According to Hayford Siaw, CEO of the Ghana Library Authority, libraries must be viewed as dynamic centres of creativity and cooperation rather than just locations to store books and information.
He said, "They must be locations where people can gather to learn, explore, and create using the most up-to-date tools and technology to develop creative solutions to our most pressing problems."
That was Mr. Siaw's statement when he spoke yesterday in Accra at the 7th African Library Summit and the 5th African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) conference.
It is being attended by 250 people from 36 nations and has as its topic "The Future of Learning, Libraries, and Sustainable Development in Africa."
The first conference, among other things, took place in Accra, Ghana, in 2015, and the second in Yaounde, Cameroon, in 2017.
The third event took place in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2019, while the fourth was virtual and ran from the Accra headquarters in 2021.
Decisions
According to Mr. Siaw, if people had access to information, they would be better able to make life decisions. He also stated that "communities that give timely and appropriate information to all residents are better positioned to eliminate poverty and inequality, improve agriculture, provide quality education, and support people's health, culture, research, and creativity.
"Libraries today play a more vital role in society than ever before.
The advancement of digital technology has given the library and information service professions a new dimension. They have been the cornerstones of education and information. He underlined that libraries of the future must change and adapt to the changing needs of their users.
Optimistic
The CEO of the GhLA stated that while he was positive about the future of libraries in Africa, it would require cooperation, creative thinking, and the creation of novel techniques to meet the shifting needs of communities.
"We must act as agents of change and beacons of hope.
We need to fortify our partnerships and alliances, advocate for more financing and assistance from the government, and engage with our communities in fresh and exciting ways.
Rev. John Ntim-Fordjour, who opened the conference on behalf of sector minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, stated the meeting's topic was appropriate given the state of the continent at the time.
According to him, it represented the reality of the present and the issues facing education in Africa's future, as well as the need to determine how libraries of all kinds might play a role in fostering learning that would result in sustainable development.
"Over the past two years, there have been significant changes in how individuals study officially, as the epidemic forced adjustments, flexibility, and restructuring in the educational field.
A new generation of methods for learning knowledge and skills for pursuing advanced career pathways has emerged as a result of the exponentially growing need for workers in numerous industries to refresh their abilities.
In order to increase their employability, young people are adding new abilities to their certifications, he added.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0