Expected roles of Libraries in developing Smart Cities: The case of Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Accra is evolving into a smart city. Technology is being deployed in the city to improve everyday activities of the inhabitants including banking, commerce and information sharing. Libraries might be adjudged irrelevant to the ongoing conversation on Smart Cities when one considers the depth of internet penetration and availability of smart phones to a large number of the population. Governments and opinion leaders assume that every citizen living in Accra city has access to a safe place in which to engage with free relevant and life-saving information. They have neglected the role libraries play as the social, technological and intellectual hubs in national development and are focusing only on technology as the means of innovation for Accra city.

The paper focuses on the role libraries must play in the development of Smart Cities. Libraries equip citizens with digital skills which are prerequisite for full interactions and seamless participation in Smart Cities. The challenges affecting libraries and prohibiting them from maximizing their full potentials of being the social, technological and intellectual infrastructure hubs are also explored.

The paper encourages librarians to actively tell their stories and raise awareness of services they offer that can contribute to the making of Smart Cities.