Hong Kong Central Library Opens to PublicAddressing at the opening ceremony, Tung Chee Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), said the opening of the Hong Kong Central Library is an important milestone in the cultural development of Hong Kong. He said that the Hong Kong Central Library, equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities and extensive collections of reference materials and electronic references, is well-positioned to meet the community's needs for information, lifelong learning and the profitable use of leisure. He stressed that the SAR government is committed to further developing the Central Library into a world-class library which plays an important role in supporting Hong Kong's education reform and transition into a knowledge-based economy. Located in the downtown Causeway Bay of the Hong Kong Island, the 12-floor library is built on a site area of 9,400 square meters with a gross floor of 33,800 square meters and has a public seating capacity of over 2,000. Its main feature is a Digital Library System. The extensive use of complex and advanced information technology and computer application literally provides members of the public a "library without walls" through which they can access a wide range of information from library terminals and computers at home or at work. Other significant facilities include the Children's Lending and Reference Library, Toy Library, Adult Lending Library, Map Library, Young Adult Lending and Reference Library, Central Reference Library and Arts Resource Center. In addition, it is also equipped with a Multi-media Production Room, Newspapers and Periodicals Reading Area, Microform Production Room and so on. There will be about 1.2 million library materials at the opening and the stock is expected to increase to about 2 million within five years. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |
