Recreation, Sport and the Arts 445
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.
Cultural Exchange
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.
Books Registration Office
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.
Sport and Recreation
A growing number of Hong Kong people enjoy a varied selection of sports and recreational facilities and activities. The LCSD develops and manages facilities such as sports grounds, playgrounds, sports centres, holiday camps, swimming pools and beaches. It also organises training courses, sporting competitions and other activities for people of all ages and abilities, and encourages passive recreation by providing parks and landscaped open spaces.
In addition, the department administers subventions provided to 25 camps run by 12 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with participation by about 783 050 people.