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PONA, APKLl 14,
IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICE. THE UREAN
IN 1983, COUNCIL ALSO PLANS TO COMPUTERISE ITS LIBRARY NETWORK. A DELEGATION WAS SENT TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES TO STUDY THE IR AUTOMATED LIBRARY SYSTEMS.
HOWEVER, WITH A TOTAL STOCK OF SOME 1.3 MILLION VOLUMES AND THREE QUARTERS OF THEM IN CHINESE, IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME TO FIND A SUITABLE COMPUTER SYSTEM CAPABLE OF HANDLING BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE MATERIALS AND THE LARGE TRANSACTION VOLUME OF THE URBAN COUNCIL PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
THE USAGE OF THE COUNCIL'S LIBRARIES HAS REMAINED HIGH SINCE THE FIRST LIBRARY WAS OPENED IN THE CITY HALL IN 1962, THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED READERS HAS INCREASED FROM 10 000 IN 1962 TO OVER 1.1 MILLION IN 1984. THE CIRCULATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS HAS ALSO INCREASED THIRTY-FOLD DURING THE LAST 23 YEARS.
+THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 1.2 MILLION BORROWERS REGISTERED IN THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES OPERATED BY THE URBAN COUNCIL. THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF BOOKS BORROWED FROM THESE LIBRARIES PER DAY IS ABOUT 24 000 WHILE THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF BOOKS READ IN THESE LIBRARIES PER DAY IS ABOUT 46 000, + MR MAK SAID.
+HOWEVER, IT IS THE KOWLOON CENTRAL LIBRARY THAT GAINS THE HIGHEST RATE OF READERSHIP. EVERYDAY THERE ARE AROUND 10 000 PEOPLE USING THE LIBRARY AND ABOUT 3 100 BOOKS AND OTHER LIBRARY MATERIALS ARE BORROWED. THE HIGHEST DAILY ISSUE RECORDED IS 5 500,+ HE SAID.
+TO PROMOTE HEALTHY READING HABITS AMONG THE YOUNGER GENERATION, A READING PROGRAMME IS CURRENTLY HELD IN ALL THE LIBRARIES,+ MR MAK SAID.
+LIBRARY EXTENSION ACTIVITIES SUCH AS BOOKS AND ART EXHIBITIONS, STORY HOURS, LIBRARY VISITS, COMPETITIONS ON CREATIVE WRITING, SUBJECT TALKS, INTEREST CLUBS, FILM SHOWS AND HI-FI CONCERTS ARE ORGANISED REGULARLY IN THE LIBRARIES TO FURTHER THE PUBLIC'S INTEREST IN THE LIBRARY SERVICES.
+THE PROGRAMMES ARE USUALLY SUPPLEMENTED BY READING MATERIAL TO ENABLE THE PARTICIPANTS TO MAKE FULL USE OF THE LIBRARY STOCK,+ HE SAID.
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