The Ghana Library Association (GLA) held its 2018 Annual General Meeting and Biennial Congress on the 1st and 2nd November at the Main Campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Sokode-Lokoe near Ho. The GLA is an association of all information professionals in Ghana. The theme for the two-day event was “National Development through the Sustainable Development Goals: The Role of Libraries”.
The congress was officially opened by Mr. Christian Kofi, the University Librarian of UHAS who welcomed the members of the association and all invited guests to the 2018 Congress. He stated that, the annual congress of the GLA afforded members the opportunity to deliberate on topical issues and those affecting libraries and librarians and to subsequently elect new executives to steer the affairs of the Ghana Library Association. He said the library is a transforming industry that cuts across government jurisdictions and has the capacity to help preserve cultural heritage, improve literacy and lives in totality. He concluded that the library therefore has a major role to play in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals in Ghana.
Professor Francis Bruno Zotor, the Director of International Programmes of UHAS, chaired the Opening Ceremony of the Congress and AGM. He described the theme for the GLA Congress as appropriate and further called on all to help in the efforts to reduce poverty and preservation of cultural heritage among others.
The Keynote Speaker was the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Hon. Maxwell Qophy Blagodzi. He expressed Government’s readiness to accept constructive ideas from professional groups like the GLA as it formulates strategies that will realize the United Nations’ vision for a transformed country. He concluded with a quote from Jon Bing that, “to ask why we need libraries at all, when there is so much information available elsewhere, is about as sensible as asking if roadmaps are necessary now that there are so many roads”.
Present at the Opening Ceremony were the Registrar of UHAS, Dr. Cynthia Sena Kpeglo, Deans, Directors and other members of the University community. Mr. Samuel Bentil Aggrey, the President and other executives and some representatives of GLA were also present. Also present were Prof. Perpetua Dadzie, Immediate Past President and University Librarian, University of Ghana and the Former Second Lady and also Past President, Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur.
A number of resolutions were passed in relation to the theme of the Congress:
- That the Right to Information Bill be passed to provide unrestricted access to information.
- That the need for the establishment of a National Library has become imperative to facilitate the collection of all available information resources pertaining to Ghana.
- That all Senior High Schools should be equipped with functional school libraries.
- That public libraries and librarians including stakeholders should encourage students to register and use these libraries especially whenever they are on holidays.
- That the Government should strengthen the ability of libraries and librarians to advocate access to information and thereby create resilient and sustainable literate communities.