The Hong Kong Library Association had an extremely busy month in May. There were professional activities almost every week. May I take this opportunity to thank you members for your support to our activities. The opening of the Hong Kong Central Library on 17 May denoted a new phase of public library services in Hong Kong. At the same time, it attracted a lot of public attention. Before its official opening, the Association was honoured to organize a preview visit to the Central Library. As the President of the HKLA, I was invited by the media, e.g., Ming Pao, Economic Times, Eastweek, etc. to comment on the new Central Library. Looking from the view point of a professional librarian, I sincerely hope that my comments would give an impartial view on the role, management and goals of the Central Library. In May, we also had distinguished speakers, i.e., Prof Karl Ku from Taiwan and Dr. Claudia Lux from Germany, to share with us their experience in library development.
From 7 to 10 June, the Association organized a trip to Taipei and visited some major libraries there. The visit was an extremely successful one. Not only did we see different library structures and operations, we also had good food, ample time for shopping and lots of fun. To share our enjoyable time in Taipei, we will publish a special feature on this trip sometime this summer. We hope that you could share the trip with us.
As the only professional librarians' organization in Hong Kong, the Association has been trying its best to shape the Government's policies on library services and related matters. In March, the Culture & Heritage Commission issued a consultation paper on the future cultural services, which would include public library services. The Council discussed and made a response to the consultation paper. Any member who wants to take a look can download a copy from the HKLA website. [To download, please go to http://www.hklib.org.hk/pdf/consult22.pdf]
Concerning copyright enforcement, the IP (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2000 has been suspended from 20 June 2001. The Government is going to consult the public again on copyright protection. In this connection, the Association held a copyright seminar on 27 June to keep members informed of the latest development. We will reiterate our stance and opinions to the government authorities during the consultation period. We strongly urge that future copyright laws must strike a balance between publishers / authors' interests and a free exchange of information across our society.
Tommy Yeung