The children of Mrs. Mary Boye, a former Librarian and Senior Lecturer at the Department of Information Studies at the University of Ghana (UG), Legon, have donated a rare collection of Ghanaian children’s books, which are mostly out of print, to the George Padmore Library.
The children were represented by Mr. Gilbert Boye and Dr Koshie Boye-Dowokpor.
They made the donation to honour the memory of their mother who rose from being a Children’s Librarian to work as a Librarian at Ghana’s premier University.
The brief ceremony took place at the premises of the George Padmore Library at Ridge on Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
The children noted that the gesture was in line with Mrs. Boye’s passionate vision of seeing African children’s writers have their voices and stories heard around the globe and preserved for future generations.
“Books were a part of our lives from an early age. Mummy believed in starting early. She read to us often and always encouraged us to read ourselves. She did this with all children she encountered and I believe books impacted us hugely and opened up the world to us. I wish this experience for all children.” Dr Boye-Dowokpor said.
They appealed to authorities at the George Padmore Library to take good care of the books as they represent an invaluable resource for children as well as librarians, teachers, authors and others who have a chance to impact children’s reading habits.
“We humbly appeal to you to find a special place for these books so that children can come in and read them for many years to come,” Mr. Boye added.
They revealed during the ceremony that they are planning to donate some more books to the Library in the coming months.
Mr. Simon Tetteh Teye, the Director of George Padmore Library, who received the books on behalf of the Library, expressed his gratitude to the Boye family and promised that the books will be protected for posterity.
“We don’t joke with donated materials because they are someone’s property. We will do our best to get a shelf and label it for your mother so that anybody who will come in there for research or to read will have a look at it,” he said.
He appealed to other Ghanaians to emulate the family’s kind gesture by donating books and other items to the Library to help improve and enhance its activities.
The books which were donated included The Cross Drums by Meshack Asare; The Dancing Money Box by Peggy Oppong; Mmofra Nkomo Bi by Abena Korama; Kofi Goes Back to Farm by M. B. Keelson; The Berry Basket by Diana M. Mbandze among others.
