Embassy of the United States Accra, Ghana

IRC Reference area

The Information Resource Center (IRC) is located at No. 24 Fourth Circular Road, Cantonment, Accra and serves the U.S. mission to Ghana by providing Ghanaians with timely, accurate information on American politics, news and opinions, government, society, history, and culture, and on U.S. policies affecting the bilateral relationship. The IRC is staffed with three trained information specialists who rely on a circulating and reference collection of over 2000 books, 30 print periodicals, 350 videos – including feature films. The IRC relies on a wide variety of on-line databases via the Internet, including full-text periodical databases such as Factiva, Lexis-Nexis, FirstSearch and Ebscohost. Through these databases the IRC has up-to-the-minute access to the full text of over 8,000 magazines, newspapers, wire services, and other information sources.

The IRC provides ten workstations to our patrons for on-line research. In addition to Internet resources, we offer our patrons direct access to JSTOR and eLibraryUSA. Whether you are interested in an article about U.S. politics, wish to consult a bibliography of American Literature, or plan a trip to the United States, we stand ready to assist you in your search. We offer weekly program sessions on eLibraryUSA and Open Access Databases, providing our patrons with training and a password to access these databases.

The IRC is open to the public Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m. and Friday 09:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon except on U.S. and Ghanaian official holidays. Queries are accepted by telephone, e-mail, or in person during working hours.

Additional Resources

• Reference Collection: The IRC hosts a circulating and reference collection, which includes materials on U.S. institutions, American foreign policy, civil society, history, the arts, and media.

• DVDs: The IRC has a collection of videotape documentary films and feature films related to the United States. IRC users can view them on the premises. Group showings in the Embassy multipurpose room or elsewhere can be arranged. In addition, institutions can borrow videotapes for classroom use. Please note that, due to copyright restrictions, the IRC is not able to copy videotapes.  

Services

• Reference Services: Our information specialists are available to assist with the use of IRC resources. For example, we can help you locate materials for academic research, guide you in online searching, or provide access to databases about the United States. We accept queries in person, by phone, fax, or e-mail. 

• Outreach Service: The IRC has a variety of ways of delivering information about the United State to our clients. This includes the creation of specialized information packages in response to institutional queries and to support special programs. Please contact an IRC reference specialist to help determine what service is right for your needs.

IRC staff do not answer questions related to visa issues. Please consult those pages in the embassy website.

Contact Information

e-mail: ircaccra@state.gov
Phone number: +233-30-2741919 

Hours of Operation

• Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Fridays 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.