Ghana Library Authority launches Public Library Endowment Fund

The Ghana Library Authority, (GhLA) has launched its 70th Anniversary with the outdooring of a Public Library Endowment Fund in Accra and the Accra Central Library Conference Facility.

The Endowment Fund is aimed at getting people, who love the library, to give a monetary gift that would continue to grow and create a legacy for the future.

The Conference Facility is also a way of optimising the use of the assets of the Authority to create value whilst making them attractive and offering inspiration.

The 70th Anniversary is on the theme, “70 Years of Transforming Minds through Libraries”.

Mr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Education, said 70 years in the life of an institution was a huge achievement and through the effort of government, the Authority had chalked major successes following some reforms, policies and strategic initiatives.

He said digitisation, innovation and technology was not available to the Authority before 2017, but today it had a modern technology that served as search engines for library users.

Mr Opoku Prempeh said the Ministry had ensured that every library across the country was on online, connected through WiFi.

That project was ongoing and in the next few weeks it would be launched by the President, he said.

“Through the free SHS all public school libraries are being revived under the Authority. The training of the staff for better library management and also stalking of the school library with books that are relevant to the educational sector are ongoing,” he added.

He commended the leadership for showing true commitment to duty, which had provided more than 20,000 Ghanaians the opportunity to do online courses.

The Minister, on behalf of the Government, donated a seed amount of three million Ghana cedis to the Fund, indicating that public library service was a major player in the drive to promote reading, literacy and ultimately improve learning outcomes.

“The Ministry envisages that Ghana, through the efforts of the Authority, will become a reading nation,” he said.

Dr Helena R. Asamoah-Hassan, Board Chair, GhLA, said the Authority was not just celebrating a 70-year journey, but a celebration with massive transformation.

She said the Fund, as the flagship project, was to support the effective running of libraries, create a permanent stream of income that would benefit generations to come and sustain the transformation made.

The Fund would be invested in safe instruments to support the development and operations of public library service delivery in Ghana, Dr Asamoah-Hassan said.

She said the GhLA had gone through decades of dormancy as a result of being solely dependent on the government for funding for all its activities such as research, capacity building, technology, infrastructure development; book purchases and other operations.

“We do not want the sad history of our public libraries to repeat itself. That is why we are launching this fund, and we are calling on all corporate organisations, individuals and NGO’s to help back our thought by helping us raise a seed fund of GHC 10 million.”

“A strong public library system is built over time; it grows and evolves over decades and even centuries. That is why the GhLA is establishing this endowment fund to create a lasting impact on the public library system in the country.”

Mr Hayford Siaw, Executive Director, GhLA, said the Authority was established in 1949 as the Ghana Library Board by the Gold Coast Ordinance CAP 118 and came into effect in January 1950, where patrons benefited from library services such as the mobile Library and the book box services.

He said in 2016, the total number of public libraries in Ghana were 61, but had bow increased to 84 within three and a half years.

With its frequent patrons being students, the Authority had recruited 191 personnel to help in the effective running of public libraries in the country.

Some of the services provided include research support and book box services; cataloguing and processing of books, bindery services, software development and ICT training.