Libraries are under the ministry of Education in Ghana and they are essential prerequisites for developing the country. In Ghana, unfortunately, the promotion and development of library and information services have not been accorded the priority it deserves. One reason why their provision has not been taken seriously is that the potential contribution of information to economic and socio-cultural development has never been seriously appreciated. A careful study of library facilities in Ghana does not show a satisfactory picture. A part from the public libraries, which are in almost all the regions in the country, most of the special libraries are concentrated in Accra and Kumasi.
This is discouraging because many of the research institutions have sited their libraries very far away from the ordinary citizens. These libraries have been receiving, for years, only a petty budget at their disposal for the purchase of books. Only the maintenance and the salaries of the workers are borne by the municipal councils or the state. With this initial position, expansion of stock consists essentially in soliciting for donations.
There is also a lack of sufficient professional librarians; the authorities failed to effectively protect itself by training students in library science, today the few graduates of library science gravitate towards jobs in the publishing business and other lucrative industries. The lack of adequate amenities provided by the government also does not help in recruitment. There are also insufficient storage devices for audio or visual collections.
The library administration in Ghana is structured in the following areas:
Public Library ServicesUniversity LibrariesSchool LibrariesSpecial Libraries Community LibrariesRural Libraries
