Culture of literacy, Balme factor
Having access to literary materials is of huge essence to academic adventure, including teaching, learning, research and dissemination.
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These protocols constitute the rudimentary benchmarks of an enticing university culture that inadvertently add some spice and flavour to academic life.
This sentiment is in relation to the celebration of this year’s UN International Literacy Day (September 8), a concept that has been conceived, mooted and adopted by many nations, including Ghana.
Brief history
A Library Authority (LA) was established in 1949 by a Gold Coast Ordinance (CAP 118) effective in January 1950. This provision was re-enacted as the Ghana Library Board Act, 1970 (Act 327), amended by Act 562 of 1998, for the Ghana Library Board to become the Ghana Library Authority.
The pioneering role of Ghana in public librarianship in West Africa, including being a founding member of the erstwhile West Africa Library Association (WALA), has been a matter of enormous interest and reasonable pride.
Ghana was the first nation in English-speaking West Africa to establish a national library association in 1962 to gather persons interested in librarianship, to promote the development of libraries, while facilitating quality publications and bibliography.
Balme Library
Named after David Mowbray Balme, the library was established in 1948 and inaugurated in 1960.
The nostalgic celebration of the 75th anniversary of the University of Ghana (UG) last year traversed its logical phases of having been launched and programmatically prosecuted till its official twilight stage in December 2023.
There is a compelling need to perpetually sustain the spirit of the commemoration within its clearest context and portrayal as a cardinal UG emblem for literacy and academic pomposity.
Together with its apparent “inseparable cousins” – UG Bookshop (UG/KBS) and Computing Systems (UGCS) – it is practically indispensable in any fruitful academic pursuits in the university.
It has metamorphosed through successive growth and at present has a book collection of over 400,000, with subscriptions to online databases via e-journals and e-books.
Services
Balme has departments for acquisition, cataloguing, digitalisation, periodicals, referencing and technical service, with an additional subunit for braille service.
There is a reference desk from which books can be borrowed, as well as a Library Online Catalogue, electronic databases and a management software for library searches for journals in various academic disciplines.
Designated stacks
The Library has two stacks – East and West - for keeping stocks of books on various academic disciplines varying from “archaeology to zoology”.
Balme has specialised “sub-libraries” such as the Students’ Reference Library (SRL), Research Commons (RC) (primarily for use by faculty, graduate students and researchers), Knowledge Commons (KC), Information Access Centre (IAC) and a 24-Hour reading room.
Together with the main campus site at Legon, Balme has satellite units in numerous affiliated schools, colleges, institutes, departments, halls of residence among others to constitute a wide library system.
Patrons
Balme’s clientele includes bona fide UG faculty (active and retired), students, researchers and other affiliates.
They are categorised into (i) those with rights to borrow books, (ii) those who can use the library for reference only, (iii) UG staff, (iv) UG alumni, (v) national service persons and (vi) others, including students from other accredited institutions.
Goodwill
The further enhancement of the real UG “culture of books” as evident in profuse writing, reading, didacticism, pedagogy, research acumen and learning is anticipated.
The maintenance and continuous upgrading of The Balme Library is key in this bid, especially given UG’s avowed long-standing pursuit of global academic excellence.
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NB: it must be mentioned though, that the Balme clock (with its peculiar tick-talking and bell sound around the hour) has been out of order for some considerable time now.
I have always analogised it to the most revered Boston’s City Hall Clock, New York’s Time Square and London’s Big Ben!
It is not redundant but still relevant, despite the contemporary proliferation of mobile phones and wristwatches on UG campus – let its image be restored.
The writer is a UG, Queen', and Harvard-trained freelance writer on science and public health matters. E-mail: wbowusu2021@gmail.com
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