Ghana Library Authority

Last updated

The Ghana Library Authority, established in 1950 as the Ghana Library Board, was the first public library service in sub-Saharan Africa. The public library movement in Ghana began in 1928, as a personal effort of the then Anglican Bishop Orfeur Anglionby of Accra. In 1946, the Aglionby Library Management Committee worked with the British Council Advisory Committee, towards library development in the then Gold Coast. [1] In 2018 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo appointed a Ghanaian Social Entrepreneur, Hayford Siaw as GhLA Chief Executive Officer. [2] In May 2021, the Authority was shortlisted for the LBF International Excellence Awards in the 'Library of the Year' Category. [3] [4]

Contents

History

The public library movement in Ghana began in 1928, as a personal effort of the then Anglican Bishop Orfeur Anglionby of Accra who succeeded in building a small library at the Bishop's House with book donated by church members in England for reading and borrowing by the public. The work of the Committee resulted in the passing of the Gold Coast Library Board Ordinance Cap 118, in December, 1949, which became operational on January 1, 1950. [5]

It assumed responsibility for the Anglionby Library, which had been started by John Aglionby, the Anglican bishop of Accra, and the British Council's library service led by Eve Evans.It served as a model for other public library services in Africa. [6] The British Council handed over its Librarian, Miss E. J. A. Evans, and a stock of 27,000 books to start the public library service. [7] This volumes of books were housed in a wing of the King George V Memorial Hall which later became the parliament house for the first, second and third republics. The year 1950 was a significant landmark in the history of public library service in Ghana under the Gold Coast Library Board Ordinance cap 118, which was passed by the legislation council in 1949. [8] The Ordinance was later re-enacted as Ghana Library Board Act 372. [9]

This Act charges Ghana Library Authority to establish, equip, manage and maintain public libraries in Ghana; take all such steps as may be necessary to discharge such functions; and to give effect to the principles and provisions of this act. [10] Aside this function, Ghana Library Authority is to conduct in service training courses, [7] seminars and workshops for school Library Assistants and tutor Librarians; [11] visiting schools periodically to inspect and ensure that employee in these libraries are performing to the required standards; and reorganising school and college libraries and helping institutions interested in setting up libraries in their communities. [12]

Directors

Evelyn Evans was the first Director of Ghana Library Board. The Authority is currently headed by Ghanaian Social Entrepreneur, Hayford Siaw who was appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo [13]

Former directors

Award

In May 2021, the Ghana Library Authority was awarded the ‘Library of the Year’ at the London Book Fair (LBF) International Excellence Awards. [14]

Branches

The Anglionby Library was a huge success, therefore a committee was set up. The committee approached the Commonwealth Education and Welfare Trust for money to build more branches especially children's library. The Trust offered £3,000 for the provision of three libraries in Accra. The donated money was used to build the Osu, Accra Central and Kaneshie. [15] In 1975, there was 17 branches across the country. [16] As at 2019, there were 73 public libraries under Ghana Library Authority. [17]

    Greater Accra Region

    Accra Central Library

    It shared its premises with the headquarters of the Ghana Library Authority. It was established in 1946 in former Parliament House. The present premises was officially opened on 17 May 1956 by the governor Sir Charles Arden Clarke, the prime minister, and the president of the British Library Association. The Accra Central Library [18] is located on the High Street, Thorpe Road.

    Tema Municipal Library

    The Tema Branch Library was opened on 9 November 1962 at the Community Centre at Community One in Tema and moved to its current location on 9 January 2003. The library was renovated and reopened in 2019 by Karpowership Company. The library renders lending, reference and ICT services to the public. [19]  It goes on outreach to basic schools and renders book box service to some basic schools in the Municipality. It is located at adjacent to the Tema Senior High School.

    Dansoman Community Library

    The Dansoman Branch Library was founded in 1984 as a children's Library.  The library is located in the premises of the Dansoman Keep Fit Club. The current building can no longer cater for the population and for that matter, MTN Foundation is constructing a new library complex for the Dansoman Community to be able to cater for both adult and Children at Ebenezer Senior High School.

