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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The provision of toy library services has been considered by the Libraries Select Committee on a number of occasions. According to our records in January 1982, it was mentioned at the District Relations Select Committee and this was submitted to the Libraries Select Committee for consideration. Whilst the Libraries Select Committee is sympathetic to the needs of young children for toys, the Committee considers that it would be inappropriate to consider such provision at this juncture for the following reasons:-
(a) there is a widespread demonstrated demand for more libraries of the traditional kind in various districts; and
(b) the bookstock of the existing libraries needs to be strengthened to meet the needs of residents.
We also consider the fact that if toys are provided in the libraries we would have to consider the question of safety, noise, nuisance, repairs, etc. therefore the Libraries Select Committee has decided to intensify the library expansion programme and to defer consideration of more specialized services such as toy libraries to a later date, when the need for more traditional library services is more adequately catered for.
The revised library expansion programme calls for the provision of the following services over the next eight years:-
(a) the setting up of 4 new district libraries and 1 Arts library;
(b) reprovisioning 7 district libraries at present on leased premises by full scale district library facilities in Council buildings;
(c) the provision of 6 small libraries in Council premises/housing estates to support district library facilities;
(d) the development of the City Hall High Block into a Central Library for Hong Kong Island; and
(e) the acquisition of some 1.2 million items of books and audio-visual library materials to reach a per capita provision of 0.7 item, representing an expenditure of $48.78 million.
Upon full development, the Council will provide 2 Central Libraries, 1 Special Arts Library, 15 district libraries, 14 small libraries and 2 mobile libraries. Excluding costs of building, fitting-out, furniture and equipment, the annually recurrent expenditure will be in the region of $32.6 million.
This libraries expansion programme represents a substantial financial commitment to the Council, and the Libraries Select Committee considers that it would not be advisable to divert scarce financial and manpower resources to other types of libraries services.
Toy libraries are better catered for by welfare or voluntary agencies, and I understand that at present some agencies do provide play/toy corners in their children and youth centres. In the N.T., there are such facilities provided in the Tai Hing Youth Centre, The Boys' and Girls' Club Association, the Ting On and Yau Oi Community Centres.
However, as part of the on-going programme of library extension activities, children are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of activities as part of the reading programme, this would include essay competitions and games etc. In addition, intellectual games such as Chinese chess, international chess, scrabbles, mastermind, go games, etc. are provided for young people in the Council's libraries.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN (in English): That is quite a full reply for such a very short question. I wonder, Miss YEUNG, if you could put on your microphone, it seems to be falling off.
MISS CECILIA YEUNG (in Cantonese):—I can speak with such a loud voice that I am sure you could all hear me very loud and clear. Mr. Chairman, I think that children are members of society and for those from the lower income young families they would not have easy access to toys, but if we have toy libraries we would be able to develop their intellect and this is very important for the development of the youngsters. I hope that the voluntary agencies could provide toy libraries and if they could provide it, why is it that we, who spend millions of dollars in libraries, should ignore the education of the young children and I hope that our Libraries Select Committee could provide such facilities, if not now at least some time in the future.
3. MR. L. H. KWAN asked the following question (in Cantonese):—Is the construction of part of the Chinese Garden in the Kowloon Park, Tsim Sha Tsui, to be delayed? If it is, when will the actual construction begin? Is the delay caused by the development of commercial enterprises on the west of Nathan Road (between Hai Phong Road and Austin Road)?
MR. HOWARD H. W. Young, Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-The question asks whether construction of the extension to the Chinese Garden in Kowloon Park has been delayed, and if it has been delayed, whether the delay has been caused by the construction of commercial premises along Nathan Road.
The construction of the extension to the Chinese Garden has been delayed, from late 1984 to July 1986.
The delay has been caused principally by the sale and development of the shop sites along Nathan Road which share a common boundary with the Chinese Garden Extension site. The construction of the Chinese Garden Extension cannot start until after the shop sites are completed.
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