The Ghana Public Library of the Future

Abstract

There is no gainsaying the importance of public libraries in national development. Thus all over the world, nations - both developed and developing nations have a public library system of one sort or the other in place. The IFLA/UNESCO guidelines for the development of public library services identify the purposes of the public library as the provision of resources and services in a variety of media to meet the needs of individuals and groups for education, information and personal development including recreation and leisure. Additionally the public library has an important role in the development and maintenance of a democratic society. The public library plays this role by ensuring that citizens have access to a wide and varied range of knowledge, ideas and opinions
(Gill, 2001). The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the global voice of the library and information profession (IFLA, 2013); so also is the Archives and Libraries section of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization a key international organization for public library development (UNESCO, 2012).