Former Librarian at the University of Ghana, Emeritus Professor A. A. Alemna, has emphasized the need for stronger partnerships within the librarians’ union, urging collective efforts to address the challenges facing the sector.
Speaking at the Annual Library Open Science Week, held under the theme “Unlocking Impactful Research through Open Science: Libraries as Drivers,” Professor Alemna underscored the importance of collaboration in enhancing the efficiency and overall impact of libraries.
“We need partnerships, and that’s why I’m glad that so many universities are joining. We currently have four, and I hear a few more are expected to join next year. We need this partnership because we need collective solutions to our problems. The present era of information provision cannot rely on one library or one person alone. We need partnerships and collective solutions.”
He highlighted that completing the union catalogue and promoting resource sharing among libraries would be key steps toward eliminating duplication and improving access to essential information.
“We also need a union catalogue. This issue has existed for ages and is still not completed. Meanwhile, in this technological age, it is even easier to get our systems to interface so that there will be interoperability among libraries. We must take the issue of a union catalogue very seriously so that we can know what each library has.
“Now, resource sharing — materials have become very expensive. There’s no need for duplication across institutions. If we know who has what, it becomes easier to share. This applies not only to borrowing but also to acquiring duplicates for keeps. So, we must take the issue of resource sharing very, very seriously.”
Professor Alemna urged librarians to strengthen collaboration and leverage technology to foster innovation and enhance research support services across institutions.
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Story by Charles Wumbe Dauda | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Gabriel Tecco Mensah
