University Librarians Discuss Information Accessing

Dr Osei Darkwa, Principal of the Ghana Telecom University College, has urged librarians to be abreast of electronic retrieval of information to make the profession more relevant to today’s internet world.

He said as students become more self-directed learners, librarians ought to be trained in the use of the new technologies of electronic information retrieval so as to assist library users.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day seminar by the Committee of University Librarians and their Deputies (CULD) on Thursday at Winneba, Dr Darkwa said there was the need to educate users on how to select which library catalogue would be appropriate to search for, using the internet.

Eighty participants from public universities and polytechnics attended the seminar under the theme: 'Access to Information'.

Dr Darkwa said that, the challenges posed by electronic libraries must be identified and appropriate solution designed to overcome them.

He proposed that CULD and other African library organisations, get together to create a shared digital library of materials available online.

'CULD should lobby tertiary institutions to contribute to the creation of a library with a large stock of material available to students from member institutions,' Dr Darkwa said and added that, the general public could have access to such a wealth of information through membership and institutional subscriptions.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, Professor Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw, said everybody needs information and urged librarians to make good information accessible to the public.

The chairperson of CULD, Mrs Valentina Bannerman, outlining the programme for the seminar, said participants would look for new ways of acquiring and managing electronic resources and also consider a case for the collection of development policies in African university libraries.