By Agbolosu Mawuse Abla (UniMAC-IJ, Faculty of Journalism and Media Studies
mawusagbolosu@gmail.com
In recent years, the conversation about literacy in Ghana has become very important. According to the Ghana Statistical Service, 8 million Ghanaians aged 6 years and above cannot read and write with understanding. In the quest to make literacy a skill attained at an early age, lots of parents, teachers, and organizations have become keen on cultivating not only the habit, but also the love for reading in children.
The Kathy Knowles Community Library in Osu is one of the libraries in the country that is committed to making reading a fun activity for children, and not an imposed, boring chore. The library is open to all, but was built specifically to help children cultivate the habit of reading and to nurture other potentials that they have.
According to Head Librarian of the Kathy Knowles Community Library in Osu, Madam Joana, the library is steadily improving children’s interest in reading, causing them to visit the library often. To position reading as an enjoyable activity in the minds of the children, there are a number of techniques that the library employs, including tasking them to read stories to the hearing of the librarians.
Madam Joana shared there is a partnership with the Ringway JHS and Salem Basic Schools in Osu to allocate a period on their time table for staff of the library to visit the school weekly. “We go to Ringway JHS and Salem Basic school to read stories to the kids. We also have fun activities that we make them participate in occasionally. Because of this, most of them pass by to read when school closes, and we assist them with whatever they need,” she said.
Not only do staff of the library go to the schools, but schools from other communities bring their students to the library from time to time as well. Basic schools from Labadi and Jamestown schedule periodical visits with the library.
One would wonder how the passion of the children are sustained once ignited, because it is proven that children have low attention span and are easily distracted. Well, Madam Joana explained that how children who visit the library are treated counts a lot.
“We treat them like our own children. We teach them and correct them with love and gentleness. We also allow them to borrow books, but we make them pay a small token as membership fee, so that they can value the books they borrow and take care of them,” she stated.
“Many children have testified happily that they started reading Bible verses at Children’s Service in church because they utilize the library. Old members of the library also bring their children to show them the place that made helped them have a foundation in literacy when they were little,” she added.
Notwithstanding all these, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. The library is stocked with educational games to entertain the children. There are brain games like ludo, draft, scrambles, and origami. The library authorities review the activities monthly so that it doesn’t become monotonous to bore the children.
Additionally, the notice board in the library showcases beautiful drawings made by the children. One librarian shared that drawing and colouring is one of the extra curricula recreational activities that helps them identify the talents of the kids.
The library has a space for storytelling, where librarians and tutors sit with children and tell them tales and legends of long ago. There is also a book club, math club, cultural club, and sports club, and a sports and cultural festival is organized annually for the kids to exhibit their talents and showcase what they have learnt from their trainers over the year.
One feature of the library that members of the community consider unique is the Adult Literacy Class that happens on Tuesdays and Fridays. The class is aimed at helping adults who want to get better at speaking and writing English. All books are categorized to separate children’s books from adults’ books and to ensure easy navigation and avoid mix-ups.
The library was built in 1992 by Kathy Knowles, a nurse who has a passion for literacy and is especially interested in making children love books. She has also authored lots of children’s books.
Apart from the Osu Community Library, Kathy Knowles has also built libraries at Jamestown, Nima, and the Kanda Highway. These libraries have proven to be beneficial to both children and adults, promoting literacy from childhood and helping adults who want to better their literacy skills.
More initiatives like the Kathy Knowles Community Library should be encouraged because, reading and writing are valuable skills that both children and adults should have.
