Librarians trained on Library management software in Tamale

By: Saaka Alhassan, Tamale

eSyllabus for Africa, a non-governmental Organization (NGO) operating in Ghana and the African sub-region, has trained over ten librarians and library assistants in the northern region on a library software to aid in the efficient and prudent management of Libraries across the country.

The Library management software christened "Black Star", developed by eSyllabus for Africa, is to help librarians to easily do reporting, cataloguing, ticketing, archiving, borrowing, monitoring of books, generating reports, recording damage books, and old books as well as taking stock of books in the library.

The 'Black Star' also has an SMS message alert system to alert users of the library who borrowed books to duly return the books when the days elapses.

Speaking to Fiila News in an exclusive interview, eSallabus Director for West Africa, Quame S. Zowonu said the 'Black Star' is essentially to reduce the paper and manual work in the libraries in the various communities and districts across the country.

The software which he said is being piloted took almost two months to be developed. Mr. Quame S. Zowonu is however optimistic that by the next pilot training programme them should be able to get in all the inputs to make it a standard software for libraries in the country.

According to him, pupils in the sub region are lagging behind in ICT and the focus of the organization is to bridge the technological and digital gap by offering training the capacity building to all stakeholders in education.

Librarians were drawn from various districts and communities in the region. They were taken through how to use the 'Black Star' to build a data base on all users of the library facility to enhance borrowing and tracking of library books as well as inputting books in the Library.

eSyllabus for Africa is focused on promoting Information Communication Technology (ICT) in schools and has demonstrated the value of e-learning programs through its tutoring and computer labs and Digital Library Program and is now the leading e-learning Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Ghana and Africa.

It also provides educational resources and interventions in Ghana and Africa as a whole, through the provision of scholarships and the distribution of digital educational materials to aid teaching and learning from the basic level through Senior High to the tertiary level of education.

The Northern region Director of the Ghana Library Board (GLB), Aaron Kuwornu, said the software will go a long way to assist and lessen the stress of workers as it takes away the paper and manual work in the library.

He said the software could not come at a better time than this since everybody is now moving along the technological and digital trend in the world.

He applauded eSyllabus for Africa for the initiative and was convinced that the software will be used for its intended purpose.