HONG KONG 2004 - Recreation, Sport and the Arts

The LCSD operates the Hong Kong Public Libraries system which comprises 72 public libraries, including nine mobile libraries. It also manages the Books Registration Office. The public libraries system provides free library and information services to meet community needs for information, lifelong learning, research, informal education and the profitable use of leisure, and to promote reading and the literary arts.

The libraries have a comprehensive collection of 9.76 million books and 1.33 million multimedia materials for some 3.14 million registered borrowers. In 2004, 62.16 million items of library materials were borrowed from the libraries and 4.02 million reference and information enquiries were handled, representing an increase of 6.04 per cent and 2.81 per cent, respectively, over 2003.

Since its opening in May 2001, the Hong Kong Central Library has developed into a major information and cultural centre in Hong Kong. Occupying a gross floor area of 33 800 square metres with a total stock of 1.99 million items, the 12-storey building provides a wide range of facilities. Special features include a Multimedia Information System, a Central Reference Library with six subject departments, Arts Resource Centre, Hong Kong Literature Room, Basic Law Reference Collection Room, Map Library, Language Learning Centre, Young Adult Library and Toy Library. There are also hiring facilities including a 1 500-square-metre exhibition gallery, a 293-seat lecture theatre, two activity rooms, a music practice room and a number of discussion rooms.

In addition to regular cultural activities and talks, territory-wide events were organised during the year. The Distinguished Contemporary Chinese Scientists Seminar was held in collaboration with the China Association for Science and Technology and the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre in October, covering a series of talks on science and technology by renowned scholars and speakers in the field. The seminar attracted an audience of over 1 000 and many others on the Internet through webcasting. Large-scale talks on CEPA and Hong Kong, and on regional development in China were held to promote understanding and awareness of the social and economic developments of Hong Kong and the Mainland. An exhibition on Hong Kong Music Collection was presented to display materials collected through the Music Collection Campaign.

The Hong Kong Public Libraries system has made dedicated efforts to improve its service to the public through enrichment of library stock and reference and information services, use of information technology, promotion of reading habits in the community as well as enhancement of the accessibility of public library services.

Three new libraries were opened during the year. In April, a small library in Tung Chung was added to the public library network, significantly enhancing library services on Lantau. In December, the Tai Po Public Library, a sub-standard district library in leased premises, was reprovisioned to the new premises at the Tai Po Complex, and a new mobile library was also put into service. Active preparation was in hand for the opening of a new district library at Ma On Shan in early 2005.

The public libraries continued to promote and support lifelong learning in the community. The Library Cards For All School Children Scheme continued in collaboration with the Education and Manpower Bureau to encourage primary school students to use library services. Regular meetings were held with school librarians on the provision of library services to support the school curriculum. Moreover, public libraries continue to provide supporting services to the Project Yi Jin education programme and 16 public libraries stock course materials of the Open University of Hong Kong, facilitating the pursuit of self-learning in the community. Plans are also under way to set up an Education Resource Centre at the Kowloon Public Library.

The Artwork On Loan Scheme, launched with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, which allows each reader to borrow two pieces of artwork and institutions to borrow a maximum of five pieces of artwork for a loan period of 30 days from the Arts Resources Centre of the Hong Kong Central Library, has proved to be popular. The scheme will be expanded in the coming year.

Reference and information services are provided at the Central Library and five major libraries — City Hall, Kowloon, Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun Public Libraries. The Central Reference Library has a total collection of 910 000 million items, providing comprehensive reference and information services through its six subject departments. It features a comprehensive collection of electronic materials including CD-ROMs, online databases, electronic books, electronic journals and multimedia programmes. All of them are available for online access by the public. The library also holds the permanent collection of books deposited under the Books Registration Ordinance and the depository collections of nine international organisations. Specialised reference services are also provided at the Arts Resources Centre, the Hong Kong Literature Room and the Map Library of the Central Library.

In September, the Central Library launched the new Internet Reference Enquiry Service in collaboration with the Zhongshan Library, Shenzhen Library, and Macao Central Library. The new service enables readers of the respective regions to directly pose reference enquiries to the participating libraries with the easy click of a link provided at the webpage of the library of their home region. This virtual synergy of professional resources represents an important step towards information and knowledge exchange in the Pearl River Delta Region.

The year also saw the opening of the Basic Law Library at the City Hall Public Library. Opened in December as a joint project with the Basic Law Institute, the library combined the collection of over 5 000 items donated by the institute with the Basic Law Reference Collection of some 3 600 items originally housed at the Central Library. The total collection covered a wide range of materials on the Basic Law, constitutional law, administrative law, human rights, and civil rights. Readers could make use of the collection for better understanding the Basic Law of the HKSAR and conducting researches in these subjects.

