Page 449 of 485
Page 449 of 485
149 of 485
160
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. DANIEL TO BOON-MAN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I have 2 follow-up questions. The first question is about the total time required from ordering books from overseas to putting them on shelves. Ordering books takes 6 to 8 weeks and converting paperbacks to hardbacks takes 12 weeks, making 20 weeks, i.e. 5 months altogether. I think this is not a reasonable time frame from whichever viewpoint. Would the Department do something to shorten the time required? It is especially unacceptable that converting paperbacks into hardbacks would take 2 to 3 months. I hope the party concerned would respond to this.
My second question relates to the constant criticism on the shortage of specialised books such as books on business management and education. Even if there are books on these subjects, they are outdated. Will the Department follow up on the demand for these books?
MR. KAM NAI-WAI (in Cantonese):-Thank you for the 2 questions, Mr. To. Firstly I'll answer the first question concerning why converting paperbacks into hardbacks takes 2 to 3 months. As I have mentioned in the reply, it is not the process of converting paperbacks into hardbacks alone that takes up 2 to 3 months. The whole procedure includes cataloguing, classifying, turning paperback form into hardback form and putting computer bar code stickers on the back of the books. It takes 2 to 3 months to complete all these steps before the books can be put on shelves after delivery to the Book Processing Unit. At present, the Urban Council has a method to speed up the process which is already mentioned in my reply. This is to order hardback English books to reduce the time spent on this process. Secondly, we will, as far as possible, buy books that are provided with catalogue entries on tapes to shorten the time for cataloguing. As regards the time required for books to be shelved after delivery to the Book Processing Unit, the issue will be reviewed during the Five-Year Plan Review of the Libraries Select Committee.
As for the criticisms about out-dated books or the lack of specialised books, review will also be undertaken under the Five-Year Plan in which Mr. To's views will be discussed thoroughly, and I also hope that members of the public will express their opinions.
MR. WU CHI-WAI (in Cantonese):-The last part of the reply mentioned that there was a possibility of shortening the procedure for purchasing English books, but it did not mention whether the time for purchasing Chinese books could be shortened. Can the Chairman of the Libraries Select Committee give me a reply on that? My second question is, what is the budget for the purchase of library books each year and what is the proportion of expenditure on Chinese and English books? In the reply, the time lag between delivery and shelfing of the books is given. However, it is also mentioned that Chinese books are also available 'on approval'. By this method, library staff obviously have to read the books first before placing the order. I would like to ask how long would it take from the time when a book is published to the time when the library staff decide
£185
Page 449 of 485
149 of 485
160