By Isaac
Asirifi, GNA
Cape Coast, Sept, 26, GNA – The Ghana Library
Association (GhLA) has launched its Sixth Library and Information Week in Cape
Coast.
The week-long activities, which commenced last
Monday was aimed at promoting and safeguarding the professional interest of
librarians and information professionals to create awareness on the role of
libraries in nation building.
It sought to inculcate the significance of
libraries and reading as the cornerstone of human development through knowledge
acquisition across the country.
Founded in 1962, the Ghana Library
Association, is the main professional organisation representing Libraries and
Information Services in Ghana.
Activities pencilled for the celebration
include media and publicity awareness creation, school visitations, spelling
“Bee”, and workshop for professional library staff.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Harold Nana Kwame
Appiakubi, the Central Regional Librarian emphasized the need for stakeholders
to give their strong backing to GhLA to perform it duties effectively.
He stressed the need to encourage personal
development and research into librarianship and information science as
instrumental ingredients in national development agenda.
He said “We will encourage personal
development and research in librarianship and information science to be
instrumental in promoting the establishment and development of libraries and
information services, bibliography work and library co-operation”.
Mr Appiakubi noted that an improvement in
library services will create jobs, explore the various field of research,
welcome new ideas and conducive atmosphere to encourage reading.
Mr Samuel Bentil Aggrey, the President of GhLA
also stated that libraries played a vital role in socio-economic development of
any country – contributing to better education, politic, agriculture, business
and industrial sectors.
It provide users with adequate and relevant
source of information in all spheres of life needed for the development of
every nation.
Additionally, it promotes literacy and
numeracy by making reading materials available to all, thereby, optimizing
human development through education.
Mr Aggrey urged students to learn hard and do
more research to develop their writing skills and acquired knowledge.
He called on the government to provide the
needed logistics to enable them to deliver on their mandate.
GNA