Koforidua, Aug. 1, GNA – E-syllabus for Africa, a Non-Governmental Organisation, has provided training for librarians and library assistants in the Eastern Region, in a computer software called ‘black star’.
The black star library software is a system programmed on computers to lessen cataloguing, ticketing, borrowing and archiving of books in the libraries to reduce the paper and manual management of libraries in community and district schools.
The beneficiaries, drawn from the various district and communities in the Region, were trained on how to use the software to build data on all users of library facilities to enhance borrowing and tracking of the library books.
E-syllabus for Africa, which is focused on improving Information Communication Technology (ICT) in schools to meet global trends, has already trained many school pupils in the country in how to use the computer to learn at library facilities.
Mr Kwame Zowonu, Director of E-syllabus West Africa, said ICT was a global trend propelling development but pupils in sub-Saharan Africa were behind due to several reasons and the focus was to bridge the gap by offering training and building capacity to all stakeholders in education.
He said since many libraries in schools and communities had internet facilities and the NGO was working with the Ghana Library Board (GLB) to roll out the black star software throughout the country and training of the librarians and their assistants was to facilitate the success of the programme.
Mr John Kennedy, Eastern Regional Director of E-syllabus Africa, said the good thing about the system was that once installed at a library facility, it could be used without any internet connection and, therefore, could be useful in the remotest community libraries.
Ms Vida Oppong-Afriyie, a senior Librarian at the Koforidua Regional Library, said the software was good and when applied would effectively manage transactions.