The APICTA award came only nine months after the system was granted a silver
award in the application category of the IT Excellence Awards 2002 organised by
the Hong Kong Computer Society, which is a prerequisite for its entry to the
APICTA.
Through the MMIS, users can instantly gain access to more
than 1.4 million pages of digital images and documents, including back issues of
Hong Kong newspapers, house programmes, posters, maps, photos, news clippings,
books and manuscripts. The system also incorporates more than 70,000 items
of audio-visual/CD-ROM materials and over 70 online reference resources in
different subject areas. The Libraries will continue to add new contents
to the database of the MMIS to cope with readers' ever increase in aspiration
for information.
By using its on-line booking service, readers may reserve a MMIS workstation
in the Hong Kong Central Library as well as its digitalised library
materials. And to enable more readers to have access to the MMIS, plans
are already underway to extend the service to other major and district public
libraries by early 2004.
Senior Librarian of Hong Kong Public
Libraries Chan Cheuk-wah who, with a dedicated team, steered the development of
the MMIS over a two year period said, the MMIS provides an effective, one-stop
search and instant access to a wide variety of multimedia information via the
Internet, making information access no longer restricted by geographical
location. The system also features a high level of expandability to cope
with the ever-inflating information flow in a modern society.
The
MMIS services are available everyday from 9.00 am to 9.00 pm, except on
Wednesdays, when it is open from 1.00 pm to 9:00 pm. Readers are welcome
to access them through the workstations at the Hong Kong Central Library or via
the public libraries' website at http://hkclweb.hkpl.gov.hk/.