Show visibility or lose relevance - Emeritus professor advises libraries
An experienced academic has urged academic libraries to adopt deliberate strategies to enhance their visibility or risk losing relevance in the research and academic ecosystem.
Emeritus Professor Anaba A. Alemna of the Department of Information Studies of the University of Ghana (UG) described visibility as essential to sustaining the influence of libraries in advancing research and scholarship, and that its importance could not be overlooked.
Prof. Alemna said this last Monday at the opening of the 2025 Library and Open Science Week at the University of Ghana.
“Our libraries need to be visible. Visibility is very important because people are in our environment who may not even know the library or who throughout their four years here might not have used the library before. And these are the kind of people who would always speak against the library through no fault of theirs because we have not been visible,” he said.
The week-long celebration is on the theme: “Unlocking Impactful Research through Open Science: Libraries as Drivers”.
It is being hosted in collaboration with the Accra Technical University, the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, the University of Health and Allied Sciences and Central University.
The celebration will involve a series of activities earmarked to highlight, promote, and strengthen the role of libraries in education, research, and national development.
Open science
Prof. Alemna emphasised that the transformative concept of open science built on transparency, collaboration and inclusiveness could only succeed through strong partnerships, resource sharing and continuous professional development among librarians.
He advocated the completion of a national union catalogue to enable interoperability among academic libraries and to promote efficient resource use.
The emeritus professor further called on librarians to engage in research and publications, promote e-resources, and explore cross-institutional collaborations, adding that “you cannot drive research if you do not research yourself”.
Critical infrastructure
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the university, Prof. Gordon A. Awandare, said libraries were a critical part of the research infrastructure of academic institutions.
He stated that it had evolved from a mostly physical space into a more impactful and accessible virtual platform that connected users to vast resources.
Prof. Awandare, therefore, commended the University Librarian and partners for promoting open science through the celebration, and pledged management’s continuous support for future Library Week activities.
Commitment
Reading a joint statement on behalf of the five collaborating universities, the acting UG Librarian, Samuel Bentil Aggrey, underscored the role of academic libraries in advancing research and scholarship.
The statement reaffirmed the institutions’ dedication to promoting open science practices, responsible data sharing, and open educational resources, while strengthening inter-library collaboration to amplify research impact locally and globally.
It further urged renewed commitment to openness, excellence and shared progress.
