Make libraries attractive — Information Minister

The Minister of Information, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has urged managers of public libraries to make the facilities more attractive and conducive enough to attract patronage.

He recommended the creation of a platform that would enable the public to know that certain books were available at particular libraries before they moved in.

That, he noted, would prevent people from moving from one library to another in search of books and help them to save time and resources.

He was speaking at the international conference of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) and the Association of African Universities (AAU) in Accra.

The meeting was the third in the series of engagements by the CARLIGH and the AAU, during which local librarians and researchers discussed how research could be used to facilitate national development.

Established in 2004, CARLIGH is an umbrella organisation that enables the access to vital research information that is directly linked to national development and culture.

The international conference was on the theme: “Managing research outputs for national development: Trends and issues”.

Review methods

A former Minister of Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, urged the managers of research output, including CARLIGH, to review their established ways of managing research outcomes.

She said CARLIGH’s vision was to create a world of equal access to knowledge and called on the members to reach out to the public to share knowledge for true national development.

CARLIGH

For his part, the Chairman of the CARLIGH Management Committee, Dr Joel Sam, said CARLIGH would endeavour to deliver on its mandate to create a world of equal access to knowledge.