The Committee of University Librarians and their Deputies (CULD) is now named University Librarians of Ghana (ULG).
The decision was agreed on at the 40th Meeting of the Committee of University Librarians and their Deputies (CULD) held at the University of Cape Coast, Sam Jonah Library.
In an exclusive interview with ATL FM NEWS, the National Chairman for CULD now ULG, Dr Mac-Anthony Cobblah, said the name change is for marketing and branding purposes.
He said the association has been around for a while but the public still struggles in knowing who they are.
“People struggle to understand whether it’s an association or whatever it is. So, we felt that we needed a more marketable name. And that’s why we decided to change it to University Libraries Ghana, ULG. That way we can easily market that.”
The university libraries play a very critical role in the university system being at the centre of managing the knowledge resources of the university.
They support teaching and learning by developing learning material and resources and are critical to universities’ core business.
Dr. Mac-Anthony Cobblah highlighted some concerns raised during the meeting about post-retirement contracts, and standardization of management and organizational structure of academic libraries.
He cited the demand for recognition and career progression of which recommendations were made to enhance the status and professional development of librarians in higher education institutions.
Among the recommendations were the requirement of an MPhil degree for Senior librarian positions across all universities. The establishment of a clear five-rank career path for librarians to enable them to progress to the highest level and allows librarians to terminate at the librarian rank for greater career flexibility.
At the meeting, it was also recommended that academic librarians hold academic qualifications and follow academic career paths while engaging in teaching, research and practice.
However, for professional librarians, it was recommended they be allowed to focus on specialized library functions and follow a dedicated path within the library profession.
Promoting digital literacy to equip students for the digital world and allowing librarians to pursue PhDs and other relevant qualifications to enable them to become faculty members and still maintain their library status were also recommended.
Dr. Mac-Anthony Cobblah admonished Librarians, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), and the Management of all Universities to support the operations of libraries.
Read also: UCC Hosts 40th Meeting of CULD
Source: Flora Tang/ATLFMNEWS
