ENG-1988 — Page 355

298

RECREATION AND THE ARTS

The Regional Council operates two mobile libraries and 20 static libraries. Each of the nine districts in the Regional Council area is provided with at least one static library. All libraries provide a free lending service of adult and junior books and audio-cassettes.

Study room facilities are provided in district libraries at Tsuen Wan, South Kwai Chung, North Kwai Chung, Yuen Long, Sai Kung and also in the Sha Tin Central Library. From March 16 to June 30, these study rooms were opened daily from 7.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. seven days a week, to serve students who were preparing for their examinations.

The mobile libraries regularly visit various mainland districts to serve people.

As a library extension activity, a Computer Literacy Project was officially launched in February this year at the Sha Tin Central library and the North Kwai Chung Public Library.

The library services in the Islands District were strengthened with the opening of a second library for the Lamma Island - the North Lamma Public Library.

New materials acquired during the year for the Regional Council public libraries included 195 000 books, and 18 240 items of audio-visual material. Some one million people took part in the library extension activities which were organised to promote the use of the libraries. More than 5.1 million items of library material were issued for home reading and 9.9 million books were read in the libraries.

Council for Recreation and Sport

As the government's principal advisory body on recreation and sport, the Council for Recreation and Sport advised on the disbursement of about $11 million of government funds to sports associations in 1988.

The money was spent chiefly on supporting competitions and tournaments at interna- tional level, both locally and overseas and also on training, development programmes and staff salaries and administrative costs. Of this amount, $1.1 million was granted to the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong to take part in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

The council also advised on the disbursement of certain independent funds, including the Sir David Trench Fund for Recreation. The funds have been earmarked for youth recreation projects, primarily capital works items and the purchase of specialised equip- ment. Some $7 million was allocated for this purpose during the year.

A donation of $10 million from the Jockey Club enabled the council to establish the Sports Aid Foundation Fund to assist individual athletes. Starting from April the fund awarded over $100,000 to athletes prior to the Olympics in September. A Sports Aid for the Disabled Fund, set up to assist disabled athletes, made award of over $44,000 in the first quarter of the year.

Voluntary Agency Recreational Camps

Since April, the Municipal Services Branch has been responsible for subventing the recreational camps run by voluntary agencies. Out of the 39 camps supervised by the branch, 33 of them are subvented by the government. Branch staff made regular visits to these camps and gave advice on the management and operation of the camps to the voluntary agencies. During the year, a total subvention of $8.2 million was given to the camps towards the staff costs, minor repairs and other incidental expenses. Over 500 000 people, mostly youths, visited these facilities.