Fee-based Services as Source of Funding for Public University Libraries in Ghana - A Survey

Authors

Michael Ahenkorah-Marfo, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Raymond Osei-Boadu, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyFollow

Document Type

Article

Citation

Osei-Boadu, R. and Ahenkorah-Marfo, M. 2013. Fee-based Services as Source of Funding for Public Universities in Ghana. Library Philosophy and Practice - electronic Journal

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Academic libraries have a crucial role to play in the achievement of the goals of their parent institutions. However, public universities in Ghana have generally not been financing their libraries to the quantum that has been recommended by the Universities Rationalization Committee in Ghana. Public university libraries have experienced dwindling budgetary allocations which hover around 3% of the total universities’ annual budget. Responses received from a survey on sale of some aspect of their services as a possible source of additional income indicated that it exists only in one of the university libraries. Respondents posited that it is a potential source of additional funding to all three public university libraries - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast - involved in the survey. They however, indicated that the libraries’ mandate is not to dabble in sale of information. A policy direction on this subject is recommended for the libraries to take advantage of selling some aspects of services as good potential source of funding to help them solve their financial crisis.