    Lartebiokorshie Community Library

    The Library started in the last nineties at the residence of Madam Juliana Sackey, former Director of Ghana Library. The current location was opened on 15 May 2013. It was the first library renders service to inmates of the Senior Correctional Centre at Roman Ridge and offers book box services to some schools.  It also runs an Adolescent health outreach programme in collaboration with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana and Mamprobi Polyclinic Adolescent Corner to curb the menace of teenage pregnancy within the community. [20]

    Osu Community Library

    The Osu children's Library was opened in 1950. It also organises reading competitions among school children during their long vacation It is located right behind the Osu Commercial Bank in Accra.

    Teshie Community Library

    The Teshie branch library started around 1990 in a rented premise at Teshie.  Operations in the current building which was put up the Member of Parliament common fund in 2006 but had a structural defects so the library was closed to the public in 2010. The Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) worked on the building until 2015 when most of the defects have been corrected, thereafter was opened again to the general public. The library is located near the Southern Cluster of Schools in Teshie and it is about 100 meters from the Teshie Family Health Hospital.

    Dodowa Community Library

    The Dodowa Branch Library was established in November 1961 through the initiative of Messrs.  E. T. Mensah and Johnson.  They applied to the then Director of Ghana Library Board for the facility.  The library was started at Lower Dodowa in a rented apartment on the ground floor of a storey building, under the care of a resident who was later trained to become the Library Assistant in charge. It was later relocated in 1977 to its current place which used to be a clinic.  The facility is currently undergoing renovation by the Shai-Osudoku District Assembly.

    • Frafraha Library

    George Padmore Research Library on African Affairs

    • It was created in 1961 by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, former President of Ghana. The Research Library was symbolic of what was happening and play important role in furthering the aims of the struggle. [21]
    • National Children's Library

    Volta Region

    Ashanti Region [22]

    Central Region

    Eastern Region

    Northern, North-East and Savannah Region

    Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Region

    Bono Region

    Bono East Region

    Ahafo Region

    Upper East Region

    Western and Western North Region

    Upper West Region

    Sections

    The objectives of the Ghana Library Authority is to provide materials for educational support, in the areas of both formal or informal education, in order to have a mass of informed citizens in the country and act as a centre for the dissemination of information of any kind and by any means, such as books, newspapers, magazines; to provide facilities for study and research. Additional objectives include active participation in community activities, with the provision of information to fill specific needs, and to promote and encourage a reading culture in the country..These sections were created to fulfill the objectives.

    Lending

    The Lending section serves adult and student users.  It provides books for lending to registered users.  It also renders Interlibrary Loans, Reservation, Referral and Current Awareness services.  It observes UN days with exhibitions and displays.  It organizes Outreach Programmes for selected Senior High Schools, Readers Club, Research and French Literacy services to the public.

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Accra</span> Capital and the largest city of Ghana

    Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, 20.4 km2 (7.9 sq mi), had a population of 284,124 inhabitants, and the larger Greater Accra Region, 3,245 km2 (1,253 sq mi), had a population of 5,455,692 inhabitants. In common usage, the name "Accra" often refers to the territory of the Accra Metropolitan District as it existed before 2008, when it covered 199.4 km2 (77.0 sq mi). This territory has since been split into 13 local government districts: 12 independent municipal districts and the reduced Accra Metropolitan District (20.4 km2), which is the only district within the capital to be granted city status. This territory of 199.4 km2 contained 1,782,150 inhabitants at the 2021 census, and serves as the capital of Ghana, while the district under the jurisdiction of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly proper (20.4 km2) is distinguished from the rest of the capital as the "City of Accra".

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Accra Region</span> Region of Ghana

    The Greater Accra Region has the smallest area of Ghana's 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of 3,245 square kilometres. This is 1.4 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the most populated region, with a population of 5,455,692 in 2021, accounting for 17.7 per cent of Ghana's total population.

    Articles related to Ghana include:

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Accra Academy</span> Male second cycle institution in Kaneshie, Ghana

    Accra Academy is a boys' secondary school located at Bubuashie near Kaneshie in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. It admits both boarding and day students. The school was established as a private school in 1931 and gained the status of a Government-Assisted School in 1950. It is the oldest existing secondary school to have been privately founded in the Gold Coast.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Akufo-Addo</span> First Lady of Ghana

    Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo is a Ghanaian public figure and the current first lady of Ghana as the wife of President Nana Akufo-Addo.

