The prepaid metering system at the Accra Central Library is one of the major challenges affecting the operations of the Ghana Library Board, Mr Guy Amartefio, Greater Accra Regional Librarian has said.

Speaking during the celebration of the International Children’s Book Day in Accra, Mr Amartefio said the inability of the Library to purchase units to service the prepaid meters could sometimes ground activities of the library for weeks.

The International Children’s Book Day is a project of the International Board on Books for Young People, and is celebrated annually in commemoration of Hans Christian Anderson, who was a prolific writer of children’s books.

Mr Amartefio noted that, due to the unattractive nature of the library, it had failed to attract support and sponsorship from corporate entities, and called on all to assist the library with its activities such as the acquisition of relevant books and computers.

He bemoaned the declining reading habit among the youth, and called on all to put the necessary measures in place to make reading attractive.

He said as a result of promotional activities, patronage at the Accra Central Library had jumped from 10,587 in 2012 to 11,038 in 2013 for the children’s library while the adult library also recorded an increase from 22,614 in 2012 to 28,939 in 2013.

He praised the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), which is under the Ministry of Communications, for providing computers at all the ten regional libraries.

Mr Samuel Aryee, Head of Finance, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, expressed the Assembly’s readiness to support the Accra Central Library to attract patronage.

Awards of library books and plaques were presented to 15 schools for their participation in reading, poetry recital and spelling competitions organised by the Accra Library Board for schools within the metropolis.