Need: National Commission on Libraries, Information

It is good for Ghana to establish a National Commission to advise the government, certify, appraise, maintain, manage and regulate libraries and information services in the country.

Libraries in general affect our lives daily. In a way, Ghana has come of age to have a Commission on Libraries and Information (NACOLI), as in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Uganda, South Africa, India and the United States.

The NACOLI will be an unincorporated body backed by statute.

The Ministry of Education will provide the administrative services for NACOLI. 

There are different types of libraries and each type has its core functions.

There are national, public, academic, special and school libraries.

Currently, there is no National Library in Ghana. 

Further, a National Commission will bring the activities of all these libraries and all other information services under one umbrella for the proper management and development of resources.

Purpose, objectives

The commission’s purpose and objectives

• The primary role of the commission will be to advise the President, sector Minister and Parliament on matters relating to libraries and information bills, policies and plans in general.
• The commission will be established as a statutory body to address the information and learning needs of the citizens.
• It will be in charge of the regulation and certification of libraries and information services, in addition to other matters requested by the sector minister.
• Advise on the implementation of library and information policies in all institutions.
• Conduct surveys and studies that are relative to library and information needs.
• Develop plans to meet national library and information needs.
• Advise government, regions, assemblies and private agencies regarding the library, information services and knowledge management.
• The commission will also be responsible for developing and recommending overall plans for the provision of libraries, information services, innovation and knowledge management adequate to meet the needs of Ghanaians.

Nacoli’s work will also include consultation and collaboration with public and private institutions in the culture and heritage, education, ICT, research, and library, knowledge management and information sectors.

These institutions shall include museums, virtual libraries and archives.

Nacoli may propose research projects to the minister to support its advice and reporting function.

National libraries

It has been said that no self-respecting nation can exist without a national library.

National libraries collect and preserve the intellectual and creative resources of the country.

 They serve as the national information and bibliographic centres for planning and coordination of the entire library system of the nation.

Public libraries

These are libraries established from the national purse and owned by the country.

They can be found in regional, district and community levels of the country.

Their main purpose is to make it possible for members of the communities to meet their information needs.

They collect materials of value and make them available to the community. In addition to meeting existing demands, public libraries have a wide and varied role, ranging from the promotion of individual development to commerce, technical progress and social-cultural advancement of the country.

Academic libraries

They are found in higher institutions of learning. They are varied and distinctive as the institutions that they support.

 They include college libraries, technical university libraries and university libraries.

Special libraries

Special libraries or information centres are those that serve a special need and are found in large corporations and industries as an integral part of organisations.

They serve the information and intellectual needs of their parent organisation to achieve their aims and objectives.

They provide exhaustive and expeditious service to users through selective bibliographic, storage and dissemination of information and current awareness services.

School libraries

School libraries, resource centres or school media centres are found in pre-tertiary institutions such as nursery, primary and secondary schools.

Their main purpose is to support the school curriculum, thereby contributing to the intellectual development of the pupils and students.

They provide the environment for learning and recreational activities and the development of reading skills. Currently, these initiations have nobody to certify, appraise, manage, regulate and monitor their various operations and development in the country.

Ideally, there is the need for all libraries to be under the umbrella of the National Commission for proper regulation and management.

National development

Libraries are not only the repositories of knowledge but play a vital role in national development.

Libraries collect, organise and disseminate information needed for formulating development programmes, addressing development problems and informing communities. 

They provide relevant, up-to-date and adequate information on education, health, food security, democracy, population, youth empowerment, the environment, gender equality, family planning among many others.

They are also a statutory depository where vital documentation on the country is kept.

Unlike the Internet, the library’s resources are reliable and credible.

To improve upon productivity and learning, there is the need for such a commission.

The writer is an Information and Knowledge Management Specialist.