    Joshua Kwabena Siaw, popularly known as J. K. Siaw, was a Ghanaian industrialist and philanthropist, who in 1969 established Tata Brewery Ltd. – now known as Guinness Ghana Breweries, also as Achimota Brewery Company (ABC). He is notable for opening the largest wholly African-owned brewery company in West Africa in 1973. In 1979 all his assets were confiscated by the AFRC regime of Ghana under false allegations of tax evasion. He died in London, in exile, in October 1986.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Theresa Amerley Tagoe</span> Ghanaian politician (1943–2010)

    Theresa Amerley Tagoe also known as Iron Lady was a Ghanaian female politician and a leading member of the New Patriotic Party and a former Member of Parliament of the Ablekuma South Constituency.

    Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took office as Ghana's president on 7 January 2017 after winning the December 2016 presidential elections. A number of controversies have arisen under his administration.

    Ben Abdallah Banda is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Offinso South Constituency in the Ashanti Region on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.

    Bernard Okoe-Boye is a Ghanaian politician and was a member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Ledzokuku Constituency in the Greater Accra Region on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party. He was once the board chairman of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the nation's largest medical facility. He is currently serving as the boss of the National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA) mandated to run the affairs of Ghana’s premium health insurance scheme, the National Health Insurance Scheme (Ghana).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Quartey</span> Ghanaian politician

    Henry Quartey is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Ayawaso Central Constituency in the Greater Accra Region on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party. He is currently the Minister for Greater Accra Region.

    Dr. Kofi George Konuah was a Ghanaian educationist and statesman who served as Chairman of the Public Services Commission of Ghana from 1962 to 1970 and Chairman of the Audit Service Board from 1970 to 1974. As an educationist, he is known for being a co-founder and the first principal of Accra Academy, an all-boys secondary school located in Accra.

    Felix Elvis Addo is a Ghanaian business executive and certified public accountant. He is the non-executive chairman of Guinness Ghana Breweries, since 2018. Before taken up this role, Addo was chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation. Addo is a former Country Senior Partner for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Ghana and former member of the PwC Africa Governance Board.

    Elijah Amoo Addo is a Ghanaian chef and food stylist who has become a social entrepreneur through his creation of Food for All Africa. Established in 2014, Food for All Africa is a non-profit social enterprise that operates West Africa's first community food support center. Based in the capital of Ghana, Accra, the organization uses advocacy and a food-sharing mobile phone app to feed thousands of vulnerable children through food recovery and redistribution. Working with local restaurants, supermarkets, food distribution companies, and rural small-hold farmers, Addo's organization collects leftover food or unwanted food that is close to its use-by date and redistributes it to disadvantaged children in orphanages, hospitals and lower-income schools. The organization is also working on the national policy level to make it easier for suppliers to donate food and claim tax benefits. Additionally, after discovering that as much as 46% of the food produced on farms in Ghana goes to waste because of poor roads, broken-down trucks and inefficient marketing, Food for All Africa is collaborating with a range of stakeholders in the Ghanaian food industry to find ways to reduce food wastage.

    Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Adenta Constituency in the Greater Accra Region and the current Regional Chairman of the Greater Accra Region on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana</span> Viral pandemic in Ghana

    The COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first two cases in Ghana were confirmed on 12 March 2020, when two infected people came to Ghana, one from Norway and the other from Turkey.

    Edward Baffoe Bonnie is a Ghanaian politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Ghana for the Asokwa East constituency in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghanaian government response to the COVID-19 pandemic</span> Actions by the Ghanaian government on COVID-19 pandemic

    The Government of Ghana initially responded to the virus through a nationwide disinfection and fumigation exercise which began in April 2020. In order to curb the spread of the virus, the government enforced lockdowns, aggressive contact tracing, public bans and social measures such as encouraging the wearing of face masks. By April, it began the gradual reopening of the country; lifting all lockdowns while maintaining protocols such as social distancing. Throughout the pandemic, the government partnered with the private sector in order to roll out economic reliefs and recovery programs as a result of the impact of the pandemic on Ghana's economy. There was also an expansion of medical facilities and the improvement of testing logistics.

    The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana from March 2020 to July 2020.

    Robert Addo Sowah is a Ghanaian professional footballer who last played as a defender for Ghanaian Premier league side Accra Hearts of Oak.

    References

    The Reference section room provided for study and research. It admits only adult and student users.  objective of the Reference Library is to provide the right information to the right person at the right time.  It has sitting capacity of 125. It opens from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday.  It offers current awareness services, selective dissemination of information, interlibrary loan, library orientation and referral services.  Its resources include books, newspapers, periodicals, pamphlets, government publications, laws and historic maps.

