Forestry researchers are located at the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), the Institute for Renewable Natural Resources (IRNR), the Crops Research Institute, the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, the Soil Research Institute, and in the Universities. The specific departments concentrating on forestry research are the Geography and Botany Departments of the Universities of Ghana and Cape Coast, as well as Faculties of Agriculture in the Universities of Ghana; Cape Coast; Science and Technology, Kumasi; and Development Studies, Tamale.

Trainers of forestry professionals are based in the School of Forestry, Sunyani (SFS), the IRNR and the Universities of Ghana, Cape Coast and Development Studies.

Limited information on forestry is available to the organisations involved, with few even having low-level library or information services. Those collections which do exist tend to be out of date, poorly organised and difficult to access. Librarians at the four universities outlined above have a small number of publications of forestry, but few are up-to-date.

The FORIG library was opened in 1963 and presently occupies two small rooms in the Institute's temporary buildings. The collection comprises 5300 books 38 journals received regularly, plus reports, monographs, reprints and other publications. Two computers, one with a CD-ROM drive, serve the library at present, along with one photocopier. There are currently more than 300 users of the library, comprising staff from FORIG and the IRNR, and students from IRNR and other faculties of the University of Science and Technology. The Librarian is a graduate, and is supported by two trained para-professionals.

To strengthen the professional capacity of forestry researchers, trainers, practitioners and forestry-related professionals in Ghana, by enhancing their access to up-to-date information, thereby contributing to the sustainable use of the country's forest resources.

To provide targeted information to forestry researchers, trainers, practitioners and forestry-related professionals in forty institutions through the establishment of a Forestry Information Centre (FIC) at the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG).

• Three FORIG professional library staff trained in pro-active information provision and use new skills at FIC.
• Needs analysis completed for pro-active information provision, and database planned and input.
• Development of equipment, books, periodicals, grey literature and CD-ROM abstract collections at FIC, SFS, IRNR and FDHQ. Collections used by professional staff.
• Current awareness package on quarterly basis for forty project institutions.