INFS 431: LITERATURE AND SERVICES FOR CHILDREN Session 10 – DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN’S LIBRARY SERVICES IN GHANA Lecturer: S. Nii Bekoe Tackie, School of Information and Communication Studies, Department of Information Studies Contact Information: snbtackie@ug.edu.gh College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017
Session Overview Library services for children in Ghana, as with the rest of the world, began with the establishment of the public library service in Ghana by the Colonial government. Public Library Service actually began in Ghana in 1928 with the pioneering effort of Rt. Reverend John Orfeur Aglionby, the then Anglican bishop of Accra who used his personal books to start a library service for “the growing literate” population of Accra. Slide 2 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Session Objectives At the end of the session, you will be able to: • Identify the beginnings of children’s library services in Ghana • Describe the services provided for children • Examine efforts made by other library service providers • Describe the current state of provision for children Slide 3 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Session Outline The key topics to be covered in the session are: • Topic 1: First Efforts at the Development of Library Services • Topic Two: Current State of the Provision of Library Services in Ghana • Topic Three: The Way Forward Slide 4 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Reading List Slide 5 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Topic One: FIRST EFFORTS AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIBRARY SERVICES Slide 6 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Service Provision for Children The first effort at the provision of library services for children in Ghana was made in1930. • It was an initiative by the Department of Education in the Gold Coast. • The service consisted of a mobile library service for children in government schools. • A lot of care was put in the selection of materials – not suitable for the children – materials had foreign backgrounds – children found difficult to relate to. Slide 7 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Service Provision for Children (Cont.) • Eighteen (18) years later in 1948 the public library service begun • In 1950 the Gold Coast Library Board was established • Gold Coast Ordinance Cap 118 of 1949 • Thus began library services for Ghanaians including children. Slide 8 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Service Provision for Children (Cont.) • In Ghana, as in other parts of the world, the provision of services for children begun at the same time as the adult services. • A section of the Aglionby Library (as the library was initially called) was used for the children’s service. • Books that were provided included local language books as well as English language books. – Local language books, however, were text books published by the Mission bookshops. • Majority of materials provided were religious literature. • Popularity of the children’s service – Kaneshie and Osu libraries • Within a short period of commissioning those libraries membership had risen to 5,000. Slide 9 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Services Service for children consisted of basically circulation services. • However, parents who live around the library sent their children to the library to study. • Children were required to register as members just like adult members. However, children enjoyed free membership. • The libraries were equipped to cater for children from pre- school to age 17. • In the beginning, children were allowed to borrow a book for two weeks. • As time went on it became clear that it was necessary to generate and sustain children’s interest in the library so extension activities were added to the services. Slide 10 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Services (Cont.) • The most popular extension activity was the story hour which was organised from Monday to Friday. • Books for the story hour were selected from the classics, folktales and fairy tales. • Other activities included inter-school essay competitions, spelling competitions, quizzes etc. • Prizes were given to winners of the competitions.. • There were film shows, radio talk shows and puppet theatre. • There were also book exhibitions for children. Slide 11 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Survey of Children’s Reading Interests In 1955, there was a survey of children’s reading interests. • The survey covered 16 locations in the country and the population was 10,295 children. • The survey found out that there was uncertainty about the ages of children in each class. • The problem that that posed was that it was difficult to provide books that to meet the reading interests of the whole class. • It was also found out that titles of books that children read were so varied that it was difficult to group them into specific areas of interest. • The most popular book was the Bible stories which both girls and boys indicated. Slide 12 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Survey of Children’s Reading Interests(Cont.) • Least title of books that were mentioned was books about children in other parts of the world. • Children did not show interest in books about children in other parts of the world – They could not identify with the background of those children. • Ghana Library Authority requested for advance copies of books for children to read to determine their interest before books were ordered. Slide 13 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Second Survey of Children’s Reading Interests In 1965, another survey was conducted to find out whether children’s interests had changed. • The survey was conducted because Ghana and Africa had been undergoing the struggle for independence. • It was discovered that children’s reading interests had not changed much. • However, books from other subject areas were being read • For example • science fiction and • books on children from other parts of the world Slide 14 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Second Survey of Children’s Reading Interests(Cont.) • In terms of hobbies, the survey revealed a range of interests that the children had; some were even foreign. • For example, – bird watching, – stamp collecting, – photography, – coin collecting, – music – cycling. • Again, it was discovered that children in Accra and Sekondi libraries had been reading books in series which was a very rear occurrence. • Examples included • the Nancy Drew series ; • the Bobsey Twins series; and • the Enid Blyton series . Slide 15 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Children’s Magazine The GLA decided to improve upon the services to children • It encouraged them to establish their own magazines in which they contributed – short stories, – poems, – plays, – riddles. • These were all done to encourage the adoption of reading as a life long habit. Slide 16 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Other Initiatives in the Provision of Children’s Services in Ghana There were efforts by other organizations to provide library services for children • Apart from the Ghana Library Authority, some district assemblies have been providing libraries for children. • The National Commission on Children also started providing library services for children as part of a project to build a children’s park and library complex for each of the ten regions in Ghana. • This effort was in the early to mid 1990s. • The Ghana Book Trust also set up a children’s library with an electronic component in 2000. • Mention must also be made of the efforts of Cathy Knowles, a Canadian lady who established children’s libraries in • Osu, Latebiokorshie and Kanda. Slide 17 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Topic Two: CURRENT STATE OF PROVISION OF SERVICES TO CHILDREN IN GHANA Slide 18 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Introduction Library provision for children in Ghana is on the decline instead of being on the rise. At a time when children’s rights issues are always at the forefront of discussions worldwide, it is surprising that there does not seem to be advocates for children’s libraries that will help children to inculcate the habit of reading. If children learn to read they will become more conversant with their rights and needs and be able to articulate them. Slide 19 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Current State of Provision • By 1975, about 30 children’s libraries had been established in the country by the Ghana Library Authority. • Currently, there are 61 children’s libraries under the Ghana Library Authority. • These are scattered across the length and breadth of the country. • This number is woefully inadequate considering that the Ghana Library Authority has been in existence for the past sixty-eight (68)years. • The paucity of libraries for children may be attributed to the inadequate funding that the public library system receives from central government. • It may be due also to the declining reading culture in the country Slide 20 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Current State of Provision(Cont.) • The Accra Central Children’s Library, the biggest children’s library in the country became run down from the mid 1980s to the 1990s • Barclays Bank Ghana Ltd adopted it in the mid 1990s and refurbished it. • Barclays Bank on an annual basis provided funding for five years • For the upkeep of the library in terms of reading materials for the children who patronise the library. • The initial grant that was made was 35 million cedis in the old currency. Slide 21 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
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