Abstract:
This paper takes a critical look at how academic libraries in Ghana acquire their information/materials.
The investigation was mainly based on interviews. The interviews were conducted in four Ghanaian
public university libraries from January 2014 to March 2015. In all, 38 senior members were interviewed.
The findings indicated among other that the libraries under study purchase their library materials
through donations, purchase and legal deposits. Also, other ways of acquiring knowledge/information
in the library were: the socialisation, externalisation, combination and internalisation of artefacts. The
study recommended that the Procurement Law of Ghana must be reviewed to allow other key officers
like the provost and deans to give approval for the library to purchase books on their behalf; clearing
process from the port should be streamlined to reduce the number of days spent clearing containers of
books from the port.
