CHILDREN’S LIBRARY

The Children’s Library is the foundation of an effective public library service delivery in Ghana. It is the most popular service delivered nationwide by the Ghana Library Authority. It provides various services for children especially from primary one to junior High School. The library offers free friendly environment for children to read, learn research and for recreational activities. AIM To promote reading habit and life-long learning among young people. COLLECTION Materials of the library range from children’s books such as fairy tales, junior encyclopedias, comics, and newspapers, games (e.g. scrabbles, jigsaw, puzzles and building blocks) to film shows. SERVICES The library offers lending, reference and other reading promotion service. REGISTRATION PROCEDURE To borrow books for home reading, the children register and pay a token fee of GHȼ 2 for a year. An application form is completed by the child and endorsed by their head teacher or parent/guardian. Each child can be allowed to borrow one book at a time but fast readers may borrow two books. However four books may be borrowed in special cases. Books are issued for two weeks after which they are returned or renewed on the date due. READING PROMOTION ACTIVITIES Reading Clinics: a child is giving the opportunity to read to the hearing of others. Those who have difficulty in reading are helped by the library staff. Good readers are rewarded for their effort. Story Hour: the staff folk tales and stories they have read from books to the children after which the children are also allowed to tell the stories they have read. Book Club: beginning of every academic year children are invited to join the book club. This involves discussion on the books they have read and topical issues as well as other programmes such as debate, spelling bee, drumming and dancing, poetry recital, drama and excursion. Quiz: This organized for basic schools. Schools are selected from the catchment area compete among themselves. Prizes are awarded to participants/winners. Film shows: The library provides film shows on the stories that the children enjoyed reading. These include Aladdin, Snow White, and Cinderella etc. documentary films for children, cartoons and others are also known. Games: games scrabble, jigsaw puzzle, and building blocks, ludu and aware are provided and children are allowed or organized to play them. The library staff visits schools to give talk on the use of the library to children from time to time. Schools also visit the library to familiarize themselves with its use. They are educate on the importance of the library, the arrangement of library materials, how to find a book and the library guidelines. Guidelines to Users The following rules serve as a guide to all users: • Handle library books with care • Eating and drinking are not permitted in the library • Wash hands before using library books. • Do not write in, draw in or tear library books • Users must not shelve books after use • Do not destroy any library property

Pictorial View of Extension Library

Extension Library

The Extension Library is the department responsible for Mobile Library Services (MLS). The MLS is the most acclaimed pro-poor, rural, outreach, public library service programme in Ghana. But it became defunct in 1980s due to lack of funds. It was however, reintroduced in August, 2007 on a pilot basis to cover 60 communities in 20 selected districts across the country. The government of Ghana, with the kind assistance of the National Commission on UNESCO, purchased a total of 10 mobile vans. Each regional library was allocated a van for the purpose of running the MLS. The focus is currently on the 60 deprived, rural and sub-urban communities in the 20 pilot districts which have no access to static public libraries. Also, peri-urban schools benefit from the MLS. The strategic objective of the MLS is to bridge the in-country information divide. It seeks to provide effective and efficient public library services to communities that do not have access to static libraries in order to meet their information, educational, research and recreational needs. Its major aim is to support government’s initiatives on access to quality education. Specifically the Mobile Library Service seeks: 1. To support teaching in basic and senior high schools especially in rural and peri-urban communities without static libraries. 2. To sustain the newly acquire literacy skills by providing relevant literacy materials to Neo-literates 3. To support distance learning programmes in communities. 4. To disseminate information on government policy initiatives by providing access to government publications. 5. To monitor and evaluate the impact MLS on the lives of clients and the development of affected communities. Products and Services Bringing information materials to the door steps of our clientele: these include: - Books i.e. fiction and nonfiction for both adults and children. The book’s cover almost all facets of knowledge. - Periodicals/serials: journals, magazines etc. Orientation is given to the users on: • Guidelines on the use of the library. • Membership and borrowing procedures • Care and custody of books • Information retrieval: library and reading skills and how to make effect use of the library. • Advisory services to individual users on their information needs. • Quick reference and referral services. • Selective dissemination of information i.e. topical, national development issues and opportunities.

Lending Library

Lending Library

THE LENDING LIBRARY The Lending Library lends its books to registered users and also facilitates interlibrary loan. Through its activities, it promotes reading habits and also provides relevant materials for borrowing that will meet the information, educational, recreational and research needs of users and national development. MEMBERSHIP A person of any age of the Senior High School may be registered as a borrower after paying the stipulated fee. Registration Procedure: A person must register a borrower to enjoy lending facilities and must undertake to observe the library rules and regulations. To register as a member, a person must provide the following: • Passport size picture • Provide a qualified guarantor who must endorse his/her application form. This person must be a worker in the public institution or a renowned institution. Borrowers’ Right and Responsibilities • Registered members shall be given three (3) tickets each to enable them borrow books. • The total number of books on loan to a borrower is three (3). Additional books may be issued at the discretion of the librarian. • The normal loan period for books is 21days. At the discretion of the librarian, this period may be reduced for books in high demand. The loan request may be extended on request by two separate further periods of 21 days, but not exceeding 63 days, provided the books has not been reserved by another borrower. Reserved books are subjected to recall. • Books must be returned or the period renewed on or before the date due for return. No renewal of the loan period will be granted for books in demand. After 63 days, borrowed books must be handed over to the librarian. Books due for return may be renewed by letter or telephone, provided the following information is given: reader’s name, author and title of the book and date due for return. • Change of address and loss of ticket must be reported immediately to the librarian. • Borrower’s ticket are not transferable. • Borrowers are responsible for all books that they borrow. • After the due date, exemplary fines are charged per book per week or part of the week. Collections The library provides the following general and special collections: Book (on all subjects) Periodicals, Journals, Magazines and Newspapers Youth Collection Africana Collection Reference Sources (Dictionaries, Directories, Encyclopedias) Fiction Biographies UN Collection