ENG-1990 — Page 392

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

To promote the use of library facilities, extension activities in the form of story hours, interest clubs, subject talks, book exhibitions, hi-fi concerts, film shows and library visits are organised regularly. In all, some 1.7 million people participated in the various extension activities organised in the year.

Discovery Boxes, which are provided in the Tuen Mun Central Library, have generated tremendous interest among children. These are educational kits designed to acquaint young readers with specific subjects through guided activities and questions. It is planned to extend this service to other central and district libraries.

Library services are extended to remote areas in the New Territories through mobile library vans and block loan services to schools, organisations and penal institutions.

Council libraries' services are to be extended with a block loan service for the aged and the physically handicapped, a consultation service on book selection, training on basic knowledge of Cantonese tones, and development of young people's creative and analytical powers. Other planned activities include extending library services to students of the Open Learning Institute and introducing CD-ROM on-line information retrieval facilities at the central libraries. Further study is also being made on the feasibility of computerising the libraries.

In response to the Regional Council Festival, large-scale book exhibitions on Sports for All were mounted at the Tuen Mun Central Library and the Sha Tin Central Library. In addition, there were related book displays and video programmes organised in all the district libraries during the festival period.

Books Registration Office

Hong Kong's printing industry exports books and other printed publications to many parts of the world. The Books Registration Ordinance (Chapter 142) requires that publishers must submit copies of each book printed or published in Hong Kong for registration. The scheme is administered by the Books Registration Office of the Recreation and Culture Branch, which publishes a quarterly catalogue of all books printed in the territory. The office is the local agent for the International Standard Book Numbering System (ISBN) and helps to promote its use by libraries and publishers.

During 1990, the office registered a total of 7 140 books and 8 891 periodicals. A total of 117 publishers' identifiers conforming to ISBN were issued at the request of publishers.

Sports and Recreation

Hong Kong's sports and recreation facilities cater for people of all ages and abilities. The Urban and Regional Councils organise many sporting and recreational events, as well as managing sports pitches, playgrounds, indoor games halls, holiday camps, swimming pools and beaches. Both councils seek to encourage people to take part in active recreation by offering introductory training courses and sponsoring a variety of recreational programmes and sports competitions. The councils are also responsible for the provision of parks and landscaping services within their respective areas.

Organised sport received a boost in 1990 with the establishment of the Sports Development Board, which was allocated a $46 million subvention for the year 1990–91. The board co-operates closely with the Urban and Regional Councils, the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, sporting associations and other

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