ENG-2003 — Page 493

RECREATION, SPORT AND THE ARTS

them free to readers world-wide through the Internet. With its strong archival feature, the MMIS has been included since April in the Archives Portal of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, a website through which archivists and researchers may study the history and culture of different nations.

Outreach Programmes and Promotion of Reading and Literary Arts

Outreach programmes form an integral part of library services. Regular programmes like children's hours, book displays and exhibitions, thematic talks and seminars, interest clubs and group visits were organised throughout the year. In line with the digital library initiative, educational programmes on teaching the public to use the Online Public Access Catalogue, online databases, CD-ROMs, MMIS and the Internet were also held regularly. The libraries organised a total of 15 248 library outreach programmes during the year.

A variety of reading programmes and reading-related activities were organised to promote reading. A month-long reading promotion programme was organised during the summer holidays. The event included a Children's Poetry and Rhyme Exhibition and a series of children's reading programmes such as musical drama, mini concerts, film shows, reading talks, storytelling sessions, poetry writing workshops, workshops on paired reading, children's and parents dramatisation competition and children's musical rhyme competition.

Moreover, the Teens' Reading Clubs were extended from the Hong Kong Central Library and the five major libraries to 25 district libraries. A number of activities, including 'Meet-the-Author' talks, were held to support the reading clubs, and these drew an enthusiastic response. Apart from the regular block loan service which provided books and audio-cassettes to schools, not-for-profit organisations, rehabilitation and penal institutions, homes for the aged and the physically handicapped, a special mobile library loan programme was launched in collaboration with the Po Leung Kuk and the Education and Manpower Bureau to provide books to schools without library facilities. The 'Ten Recommended Good Books' programme continued to be held jointly with Radio Television Hong Kong, for the 10th year.

To encourage people to share books and support recycling, the Book Donation and Sale Campaign was held again in February, raising $677,000 for the Community Chest. The unsold books were donated to local schools and organisations.

A number of special programmes and large-scale competitions aimed at promoting creative writing and appreciation and development of the literary arts were held. The major activities included the Chinese Poetry Writing Competition, Competition on Story Writing in Chinese for Students, and Hong Kong Biennial Awards for Chinese Literature jointly organised with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. The winning entries in these competitions were published. So far, the public libraries have published 99 Chinese literary books.

Cultural Exchange

The year saw the strengthening of cooperation with public libraries outside Hong Kong. A Memorandum of Understanding for a series of cooperative activities in library development, resource sharing and professional staff training was organised with the Cologne Public Library in Germany.

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