The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) says that it is aiming to open a new public library in Ilha Verde district by the end of this year.
The bureau says that the new public library will be more than double the size of the current one in the district.
IC President Leong Wai Man made the remarks in a reply to a written interpellation made by lawmaker-cum-unionist Ella Lei Cheng I in February. Leong made and signed the reply last month, the copy of which was sent by Lei’s office yesterday.
Ilha Verde (Green Island) is a neighbourhood at the peninsula’s north-western tip.
The city’s public libraries are run by the Cultural Affairs Bureau.
According to the website of the public libraries’ network, the current public library serving Ilha Verde district is located on the fourth floor of Phase 2 of the Mayfair Garden residential estate. The library, officially known as Ilha Verde Library, covers an area of 482 square metres. Ilha Verde Library opened in 1995 when Macau was still under temporary Portuguese administration.
The new library serving Ilha Verde district slated to open by the end of this year will be located in the nearby Bairro da Ilha Verde Building, a subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) estate.
“Bairro” means “neighbourhood” in Portuguese.
In her reply to Lei’s written interpellation, Leong said that in compliance with the government’s urban development plan for “Northern District 1”, her bureau will set up a new public library in the Bairro da Ilha Verde Building.
Northern District 1 is one of 18 subareas listed by Macau’s official urban master plan, which took effect in February 2022.
The government is still working on drafting its Northern District 1 urban development plan.
Northern District 1 covers Ilha Verde, Fai Chi Kei and Lam Mau Tong in the north-west peninsula.
Leong said that the new public library in the Bairro da Ilha Verde Building will cover a net floor area of 1,060 square metres, over double the size of the current Ilha Verde Library.
Leong said that the new library will house around 31,000 books and 3,000 audio and video items, providing about 140 seats for reading.
Leong underlined that her bureau is now carrying out preparation work in the run-up to the operational start of the new library, which the bureau is now aiming to open by the end of this year.
However, Leong’s reply did not clearly mention whether the new library will replace the current Ilha Verde Library, or whether the current one will continue operating after the new one opens.
Leong also said that the new library’s layout will be designed in a way that makes it easier for library users to engage in shared learning or leisure activities, or to interact with others.
Leong said that the new library will provide residents with a brand-new experience in using a public library.
This undated handout photo downloaded from the website of the public libraries’ network yesterday shows a part of the current Ilha Verde Library, which opened in 1995 and was revamped in 2017.
This undated handout photo downloaded from the Housing Bureau’s (IH) website yesterday shows the Bairro da Ilha Verde Building HOS estate where a new library will be set up on one of its podium levels.
