XN000022-1983-04-24 — Page 7

SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 1983

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+RECENTLY, WE EVEN REGISTERED A LINGUISTIC TEXTBOOK IN NIGERIAN AND A BOOK IN ARABIC ON QATAR NATIONAL MUSEUM, + MR NG SAID.

BUT THE MAJORITY IS IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE. ENGLISH BOOKS TOPPED THE LIST IN 1982 WITH 2 367 TITLES, FOLLOWED BY CHINESE BOOKS WITH 978 TITLES.

+IT IS A TRIBUTE TO THE HIGH PRINTING QUALITY AND COLOUR REPRODUCTION OF OUR PRINTING INDUSTRY THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF BOOKS PRODUCED HERE ARE RICHLY ILLUSTRATED WITH FULL-COLOUR PLATES, HE ADDED.

+THE BOOKS PRODUCED HERE COVER A BROAD RANGE OF SUBJECTS LITERATURE, POLITICS, RELIGION, LAW, ARTS, ECONOMICS, PHILOSOPHY, SCIENCE, SPORTS, AND MARTIAL ART, JUST TO MENTION A SAMPLING, + MR NG POINTED OUT.

UNDER THE BOOKS REGISTRATION ORDINANCE, EACH NEW BOOK PRINTED OR PUBLISHED IN HONG KONG MUST BE REGISTERED WITH THE BOOKS REGISTRATION OFFICE WITHIN ONE MONTH AFTER PUBLICATION. THE PUBLISHER OR PRINTER MAY THEN APPLY FOR A CODE NUMBER UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBERING SYSTEM WHICH FACILITATES ORDER PROCESSING BY COMPUTER FOR CUSTOMERS ALL OVER THE WORLD, MR NG EXPLAINED.

FIVE COPIES OF EACH TITLE REGISTERED MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE OFFICE. THEY WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD IN LONDON, THE CITY HALL LIBRARY, THE NEW TERRITORIES PUBLIC LIBRARIES, THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG AND THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG.

THIS DISTRIBUTION ARRANGEMENT HELPS TO ENRICH THE PUBLIC LIBRARY COLLECTION, HE SAID.

IN ORDER TO RECOGNISE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LOCAL PUBLICATION INDUSTRY AND TO ENCOURAGE THE CONTINUAL UPGRADING OF PRINTING STANDARDS, THE URBAN COUNCIL HAS ORGANISED COMPETITIONS FOR THE

THE BEST BOOKS PRODUCED IN HONG KONG SINCE 1978. RECENTLY, COUNCIL HAS DECIDED TO MAKE THE COMPETITION AN ANNUAL EVENT TO BE ORGANISED BY THE BOOKS REGISTRATION OFFICE.

BOOKS REGISTERED WITH THE OFFICE AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFY AS ENTRIES. THIS YEAR, THE URBAN COUNCIL WILL GIVE 14 AWARDS TO THE BOOKS COMPETITION.

MEANWHILE, TO MEET THE GROWING DEMAND FOR HIGHLY SKILLED PRINTING TECHNICIANS, THE GOVERNMENT WILL SET UP A PRINTING INDUSTRY TRAINING CENTRE IN KOWLOON BAY IN SEPTEMBER 1984, WITH A CAPACITY OF 300 TRAINEES EACH YEAR.

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