(Daily Graphic, Nov 7, 2011, Page 18)
THE
United States (US) Embassy is partnering with the Northern Regional Library to
provide training in online social media and creative writing for students of
Senior and Junior High Schools in Tamale.
The training builds the capacity of the
students to create blogs and publish their writings online, undertake research
online and also utilise the power of social networking sites to sustain
relationship with friends, particularly distance pals.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Northern Regional Librarian,
Mr Aaron Kuwornu said the library had widened its scope in recent times by
making available not only books, buts also computers to users of the library.
He said it was crucial for libraries to
be in tune with modern trends by offering opportunities to its patrons to
utilise the resource power of computers and the internet.
“In today’s world people can read and
learn not only from books, but also from online resources, including internet
encyclopaedias, e-books and other e-learning sites,” he noted.
Mr Kuworno said the library had
collaborated with a number of organisations to acquire computers for the
library.
He mentioned that the computers being
used to run an internet café for the library were provided by the Ghana
Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC).
He said another batch of the library’s
computers were provided by the Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL), an
international organisation that supports libraries in developing countries to
improve citizens’ access to knowledge as a means of contributing to sustainable
economic and social development.
Mr Kuworno said since the computers were
provided at the library, many young people visited the library more often.
“The computers are now serving as a
magnet pulling many young people to the library because these young people are
increasingly developing love for the use of computers and the internet,” he
stated.
The director however cautioned that
although children and the youth could benefit much from computers and the
internet, they were equally exposed to all manner of negative effects, such as
exposure to pornographic sites and the addiction to computer games.
“This is why parents need to get
involved to ensure their children use the computer for the right things and
avoid negative things,” he stated.
A resource person on Social Media for
the US Embassy, Mr Nathaniel Yankson said the students were showing a lot of
enthusiasm for the training.
“Many of them have tried on their own to
learn these things and so this training seems to have come at an opportune time
for them,” he stated.
Mr Yankson noted that the aim of the US
Embassy was to nurture the creative writing abilities of the youth by giving
them skills to write their daily experiences in life and publish them on their
blogs.
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