annual welfare calendar, and has expanded to involve other government departments and voluntary welfare agencies to cater for many more young persons and children during the summer holidays. The recorded number of participants in the 1969 summer programme totalled 1,258,612 and 32,768 volunteer helpers were recruited.
THE VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS
31. The department continued its efforts through increasing financial and other forms of assistance to support the development of youth services provided by welfare agencies such as the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association, the Scouts Association Hong Kong Branch, the Girl Guides Association, the Children's Playground Association, Caritas, and the Youth and Children's Division of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.
LIBRARY SERVICES
32. The Department has provided mobile library services since 1950 and, with the inception of community and social centres in the 1960's, libraries serve a considerable readership in the urban areas. In September 1968 two additional library facilities were acquired as a result of a generous donation of two vehicles from UNICEF; the existing fleet of three mobile libraries caters exclusively for the popula- tion of the New Territories, and during the year had over 17,000 registered readers. The three mobile libraries reach about half of the villages and schools in the New Territories and each of them travels between 40 and 50 miles a day. In addition to the mobile service each of the six community and social centres is equipped with a library; during the year they had a total registered membership of 24,000 persons of all ages.
33. The aim of this service is to provide a useful recreational outlet particularly for young people. Unlike public libraries managed by the Urban Council, which provide a comprehensive range of literature, the Department's library service tries to meet popular demands for light but instructive reading material for the average resident. On this basis, serious academic and research literature is avoided in preference to literature of current interest, novels, pictorials, popular journals, books for children, periodicals and newspapers, which form the bulk of reading material in all nine libraries.
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