XN000022-1985-07-06 — Page 6

SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1985

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RSD LIBRARIES GAIN RECORD READERSHIP

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THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT WILL HAVE A TOTAL OF 19 PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND TWO MOBILE LIBRARIES BEFORE THE END OF 1985, THE CHIEF LIBRARIAN, MR ALEX NG, ANNOUNCED TODAY (SATURDAY).

PRESENTING PRIZES TO WINNERS OF THE BOOKMARK DESIGN COMPETITION 1985, MR NG SAID THE LIBRARIES WILL INCLUDE FOUR NEW STATIC AND ONE MOBILE LIBRARIES.

THESE ARE THE FANLING PUBLIC LIBRARY. TSING YI PUBLIC LIBRARY, TSUEN WAN (SHEK WAI KOK) PUBLIC LIBRARY, TUEN MUN (BUTTERFLY ESTATE) PUBLIC LIBRARY AND A SECOND MOBILE LIBRARY.

TROPHIES AND PRIZES OF DRAWING SETS WERE PRESENTED TO THE WINNERS AND THEIR ENTRIES WILL BE ON DISPLAY IN VARIOUS RSD PUBLIC LIBRARIES FROM TODAY STARTING AT THE SOUTH KWAI CHUNG PUBLIC LIBRARY.

AN INDICATION OF THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR LIBRARY FACILITIES IN THE NON-URBAN AREAS, MR NG POINTED OUT, IS SEEN IN THE CURRENT RECORD HIGH REGISTERED MEMBERSHIP OF 280 000 FOR THE 15 PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND ONE MOBILE LIBRARY, AN INCREASE OF 60 000 FROM LAST YEAR'S TOTAL MEMBERSHIP.

+IN FACT, THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES HAS COME TO A STAGE WHERE WE NO LONGER PASSIVELY AND QUIETLY WAIT FOR READERS TO COME. INSTEAD, WE ARE ACTIVELY ATTRACTING READERS TO THE LIBRARIES THROUGH OUR PLANNED EXTENSION ACTIVITIES OF WHICH THE BOOKMARK DESIGN COMPETITION IS ONE, MR NG SAID.

THE RECORD NUMBER OF 4 000 ENTRIES RECEIVED THIS YEAR WAS

50 PER CENT MORE THAN IN 1984.

MR NG ATTRIBUTED THIS TO GREATER PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE EXTENSIVE LIBRARY RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO RESIDENTS IN THE NON-URBAN AREAS, AND A WIDE RANGE OF LIBRARY EXTENSION ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE THEM.

THESE ACTIVITIES NOW COVER, AMONG OTHER THINGS, EDUCATIONAL, CULTURAL AND RECREATIONAL PROGRAMMES PRESENTED IN THE FORM OF BOOK EXHIBITIONS, COMPETITIONS, SUBJECT TALKS, INTEREST CLUBS, FILM SHOWS, HI-FI CONCERTS, VIDEO SCREENING, STORY HOURS, MANDAR IN CLASSES AND ORGANISED LIBRARY VISITS.

ABOUT 450 000 PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS PARTICIPATED IN LIBRARY EXTENSION ACTIVITIES LAST YEAR.

THERE ARE NOW 760 000 BOOKS AND 30 000 AUDIO-VISUAL ITEMS IN THE RSD'S PUBLIC LIBRARIES. LAST YEAR, 3.5 MILLION BOOKS WERE ISSUED FOR HOME BORROWING AND 5.8 MILLION OTHERS READ IN THE LIBRARIES.

/HR NG