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