Collaborative innovations-making libraries more relevant in society

There are more than 230,000 public and community libraries in developing and transitioning countries. With the advent of technology, many libraries appear to have become irrelevant and are gradually losing their position and role. Further, with heightened focus on Millennium Development Goals as the 2015 deadline becomes imminent, libraries need to position themselves to play a role in meeting these goals. The contribution of public libraries to the development of countries is under-valued and un-tapped. This assertion is noted in a communiqué released at the African Public Libraries Summit in Johannesburg in September 2012 that challenged African Libraries to: 1. Be essential hubs for development, and be catalysts for community development with potential to transform people’s livelihoods; 2. Develop partnerships with other development workers to ensure that they remain relevant to the needs of the communities; The presentation provides an analysis of a partnership between Northern Regional Library in Ghana and Savana Signatures, a Northern Ghana based NGO. The presentation will show how this partnership has contributed to the Library, which is now seen as a major stakeholder in developmental discourse and practice. Analysis focuses on two activities resulting from the partnership: (1) On the Last Thursday of every month, Savana Signatures partners the Library to organise the Northern ICT4D Forum. This open event is hosted by the library and brings together development experts and members of the general public to discuss the role of ICT in community development. (2) The Technology for Maternal Health Project . Launched in 2012, the Project sends SMS messages with health information to the mobile phones of pregnant women. For both projects, the partners have put in place rigorous monitoring and evaluation processes. The paper is based on results of these processes.