From Paul Ayutoliya:
This is brief report on a a four days workshop organized by BIBLIONEF Ghana in collaboration with Rotary Club. BIBLIONEF Ghana had over few years back collaborated with CESRUD/FAVL in promoting the culture of reading. They did this by supporting over 20 Basics schools in Bolgatanga West B’ and North with mini school libraries. They had also supported the Sumbrungu community library with more library books among others.
To ensure the effective use of the school libraries and the materials provided to Children, BIBLIONEF Ghana organized a four day workshop on Library Management and Reading Promotion for Basic Schools Library teachers on Library Management and Reading Promotion, forty (40) teachers from 20 basic schools participated in the workshop training including all librarians of the Sumbrungu Community Library. The workshop training took place at the Teachers Resource Center which is not too far from the community library. Due to the social distancing protocol and other measures the workshop were divided in two batches with 20 teachers each batch for two days.
The executive director of CESRUD Mr. Rex was present the first day, he welcomed all to the workshop and admonished teachers to ensure that all what they will be learning during the workshop training period would be put to practice when they return to the various schools resumes. He also welcomed Ms. Patricia Arthur, the director of BIBLIONEF Ghana and her team for coming to engaged the teachers on libraries related matters.
The workshop training centered on how the school libraries could be properly manage to facilitate good reading practice by all Children and their teachers. Teachers were taking through first, what a library was (it was surprising that some teachers could not properly defined what a library is), rules that should governs the libraries and some benefits of a reading. Reading has so many benefits, and therefore when teachers are able to get children to read at all time, they will benefit a lot not only the children but also the teachers and all those would read, some benefits of reading enumerate during the workshop includes;Participants were also taken through cataloguing and accessioning of books, book cards, book pockets among others. How to charged and discharged a book when the book is borrowed out.
All the above and others normally were for the first day for each batch. On the second day, library teachers were tasked to work in a group of two and come up with a project they think when they put in place it will get children to read. And the groups were to come up with the project.
I would say it was a good move by BIBLIONEF Ghana, a lot were learnt and I am sure when all is put to practice, children in few years to come would be better readers and would be able to do critical analysis of their reading. Not only children but teacher and young adults. I will want seize this opportunity on behalf of the executive director of CESRUD/FAVL Ghana Mr. Rex, and Country Director for FAVL Africa, Prof. Michael extend my sincere thanks and appreciations to the director of BIBLIONEF Ghana Mrs. Patricia Arthur and her team for a good work done. We hope there will be more of these workshops with CESRUD as often as possible.
