The public Ilha Verde District Library, located on the first floor of Block 2 of the Bairro da Ilha Verde public housing estate, was officially opened yesterday, replacing the “Ilha Verde Library” in Mei Kui Kuong Cheong residential building, which had been in operation for nearly 30 years.
The opening ceremony of the new public library under the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) was held yesterday morning, with Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U, Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture Office Chief Ho Ioc San, IC President Deland Leong Wai Man and Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Deputy Director Teng Sio Hong, as well as IC Student Ambassador of Culture Min U Ian officiating at the ceremony.
With the unveiling of the plague, the “Bairro da Ilha Verde Library”, featuring an interior design that incorporates elements from the local characteristics of the former Ilha Verde island and fishing village culture, has been officially opened. “Bairro” is the Portuguese word for “district”, “quarter” or “ward”.
Delivering opening remarks at the ceremony, Leong said: “The original ‘Ilha Verde Library’ established in 1995, with an area of about 480 square metres, had become inadequate to meet the growing reading demand of the general public, in response to which, with the coordination and support of the government, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has opened the ‘Bairro da Ilha Verde Library’, replacing the original ‘Ilha Verde Library’…… creating a comprehensive public space for nearby residents and students, integrating shared learning, leisure, and social functions, while offering a fresh reading experience.”
According to Leong, with a total area of about 1,000 square metres, the new library is more than double the size of the original Ilha Verde Library, featuring a children’s reading area, multimedia zone, newspaper section, reading area, self-study area, multifunction room, and group discussion room, with a total of 28,000 books and nearly 2,000 audiovisual materials for residents as well as about 200 reading seats.
The “Bairro da Ilha Verde Library” on Rua de Lei Pou Ch’ôn is open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays. However, it is closed after 2 p.m. on Chinese New Year’s Eve and for the whole day on public holidays.
The “Ilha Verde Library” ceased operation yesterday.
In addition, according to Leong’s speech, with the aim of encouraging reading among the public, the bureau will continue to launch “Infant and Toddler Reading Packs”, accelerate the digitalisation of library resources, provide various electronic resources for residents, including e-books and audiobooks for children’s literature, and also create the “Online Reading Platform”, while regularly hosting “Book for Book” activities to establish a stable book exchange platform in different neighbourhoods, thereby increasing the circulation of reading resources in the community and promoting the concept of “enriching life through reading”.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) Student Ambassador of Culture Min U Ian (from left to right), IC President Deland Leong Wai Man, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture Office Chief Ho Ioc San and Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Deputy Director Teng Sio Hong pose during yesterday’s opening ceremony of the “Bairro da Ilha Verde Library” on the first floor of Block 2 of the Bairro da Ilha Verde public housing estate. – Photo: Yuki Lei
This photo taken yesterday shows part of the facilities of the new library.