The Library Automation System of the public libraries is one of the world's largest computerised library systems with both Chinese and English capabilities. It provides 24-hour Internet library services for online searching, reservation and renewal of library materials. In 2004, 15.93 million items of library materials were renewed through the Internet and Telephone Renewal Services. With the growing popularity of online public library services, the Hong Kong Public Libraries home page (http://www.hkpl.gov.hk) was among the most popular websites in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Public Libraries continued to expand the application of information technology to provide more convenient and efficient services to the public. Following the launch of the new smart ID cards in 2003, residents of Hong Kong were allowed the option of using their smart ID cards as library cards to borrow, renew and reserve library materials. There was continual growth in the number of readers opting for this service and the use of smart ID card for library services was on the rise in 2004. A number of computer terminals with Internet access were installed with e-Cert compatible smart card readers for public use to promote wider use of information technology and electronic services. Moreover, the e-mail notification service introduced last year has met with warm response. So far, over 60 000 readers have opted for the new service and over 147 000 e-mail notices were issued in 2004. To meet the increasing demand for information search through the Internet, a pilot scheme is under planning for setting up Internet Express Terminals in eight libraries in 2005. Plans are also at hand to install more self-charging terminals to further promote self-services in the libraries.

The Multimedia Information System (MMIS) developed for the Hong Kong Central Library opened up new realms for information retrieval by offering the public instant access to a wide variety of digital documents as well as audio and video programmes on demand. The MMIS has received a number of awards for its outstanding digital library services. To further improve accessibility, the MMIS has been extended to 25 branch libraries and made available for web browsing on the Internet.

Outreach programmes form an integral part of library services. Regular programmes like storytelling sessions, book displays and exhibitions, thematic talks and seminars, group visits and community talks were organised throughout the year. In line with the digital library initiative, user education programmes on teaching the public to use the Online Public Access Catalogue, online databases, CD-ROMs, MMIS and the Internet were also held regularly. The libraries organised 16 967 library outreach programmes during the year.

A variety of reading programmes and reading-related activities were organised to promote reading and sustain reading habits and interest. A month-long reading promotion programme was organised during the summer holidays. The event included an exhibition on Classic Children Stories and a series of children's reading programmes such as musical drama, competitions on drawing and dramatisation of stories, film shows, reading talks, storytelling sessions, and interactive workshops.

The Teens' Reading Clubs were extended from the Hong Kong Central Library and the five major libraries to 25 district libraries. A number of activities, including meet-the-author talks, were held to support the reading clubs, and these drew an enthusiastic response. Other major reading activities included the Reading Carnival and the Selection of Good Books Scheme for Secondary School Students presented with the Hong Kong Professional Teacher's Union, and the Ten Recommended Good Books programme held with Radio Television Hong Kong.

A number of special programmes and large-scale competitions aimed at promoting creative writing and appreciation and development of the literary arts were held. The 5th Hong Kong Literature Festival was organised in July in collaboration with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, offering an array of over 30 programmes including symposiums, interflows and dialogues with authors and creators, a series of workshops, an exhibition on portraits of local authors, literary camp, and competitions on dramatisation of literary works and postcard design. Other major activities included the Chinese Poetry Writing Competition, Competition on Story Writing in Chinese for Students, and the Awards for Creative Writing in Chinese organised with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. The winning entries in these competitions were published. So far, the public libraries have published 103 Chinese literary books.

To encourage the sharing of books and to support recycling, the Book Donation and Sale Campaign was held again in February, raising over $810,000 for the Community Chest. To arouse public awareness and interest in local history, the Old Stories of Our Districts, comprising 18 talks by distinguished personalities and celebrities of the local communities attracted a very good response.

The year saw the continued strengthening of cooperation with public libraries outside Hong Kong, particularly with libraries of the Greater Pearl River Delta Region. Visits were made reciprocally with libraries in the region for professional exchange and development of joint services especially in the areas of cataloguing and reference services.

The main functions of the Books Registration Office are to help preserve Hong Kong's literary heritage through the registration of local publications and to monitor the use of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system. A Catalogue of Books Printed in Hong Kong is published quarterly by the Books Registration Office in the Government Gazette, which can be accessed through the Internet. In 2004, the office registered 13 885 books and 14 630 periodicals, and 709 new publisher prefixes conforming to the ISBN.