Students being taken through the use of the online catalogue
The fourth Library and Information Week has been held at the Information Access Centre (IAC) of the University of Ghana Balme library. The programme was under the theme “Ensuring Quality Education for All: The Role of the Librarian.”
University Librarian, Professor Perpetua Dadzie
The University Librarian and host of the programme, Professor Perpetua Dadzie, said the theme of the programme was in line with the fourth sustainable development goal which is on ‘‘promoting literacy”. The goal aims to educate individuals to read and write with comprehension by 2030. Professor Dadzie said the Balme Library is committed to sustaining literacy by providing the necessary support for teaching, learning and research across various disciplines.
The two-day programme which was targeted primarily at students, included an exhibition, various instructional sessions on the use of the University’s online Catalogue (UGCat), introduction to reference sources and social media platforms of the Balme library.
Mr. Eric Amoaful Amponsah, a facilitator took students through a session on the use of UGCat. The UGCat is a manual catalogue which provides students an online access to make their research easier and faster. The facilitator took students through the various steps of accessing the UGCat Online and how to create a library account on the website.
The Head of Reader Sources at Balme Library, Mr. Daniel Opoku, also gave a presentation on reference sources. Mr. Opoku explained that reference sources are materials that direct individuals to related sources of information and provide important supporting data. He said reference sources make available specific subjects and tools for analyzing, broadening or narrowing a topic. He further advised students on the importance of citing their references when assignments are given to ensure their authenticity and credibility.
Mrs. Emelia Agyei, another facilitator took students through an instructional session on the use of Balme library’s social media platforms. She said that the library uses social media as a metric tool in communicating with students. She said the Library had accounts on various social media platforms through which students can send messages to the library regarding any research for immediate response.
The social media platforms include twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Gmail, UG account and website. She stated that the purpose of these accounts was to make the library accessible to students regardless of their location.
