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As I write this article, the Central Regional Library in Cape Coast is in darkness, not as a casualty of the country�s energy crisis but because there is no money to load the prepaid card with credit in order to have power! The public library at Kaneshie has not been functioning for a long time because the building is sitting in water. The one in Salaga has been closed down because of the conflict in the area, while the library at Teshie-Nungua in Accra has not been functioning for 10 years now because it has no accommodation. The Teshie Library, near the Teshie Cluster of Schools, which was built by way of HIPC funding, spearheaded by the then MP for the area, Mr Edward Akita, had its building destroyed by rain more than three years ago and has remained non-operational since. Though there are signs that the building is being renovated, the signboard by the building indicates that it is being considered for another purpose! Funding The general state of the country�s public libraries is truly worrisome. They are characterised by problems such as poor infrastructure, old books, lack of computers and general logistics for their day-to-day running. The Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Mr Adjei Apenten, has said that the major problem with running public libraries in the country is funding. He stated that the government was the main sponsor of public libraries, adding that: �what it provides ends up being only adequate for the payment of salaries�. It was that state of affairs, he explained, that had culminated in the kind of situation we found in our libraries. He said though the authority was trying to internally generate some funds to help the situation, its efforts had not yielded enough. At the Accra Central Library, for instance, the authorities charge a token from drivers and allow them to park their vehicles in the yard. Support In terms of support from the corporate world, companies such as MTN and Oman Forfor are helping but that has only been a drop in the ocean. �We have not yet been able to automate our operations; we need assistance to do so,� Mr Apenten said. He explained that the issue of old books in the libraries was as a result of usage and mutilation, adding that those books needed replacement. �In the public library, no book is out of date. This depends on the policy of the library � what may not be useful to one person may be useful to another. It depends on purpose,� he said. Patronage Mr Apenten said patronage of the libraries was only high during examination periods. �We have developed ourselves not to read,� he said. �Society no longer reads for pleasure. People don�t see the need to.� �Our educational system has placed so much emphasis on examination. The whole system does not encourage reading; we read to pass examinations and then after schooling that is it,� he added. �How do we develop as a people if we do not read?� he asked. He expressed concern over the fact that parents would rather buy other things as birthday gifts for their children, not books. He said some parents did not encourage reading at home but rather sent their children out to sell and bring money home. ICT At the ICT Department of the Central Library in Accra, the section referred to as the American Corner had only one computer and children who go there to see how the computer works have to take turns. Some do not have the opportunity to do so and have to visit the library some other day to get the opportunity to do so. The Head of the department, Mrs Bernice Kutin�Mensah, appealed for assistance. Frederick Adjin, an SHS Three student of the Holy Trinity Cathedral Senior High School (HOTCASS) who was reading there, said he often sent his own books to study in the library. The place had neither air-conditioners nor fans; a situation that rendered the environment not conducive for reading. The officer in charge at the Children�s Section of the library observed that parents often used the section as a �baby sitting� place while they were at work during school holidays and that the children were sent there not necessarily to read. Given the noisy environment in which the library finds itself, is it not time it was relocated and transformed into a modern one with ICT facilities? Alien culture In other societies, libraries are always full. In those societies, even a bus drive from one part of town to another presents a fine opportunity for a commuter to bury himself or herself in a novel or journal and add a few useful ideas to one�s stock of knowledge. Unfortunately, given the poor state of our libraries, reading has become an alien culture to us and most people would rather use their leisure time for anything but reading. No wonder gossip and hearsay rule our world and the radio remains the most popular source of information for most people. What we are parading as libraries in most of our communities and even higher institutions are definitely not worthy to be called so. For a country which prides itself as a bastion of academic excellence, where the likes of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Dr J. B. Danquah, Dr K.A. Busia, Dr Kwegyir Aggrey, Professor Allotey and a host of other academic gurus cut their umbilical cord, the library facilities we have are simply unacceptable. More worrying is the fact that in the midst of our litany of national challenges, nobody seems to care! Indictment Though the advent of the internet may have reduced the dependence on the library as a research tool, the internet cannot completely replace a modern, well-furnished and well-stocked library which can only be an asset to any nation. Our library facilities are, indeed, an indictment on all of us as a people and all resources must be harnessed to right this wrong. The central government, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies must do more in this area, in collaboration with corporate organisations and individuals. Indeed, all stakeholders must play a role in erasing this national shame. If we think knowledge is expensive, we should try ignorance. Of course, we dare not do that.