    Children

    The Children's section offers library services to children especially from pre-school to Junior High school.  Its objective is to promote the reading habit among children and establish the foundation for life-long learning. The library has a reference corner which provides opportunity for children to do their homework.  This corner was equipped with computers to serve the technology needs of children.  The library organizes children's programmes such as story hour, film shows and other literacy related activities. The importance of work with children necessitated the putting up of a summer hut where some of the children's activities like drama and story hour could be shifted to accommodate the growing population of users. The book stock includes reference and African collections.  The library has artefacts, drawings and assorted educational games.

    Extension

    The extension section was created in 1960 to cater for the deprive and unserved communities that do not have access to physical libraries.  in view of this, the Mobile Library Service was introduced.. The Mobile Library complements the efforts of the static libraries by reaching out to clients who cannot visit the library regularly to borrow books to read at home.  It provides lending services through the Book Box Service. This service is particularly suitable for families, institutions/organizations, identifiable groups, societies and clubs. The Mobile Library service is the most popularly acclaimed pro-poor, rural, outreach, public library service programme in Ghana.  The Mobile Library services also embarks on ICT Classes for selected basic schools that do not have computer for their practical lessons in the communities across the country and this initiative is supported by EIFL.

    Projects/Activities/Support

    Current board members

    As of 2021 Governing Board members of the Ghana Library Authority include: [26]

    List of Current Board Members
    NoNamePositionRepresentingDuration
    1Dr. Helena Asamoah-Hassan ChairpersonMinister's nominee2018-date
    2Mr. Hayford SiawSecretary/CEOExecutive Director, Ghana Library Authority2018-date
    3Mr. Abdul-Razak UmarMemberMinister of Education nominee2021-date
    4Dr. Ebenezer AnkrahMemberDepartment of Information Studies, University of Ghana2021-date
    5Dr. Samuel AmponsahMemberInstitute of Adult Education, University of Ghana2021-date
    6Mr. Richard FedieleyMemberMinistry of Local Government & Rural Development2021-date
    7Mr. Vincent EsoahMemberConference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS)2021-date
    8Mr. Nicholas BuabengMemberNational Teaching Council2018-date
    9Mr. Fred Sakyi BoafoMemberDepartment of Social Welfare2018-date
    10Rev. Dr. Cyril Gershon Kwao FayoseMemberChristian Council of Ghana2021-date
    11Dr. Mohammed Marzuq AbubakariMemberOffice of National Chief Imam2021-date
    12Rev. Fr. Gabriel Kojovi LiashiedziMemberNational Catholic Secretariat2021-date
    13Mr. William BoatengMemberMinistry of Tourism, Arts and Culture2021-date
    14Ms Lucy Amanda AsamoahMemberGhana National Association of Teachers (GNAT)2018-date

    Previous Board Chairpersons

    List of Previous Board Chairpersons
    NoNameDuration
    1W. A. Stewart Cole, Esquire1949 to 1950 [7]
    2Prof. L. J. Lewis1951 to 1952 [7]
    3Mr W. A. S. Cole1953 to 1954 [7]
    4Mr A. C. Walker1955 to 1956
    5Mr E. Akufo Addo1957 to 1958
    6Mr. H. Millar-Craig1959 to 1960
    7Mr C. T. Nylander1960 to 1961
    8Mrs S. Al-Hassan1962 to 1965
    9Prof. L. H. Ofosu-Appiah 1966 to 1972
    10Mrs Frances Ademola1972 to 1975
    11Prof. Anaba A. Alemna2001 to 2004
    12Hon. Kosi Kedem 2009 to 2013

