RECREATION, SPORT AND THE ARTS
During the year, the Space Museum organised 160 extension activities which had over 10 000 participants. The 56 groups of permanent exhibits, most of them interactive, in the Hall of Astronomy and Hall of Space Science attracted more than 300 000 visitors.
Hong Kong Film Archive
Hong Kong is one of the important film production centres in the world. The establishment of the Hong Kong Film Archive helps to preserve Hong Kong's rich film heritage. The archive building at Sai Wan Ho is scheduled to open in January 2001.
The functions of the archive are to acquire, preserve, catalogue and document Hong Kong films and related materials. The archive has already acquired more than 3 800 films and 85 000 items of related materials, mainly through donations and deposits. It has also published three volumes of the Hong Kong Filmography for the period from 1913 to 1952.
In November, the archive presented a retrospective programme to commemorate the 60th birthday of the late Bruce Lee. The programme featured an exhibition and 21 films in which the kung-fu master acted, beginning from his childhood days. A total of 8 000 people participated in the functions.
Conservation Section
Operating from 13 purpose-equipped laboratories, the Conservation Section provides a full range of preservation and restoration services to 13 public museums as well as the Antiquities and Monuments Office. The section continues to render the necessary conservation support for the preparation of thematic exhibitions and for management of some 240 000 items in the museums' collections. In addition, it provides conservation and technical support to the new Museum of Coastal Defence and Hong Kong Heritage Museum as well as the Hong Kong Museum of History. In 2000, a total of 1 900 items including metal and paper artefacts, wooden objects, paintings, textiles, ceramics, sculptures and archaeological finds were given conservation treatment.
Public Libraries
The LCSD provides free public library services in Hong Kong to meet community needs for information, informal education and the profitable use of leisure time, as well as to promote the literary arts in Hong Kong. It also manages the Books Registration Office.
The Hong Kong Public Libraries system provides a network of 67 public libraries, including the Tsing Yi Public Library and the Sam Ka Tsuen Public Library which opened in January and December, respectively. The library collection consists of 7 650 000 books and 653 737 audio-visual materials. In 2000, there were a total of 2 490 000 registered borrowers, and 3 453 300 items of library materials were borrowed during the year. Staff handled 1 080 000 reference enquiries.
Hong Kong Central Library
Preparation for the opening of the Hong Kong Central Library in Moreton Terrace, Causeway Bay, is under way. The new library, with a gross floor area of 33 800 square metres and an initial stock of 1 200 000 items, is scheduled for opening in
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