The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has inaugurated a Knowledge Commons and a Scholarly Communication Unit designed to provide a collaborative learning and research activities for students and staff of the University
The technologically enriched learning space has a 150-seating capacity area, group study rooms, research support office, 102 computer workstations and a computer assisted learning systems while the Scholarly Communication Unit will offer resources and support to UCC journals, editors, publishers, reviewers, researchers and students.
Inaugurating the two Units, Chancellor of the University, Dr. Sir Sam Esson Jonah said he was enthused at the strategic progress of the Sam Jonah Library.
He however tasked Management of the Library to in addition to their transformation agenda, develop the Electronic Library System of the University.
“Universities all over the world are adopting innovative ways of teaching and research in this COVID-19 pandemic era. E-learning, E-research and E-publishing have replaced the traditionally know methods of teaching, learning, research and publishing.”
“I will urge the Management of this Library to consider in addition to the modernization of the physical library to develop their electronic library system to support the E-learning, E-research and E-publishing initiatives of the University,” he said.
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Dr Sam Jonah also charged Management of the University of Cape Coast to collaborate with industries in the country to develop new means of transferring knowledge to industries.
He added that “there is the need for a National Repository of the knowledge and research outputs of Ghana to serve the intellectual and research base of the country.”
On his part, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Johnson Nyarko Boampong described the establishment of the Scholarly Communication Unit as a dream come true and expressed the hope that students of the University will patronize the facilities in order to be equipped with the requisite knowledge to help them deal with national and global challenges after school.
“I am pleased that my vision of establishing a unit at the Sam Jonah Library to support the dissemination of UCC scholarly research output to the global academic and research community is achieved.”
“The University Management anticipate that this unique facility will be widely publicized and that students will patronize it extensively to synthesize ideas, innovation and knowledge to give expression to our ultimate goal of developing world rounded and enterprising graduates that are ready to face 21st Century National and global challenges head on.” he stated.
At the event, the Sam Jonah Library Board in collaboration with Management of the University of Cape Coast launched a newsletter called “Sam Jonah Library Digest.”
The newsletter is to serve as a channel of communication between the University library system and library users as well as partner libraries and institutions.
Launching the “Sam Jonah Library Digest”, Chairman of the library board Prof. Joseph Benjamin Archibald Afful explained that “Recognizing the important role of communication in the University, the Library board and Management decided to have a newsletter. Its objectives are to inform the University community about resources, facilities and services available in the Library system, educate the library user community and staff on the effective use of the library resources and facilities and finally entertain readers with interesting and exciting stories.”
According to him, the “Digest” will be published electronically on a semester bases adding that an experienced, knowledgeable and dedicated editorial team will be working on it.
Prof. Afful further called on the University Community to patronize the newsletter to in order to be constantly informed about the development in the Library system.
SOURCE: ATLFMNEWS/ROSEMOND ASMAH
