<<Print>>

The Second Lady, Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur has urged Ghanaians especially school children to deeply inculcate the habit of reading and accessing the libraries. This, she said would help enrich their knowledge and equip them in their endeavours. "They should also read wide and make good use of every social media platform at their disposal to access information to broaden their horizon," Mrs Amissah-Arthur said this at the opening of the third library and information week celebration in Koforidua. It was themed "Libraries providing access to information", the Second Lady said any nation that does not attach importance to reading is not worth mentioning, adding that a reading nation is winning nation. According to her, libraries are essential in every aspect of the nation's development because of their readiness to provide people with every information they need at any pont in time. Mrs Amissah-Arthur also entreated teachers to regularly patronise the library so that the children would learn from them. She donated a number of exercise and reading books to some schools. The Ghana Library Association was founded in 1962 as an offshoot of the West African Library Association and has since then become the main body representing libraries and information services in Ghana. The association is instrumental in promoting the establishment of library and information services, bibliographical work and library cooperation in Ghana. It ensures the maintenance of a high standard of professional practice and conduct and also promote and safe guard the professional interest of libraries in Ghana. The President of the Ghana Library Association, Dr. Mrs. Perpetual Sekyiwa Dadzie said libraries facilitate access through providing resources and expertise to meet patrons needs,teach information literacy skills so that patrons can read and discover the information themselves. Libraries, she said also foster cooperation with other organizations through national and international networking. Dr. Mrs. Dadzie said an important step to access information is through reading and literacy. It is for this reason that the Ghana Library Association is once again carrying out a Reading Clinic as a major activity of the week's celebration. Pupils and teachers from selected schools in Koforidua would take part in he three - day reading clinic where they would be engaged in activities such as reading aloud, role playing, spelling bee and story telling. The Deputy Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Mrs Rebecca Akita said her office has increased considerably in different areas to promote librarianship, information science and professionalism and national and worldwide issues among others. They include training programmes to meet the needs of members and to introduce them to current trends in the profession. Mrs Akita said the celebration also creates awareness of libraries, particularly, the public libraries and information service professionals and to showcase their resources, facilities and services.