RECREATION AND THE ARTS
Libraries
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The Urban Council operates 12 public libraries, two mobile libraries, three gramophone record listening libraries and a video-cassette library. A new library at Telford Gardens in Kowloon Bay will be opened soon.
In the New Territories, the Cultural Services Department operates nine public libraries. In 1981, a mobile library was opened to offer throughout the territory lending services to both children and adults. The Sheung Shui Public Library moved to the Sheung Shui Town Hall while the interim Cheung Chau Library was resited to the new Cheung Chau Rural Committee building, where a larger area was available.
During the year, 269 376 new books were acquired by the two library systems, bringing the total stock to 1.4 million volumes. Non-book material included 2 960 newspapers and periodicals, 3 685 reels of microfilm, 792 video cassettes, 1 549 sets of slides and 12 490 gramophone records and cassette tapes.
In 1981, 93 953 people joined the libraries as new members, bringing the total member- ship to 1.05 million. More than 5.5 million books were issued for home reading and a further 8.5 million were read in the libraries. Library extension activities such as book exhibitions, story hours, film shows and interest group sessions were organised to promote the usage of the libraries. During the year, some 1.3 million people participated in the various programmes organised by the libraries. Two Urban Council Awards were presented, one for creative writing in Chinese and one for the writing of children's literature in Chinese.
The British Council
The council's English Language Teaching Programme continued to expand during the year when more than 38 000 students attended a wide range of classes, from beginners to university-level English literature courses. There were special courses for business and commercial English, for public examinations in English and for special language needs in the public and private sector. The expanded programme also included refresher courses commissioned by the Education Department for English language teachers in primary and secondary schools and by the Royal Society of Arts to enable native-speaking English teachers to obtain professional qualifications.
Within its educational exchange programme, the council arranged and assisted 26 short-term visitors and bursars and 15 one-year post-graduate scholarships. Some 21 specialists and consultants from the UK were brought to Hong Kong at the request of local institutions to cover a wide range of subjects.
The council receives a subsidy from the Hong Kong Government.
Highlights of a busy cultural programme included exhibitions of the work of Hogarth and Hockney, Paolozzi and Paul Nash. The Chung Ying Theatre Company, which was set-up by the council in 1979, presented the Mugnog Kids for the Arts Festival, Scapion at the City Hall and toured Malaysia with Animal Farm and completed a full programme of performances in schools.
Youth Hostels
The Hong Kong Youth Hostels Association is a charitable organisation providing leisure opportunities for young people. It maintains contact with similar organisations in other parts of the world through the International Youth Hostels Federation.
Membership increased by 24 per cent during the year and is still predominated by young people in the 17 to 24 years age group.