Loi Chi Pang, who heads the Public Library Management Department of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), said yesterday that the city’s public libraries recorded a total of 2.54 million users last year, an increase of 28.5 percent from 2022.
Loi made the remarks when attending a current affairs phone-in programme hosted by Ou Mun Tin Toi, the Chinese-language radio channel of public broadcaster TDM.
Loi also said that in the first two months of this year, the city’s public libraries received 420,000 users, a year-on-year increase of 27 percent.
Last year, 570,000 books, audio and video items as well as other library-collection items were borrowed from the public libraries, a year-on-year increase of 13.4 percent, Loi said.
According to Loi, 280,000 readers borrowed books and other library-collection items from the city’s public libraries last year, a year-on-year increase of 16 percent.
The city’s public libraries are run by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC).
Loi also said that 15,000 people applied to obtain a public library card last year, a year-on-year increase of around 100 percent.
In addition to local residents, non-locals are also eligible to apply for a public library card.
According to Loi, books on language learning and literature were the top two categories most borrowed by readers.
Loi Chi Pang, who heads the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s (IC) Public Library Management Department, speaks during yesterday’s phone-in programme hosted by public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio channel. – Photo courtesy of TDM
