium 
* GCIS Government Communication and Information System 
* GIS geographic information system
* HAI historically advantaged institution 
* HDI historically disadvantaged institution 
* HEI higher education institution 
* HEQC Higher Education Quality Committee 
* HELIG Higher Education Libraries Interest Group 
* HSRC Human Sciences Research Council 
* IASL International Association of School Librarianship 
* ICT information and communication technology 
* ICTLIG Information and Communications Technology in Libraries 
* IDRC International Development Research Center 
* IFLA International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 
* IGBIS Interest Group for Bibliographic Standards 
* ILE information literacy education 
* INASP International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications 
* IRC information resource center 
* ISAP Index to South African Periodicals 
* ISASA Independent Schools Association of South Africa 
* ISBN International Standard Book Number 
* ITU International Telecommunication Union 
* IULC Inter-University Library Committee 
* IWG Inter ministerial Working Group 
* JCM Joint Catalog of Monographs 
* KZN KwaZulu-Natal 
* LACIG Library Acquisitions Interest Group 
* LIASA Library and Information Association of South Africa 
* LIS library and information science/services/studies 
* LISDESA Libraries and Information Services in Developing South Africa 
* LiSLIG LIASA Special Libraries Interest Group 
* LISSCO Library and Information Services of Science Councils 
* LIWO Library and Information Workers Organisation 
* MEDLIG Medical Libraries Interest Group 
* MiET Media in Education Trust 
* MPCC Multipurpose Community Center 
* NAC National Arts Council 
* NACLI National Advisory Council for Libraries and Information
* NARS National Archives and Records Service 
* NCLIS National Council for Library and Information Services 
* NECC National Education Coordinating Committee 
* NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development 
* NEPI National Education Policy Investigation 
* NGO non-governmental organisation 
* NHC National Heritage Council 
* NITF National Information Technology Forum 
* NLAC National Library Advisory Council 
* NLSA National Library of South Africa
* NOHIM National Oral History and Indigenous Music 
* NRF National Research Foundation 
* NTCA National Telecommunications Cooperative Association 
* OBE outcomes-based education 
* OCLC Online Computer Library Center 
* OPAC Online Public Access Catalog 
* OPD Official Publications Depository 
* OSALL Organisation of South African Law Libraries 
* PACLIG Public and Community Libraries Interest Group 
* PaCLISA Public and Community Libraries Inventory of South Africa 
* PASA Publishers’ Association of South Africa 
* PICC Print Industries Cluster Council 
* PISAL Periodicals in Southern African Libraries 
* PiT Public Information Terminal 
* RDP Reconstruction and Development  Programme 
* RETIG Research, Education and Training Interest Group 
* RFID radio frequency identification device 
* RNCS Revised National Curriculum Statement 
* SABA South African Booksellers’ Association 
* SABEC Southern African Book Exchange Center 
* SABIB South African Bibliography 
* SABINET South African Bibliographic and Information Network
* SaCAT South African National Catalog 
* SACMEQ Southern and Eastern African Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality 
* SADC Southern African Development Community 
* SAHRA South African Heritage Resources Agency 
* SAILIS South African Institute for Library and Information Science 
* SAIS Southern African Inter lending Scheme 
* SALA South African Library Association 
* SALC South African Library Conference 
* SALLP South African Library Leadership Programme 
* SANB South African National Bibliography 
* SANCB South African National Council for the Blind 
* SANLIC South African National Library Consortium 
* SANRIC South African National Research Information Consortium 
* SAOUG Southern African Online User Group 
* SASLI South African Site Licensing Initiative 
* SCECSAL Standing Conference of East, Central and Southern Africa 
* SCHELIS Standing Committee of Heads of Education Library and Information Services 
* SEALS South Eastern Alliance of Library Systems 
* SLA Special Libraries Association 
* SLIG Special Libraries Interest Group 
* SLIS Special Libraries and Information Services
* SLYSIG School Library and Youth Services Interest Group 
* SOMAFCO Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College 
* TAAA Together with Africa and Asia Association 
* TEC Transitional Executive Committee 
* UCT University of Cape Town 
* UCTD Union Catalog of Theses and Dissertations 
* ULIS Unification of Library and Information Stakeholders 
* UNESCO United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation 
* UNISA University of South Africa 
* UP University of Pretoria 
* USA United States of America 
* USA Universal Service Agency 
* USAASA Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa 
* UWC University of the Western Cape 
* UZKN University of KwaZulu-Natal 
* WGNL Working Group on the National Libraries of South Africa 
* WLIC World Library and Information Congress