Mobile Library Service gearing for take-off

Sunyani (B/A), Feb. 21, GNA- Mr. Frederic Noble Baada, Chairman of the Ghana Mobile Library Service Committee has said lack of funds was the major contributory factor for the inability of the mobile library service to commence last year. He said preparations in all the ten regions were completed and the staffs in-charge of the service had undergone requisite training such as driving and first aid delivery to facilitate the service to communities without access to library.

"All necessary meetings and workshops were also organized for various stakeholders including District Chief Executives and traditional authorities towards the sustainability of the programme", Mr. Baada added.

Mr. Baada, who is also Brong-Ahafo Regional Librarian told the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani assorted books, vans, drivers and other staffs to run the mobile library service were ready to go to the field. "In all, about 60 communities in 20 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies across the country would have benefited from the service last year", he said.

The beneficiary communities were chosen by the regional ministers and DCEs in consultation with the regional and district directors of education respectively.

Mr. Baada said despite the preparations and measures put in place by the committee to ensure the success of the project, funds that were supposed to be given in support of its activities have failed to come," Mr. Baada said.

He explained that before agreement was reached for the implementation of the programme, the various regional librarians were tasked to submit their budgets, which were added to the annual budgets of the Ghana Library Board.

The committee chairman said the expected funds would be used to purchase generators, rain coats, mosquito nets, tents, fuel, fire extinguishers, as well as the allowances of the staffs. Mr. Baada said the committee was waiting for approval from the Executive Director of the GLB to enable them to embark on effective fund raising exercise as mandated in the committee's policy guidelines. He noted that it was one of the interventionist programmes in support of the poverty reduction strategy, as people who could not afford to buy certain kinds of books may get them for free. Mr. Baada appealed to churches, institutions, NGOs, philanthropists and individuals to come to the aid of the board and urged dces and the traditional authorities to support the staffs of the mobile service.