The 33rd issue of Books and the City, published by the Public Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, is now available to the public. The Public Library is committed to fostering an ambience of reading in Macao, encouraging the public to have reading habits and nourishing their spirit and mind. Themed “City of Reading”, this issue of Books and the City invites experts to share their opinions on the importance of reading, analyse the reading interests of people of different ages, and explain how to define their reading manner and genres that suitable them most.
In this issue, the “Library Handbook” introduces a new programme, the “Toddler Reading Reward Programme”, launched by the Public Library this year, which aims to bridge young readers with the provision of “reading packs”, so as to develop their interests in reading when they read with their parents. In addition, the new functions of the mobile application “My Library” allow readers to access library services with ease. In the “Author’s Say” section, Arthur Ng, author of the poetry collection Remembering the City, reveals how he associates with his own experiences with images and texts to portray the landscape of a city and narrate the ever-changing landscapes of Macao, and express his expectations and vision for this small city. The section “New Launch” introduces a rich variety of new books, movies, music and magazines. In addition, this issue features 10 brief yet insightful book reviews in Chinese, Portuguese and English.
A total of 3,000 copies of Books and the City are available free of charge at all branch libraries under the Cultural Affairs Bureau, higher education institutions, Tap Seac Gallery and several bookstores, as well as cultural and art facilities in Macao. The past 32 issues are also available on the website of the Public Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at www.library.gov.mo.