    Regional Librarians

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ Kent, Allen (22 July 2014). Kent, Allen (ed.). Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science Volume 35. doi:10.1201/9781498710459. ISBN   9781498710459.
    2. ↑ "Street Library Director appointed to head Ghana Library Authority". Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
    3. ↑ "Ghana Library Authority shortlisted for London Book Fair Awards - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
    4. ↑ "Ghana Library Authority Shortlisted for the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2021". Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
    5. ↑ Alemna, Anaba A. (2000). Libraries, information, and society. Ghana Universities Press. ISBN   9964-3-0270-3. OCLC   47915137.
    6. ↑ Association, American Library (1993). World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services. American Library Association. p. 289. ISBN   9780838906095.
    7. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Training of Library Assistants". The Library. s1-X (1): 127–132. 1898. doi:10.1093/library/s1-x.1.127. ISSN   0024-2160.
    8. ↑ Agyen-Gyasi, K Atta-Obeng, H (11 April 2012). Public library service in Ghana: The Ashanti regional library in perspective. Ghana Library Journal. OCLC   809695272.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    9. ↑ Prah, David (April 2019). "Technology Adoption In Ghana Library Board, Challenges And The Way forward". International Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies (IJIRAS). 6 (4): 89.
    10. ↑ "The Laws of Ghana". judicial.gov.gh. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
    11. ↑ AGYEKUM, BAFFOUR OHENE FILSON, CHRISTOPHER KWAME, MR (1 August 2012). The Challenges of School Libraries after the Implementation of the New Educational Reforms in Ghana. DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. OCLC   931180702.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    12. ↑ Agyemang, Franklin Gyamfi (12 June 2017). "Community Libraries in Ghana: The Struggle, Survival, and Collapse". International Information & Library Review. 49 (4): 274–284. doi:10.1080/10572317.2017.1321387. ISSN   1057-2317. S2CID   148981117.
    13. ↑ Mary Ellen Quinn (2014). Historical Dictionary of Librarianship. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 123. ISBN   978-0-8108-7545-6.
    14. ↑ "Ghana Library Authority named 'Library of the Year' at London Book Fair International Excellence Awards". Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
    15. ↑ Anaba Alemna, A. (November 1995). "Community libraries: an alternative to public libraries in Africa". Library Review. 44 (7): 40–44. doi:10.1108/00242539510147520. ISSN   0024-2535.
    16. ↑ Ghana Library Board (1975). The Ghana Library Board: Silver Jubilee 1950-1975 Brochure. Accra: Arakan Press Ltd. pp. 2, 3, 6, 105.
    17. ↑ "Ghana Library Authority | About". ghanalibrary.org. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
    18. ↑ "Accra Central Library". Accra Central Library. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
    19. ↑ Ampadu, Beatrice (2018). Public Libraries contribution to National Development. Scholars' Press. ISBN   978-3639516678.
    20. ↑ "IFLA Library Map of the World". librarymap.ifla.org. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
    21. ↑ Grilli, Matteo (30 January 2017). "Nkrumah, Nationalism, and Pan-Africanism: The Bureau of African Affairs Collection". History in Africa. 44: 295–307. doi:10.1017/hia.2016.15. ISSN   0361-5413. S2CID   164516276.
    22. ↑ Boakye, Joseph (20 May 2005). "Information provision in rural communities in Ghana: The Ashanti Region in perspective". Ghana Library Journal. 14 (1). doi:10.4314/glj.v14i1.33947. ISSN   0855-3033.
    23. ↑ Boakye, J (23 August 2006). "Techniques of marketing library services and facilities: a case study of Ashanti regional library". Journal of Science and Technology (Ghana). 23 (1). doi:10.4314/just.v23i1.32977. ISSN   0855-0395.
    24. ↑ "University of Education, Winneba". www.uew.edu.gh. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
    25. ↑ Dadzie, Emmanuel Kobina Kavi, Raphael Kwame (22 June 2015). Effective library provision in Ghanaian Communities: case study of Dunkwa–On–Offin Branch library. DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. OCLC   931181173.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    26. 1 2 "Ghana Library Authority board inaugurated". Graphic online. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
    27. ↑ "Ghana Library launches e-learning project- Read2Skill". BusinessGhana. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
    28. ↑ Ghana News Agency (7 January 2020). "Ghana Library launches e-learning project - Read2Skill | News Ghana". newsghana.com.gh. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
    29. ↑ "Ghana Library Authority | About". ghanalibrary.org. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
    30. ↑ "Ghana Library Authority | Article". ghanalibrary.org. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
    31. ↑ "Ghana Library Authority | Article". ghanalibrary.org. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
    32. ↑ admin (6 January 2020). "Ghana Library Authority declares 2020 'Year of Learning'". Ghanaian Times. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
    33. ↑ "Library Authority secures license for 1000 Ghanaians to study on Coursera". GhanaWeb. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
    34. ↑ Abedu-Kennedy, Dorcas (14 November 2019). "Eastern Regional Library authority launches STEM hub". Adomonline.com. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
    35. ↑ "Ghana Library Authority | Article". ghanalibrary.org. Retrieved 26 May 2020.

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.