The Internet where a t onne of information is just a few clicks away is certainly ultra-convenient but locals have, nevertheless, been requesting that libraries extend their opening hours so that they can have more time to use the service.
Due to public request, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) in 2015 commissioned the University of Macau (UM) to conduct a survey on public libraries’ opening hours that resulted in the introduction of a 24-hour service at the Red Market Library on a six-month trial.
“We found that quite a lot of people use the library late at night but there weren’t that many between midnight and 7 a.m.,” IC Chief of Department of Public Library Management Ophelia Tang Mei Lin told MPD Weekender during an interview at Sir Robert Ho Tung Library this week. “But at some libraries, we see people queuing up waiting for the library to open at 8 a.m.”, she was quick to add.
A woman browses through books at the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library this week.
