Building Strong Libraries and Library Associations through Continuing Professional Development: the case of Ghana Library Association
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Date
2011-05
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IFLA
Abstract
Qualified librarians in Ghana possess a postgraduate qualification in librarianship from any school of library and information studies. To ensure that they remain in tune with the changing trends and new developments in the profession, librarians should maintain a
process of continuing professional development on a formal and informal basis. Library associations at the local, national, regional and international levels are of great importance to libraries, the profession and the society. Library associations must act as major players in
the continuous development of the profession within this rapidly changing world. Librarians in Ghana and for that matter Africa need to be educated to understand and adapt to new ideas, new technologies and new services. The Ghana Library Association (GLA), must be
able to provide educational opportunities through conferences, workshops, publications, among others. The Association of Information Specialist in the Republic of Georgia provides such needed training for its librarians. This helps to influence the development of standards
of education for the profession like it is done in the US and Canada. The global community is a reality in the twenty-first century. Many of the issues that were national issues for libraries, such as copyright and technological standards are now international issues. Decisions made
at international venues now have a dramatic impact on how libraries in a specific country are able to function, and determine what services they can provide. In this regard, the members of the GLA need to work together share experiences and ideas on initiatives beyond
the countries borders. This paper provides a brief overview of the general role of the Ghana Library Association and how Continuing Professional Development (CPD) could help build strong libraries and the library Associations in Ghana.
Description
This article is published by IFLA, 2011 and is also available at http://conference.ifla.org/ifla77
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IFLA 2011