DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR PUBLIC ARCHIVES: THE PUBLIC RECORDS AND ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT OF GHANA IN FOCUS

There is increased growth of digital repositories the world over. Many libraries, academic institutions, governmental and archival institutions are establishing and implementing institutional repositories. In Ghana, despite the growth of institutional repositories in some of the universities, the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD), which holds the country’s cultural heritage and history still, manages manual records. Day in and day out archives in their custody deteriorate due to frequent handling and the bad state in which the repositories are. There are no backups for the documents, thus, the archives that deteriorate beyond repairs are completely lost to future generations. The purpose of the study is to conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of a digital repository at PRAAD. Ten (10) heads of units participated in the study. A qualitative research design was used to carry out the study. A semi-structured interview was used to extract information from respondents.This paper reveals how beneficial digital repositories are to institutions that have them, especially its benefit to PRAAD. It reviews some challenges that hamper PRAAD from having a digital repository and suggests ways of getting PRAAD and its staff ready for a digital repository

Academic Libraries and Copyright Issues in Ghana: The University of Ghana in Focus

This paper briefly outlines what copyright is, the main actors in the copyright phenomenon, and the need to maintain a balance among them. The paper further discusses the difficulty in upholding copyright in relation to access to information in the University of Ghana, problems associated with the use of digital materials, the inadequacy of the permitted use principle, and the failure of copyright legislation to address the needs of the library and other groups or institutions

Postgraduate Students\u27 Perception Towards the Use of ICT in Research in Ghanaian Public Universities

The use of ICT in research has become significant among postgraduate students. However, available literature shows that there is little research on the perception and adoption of this technology in developing countries. This problem has created gap in the existing literature. This, therefore, make it necessary to find out more about the perceptions of postgraduate students on the use of ICT in research. The paper intents to discuss these. The paper adopted the survey methodology by using the stratified and convenience sampling techniques to select 346 postgraduate students from University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast to participate in the study. Incorporating the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3), this study revealed the following: Most postgraduate students perceive the use of ICT applications in research as very important. Again, majority of them intimated that ICT facilities that their institutions provided met their research needs. The findings further indicated that students accessed ICT applications for quick access to information, convenience of access to information, time saving, and currency of information accessed. This paper strongly recommends that public universities in Ghana should maintain the already existing ICT facilities. However, they should ensure that all ICT facilities are monitored and maintained

HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS: SAM JONAH LIBRARY IN FOCUS

The contribution of human capital to the survival of libraries cannot be underestimated, this necessitates their regular training and development for increased performance. The aim of the study was to assess the extent to which human capital development in the Sam Jonah Library improves performance of staff. The qualitative method was used, where interview was used to solicit information from senior management. Six out of the eight senior management members were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data from the interviews conducted. The findings of the study showed that though there were training programmes organized in the library and outside the library, they were not adequate for the number of staff who required training. It was also found out that some staff had training in other fields other than library related programmes. Further, there was no improvement in the performance of staff who received training especially those who undertook professional library studies. Based on the findings and conclusions of the study, it is recommended among others that the library should regularly measure the performance of trained staff in order to identify gaps in their skills which will enable the library to design relevant training programmes to boost staff performance. The Library should also develop and document a training policy to be used as a guide to training so as to select programmes that will be constructive to all staff from all sections of the library

Funding memory institutions in Ghana: The case of Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD)

Information is the beacon of organizations globally. The need to properly manage information to serve as evidence of every activity to ensure accountability, transparency and probity is an essential but often ignored practice in most memory institutions worldwide and especially in Africa. Studies have shown that more focus is directed towards media, civil society, human rights and parliamentary democracy to the neglect of memory institutions when it comes to governance issues. Charged with the responsibility to ‘preserve Ghana’s collective memory by facilitating and overseeing the efficient management of records of all MDAs, PRAAD’s mandate has been limited as a result of the department been starved financially. Support to PRAAD over the years has basically come from donor agencies like IRMT, DFID, and IDA of the World Bank, Danish government, National Archives of Netherlands among others. Consequently, this paper explores ways through which PRAAD is funded and attempts to identify ways in which PRAAD can strengthen its funding capacity through nationwide advocacy, publicity and other grant seeking activities. The study was guided by the qualitative paradigm. The Director of PRAAD, together with the heads of all the three departments (records centre, preservation service branch (PSB) and the archives unit) were interviewed. A major finding was that lack of funding and logistics had undermined the role of PRAAD. The paper further emphasized on the need for government to intensify support for PRAAD to enable the department to effectively and competently perform its mandate for the development of Ghana through safeguarding the nation’s collective memory for informed decision making

USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY LEADERS OF CHARISMATIC CHURCHES IN GHANA

This study examined the use of social media platforms by leaders of the Charismatic Churches in Ghana. This study is germane in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic where churches are embracing social media platforms to supplement the conventional face-to-face church meetings. The study was conducted within the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from a sample size of 152 respondents. Also, 2 head pastors and their deputies, as well as 2 IT personnel, were interviewed. The study found a high level of awareness of social media platforms adopted by the churches for running their day-to-day activities through their departmental heads and church leaders. Also, the study found that the two churches had documented policies for guiding the use of the adopted social media performs for running the activities of the church. Also, the study arrived at a positive perception towards the adopted social media platforms, and as such, the church leaders found the social media platforms very useful. This finding confirms the preposition of the TAM where perceived usefully increases the extent of use of a platform. Also, the absence of a functional dedicated help desk to support and facilitate the use of the platforms appeared to be the most critical challenge. The study recommended that orientation on social media use should be intensified in the churches, training of users and strengthening of policies on the use of social media in the two churches, should be given priority attentio

The state of document deterioration in the national archives of Ghana

A survey of the condition of documents in the National Archives of Ghana was conducted. A stratified proportionate sampling technique was used to select 600 documents from five repositories for examination. The results of the survey show that 63 per cent of the documents had pH values of below 5, 31 per cent were brittle, 77.3 per cent had fading texts, 94.3 per cent had turned brownish and 85.6 per cent had indications of fungus infestation. In all, 51.5 per cent of the documents were in need of urgent treatment. The study established that the situation resulted from a combination of factors, paramount being the unfavourable storage conditions. The implications of the findings of the study for Ghana were highlighted. Recommendations put forward include among others, mass deacidification of documents, sustained programme of fumigation, purpose-built archives for the regions, environmental monitoring and control measures, staff recruitment strategies and the institution of a comprehensive preservation and conservation policy. African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science Vol. 16(1) 2006: 1-

Records Management and Preservation in Government Ministries and Departments in Ghana

There is the erroneous notion among records managers in the public sector and the business setting that preservation of records is an activity reserved for the conservator late in the life of the document. In order to find out the care and handling of records in Government ministries and departments, 69 registries were surveyed. A questionnaire was designed to collect information from the surveyed ministries. Fort- four or (64%) responses were received. The analysis reveals that the degradation of records begin in registries in which most records spend their active life. Also, a majority of records which end up in the archives are at various stages of deterioration before reaching their destinations. The article concludes that preservation is an activity that runs through the total life of records must form an integral part records management. (African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science: 2002 12 (2): 155-166

Preserving electronic records in Ghana: Implications for national heritage

No Abstract Available Ghana Library Journal Vol.14. 2002: 55-6

Postgraduate Students\u27 Perception Towards the Use of ICT in Research in Ghanaian Public Universities

The use of ICT in research has become significant among postgraduate students. However, available literature shows that there is little research on the perception and adoption of this technology in developing countries. This problem has created gap in the existing literature. This, therefore, make it necessary to find out more about the perceptions of postgraduate students on the use of ICT in research. The paper intents to discuss these. The paper adopted the survey methodology by using the stratified and convenience sampling techniques to select 346 postgraduate students from University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast to participate in the study. Incorporating the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3), this study revealed the following: Most postgraduate students perceive the use of ICT applications in research as very important. Again, majority of them intimated that ICT facilities that their institutions provided met their research needs. The findings further indicated that students accessed ICT applications for quick access to information, convenience of access to information, time saving, and currency of information accessed. This paper strongly recommends that public universities in Ghana should maintain the already existing ICT facilities. However, they should ensure that all ICT facilities are monitored and maintained