The Patane Library, under the auspices of the Department of Public Library Management of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, was inaugurated on Friday, 9 December, at 11am. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Alexis Tam Chon Weng; the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng; the Chairman of the Macau Library and Information Management Association, Wong Kwok Keung; the President of the Patane Mutual Aid Association, Lok Nam Tak and the Head of Department of Public Management, Tang Mei Lin. Curators of several high school libraries, the Principals and representatives of several schools in the Patane district attended the opening ceremony. After the opening ceremony, the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng exchanged views with the first batch of readers in the library. Some of the readers are old residents in the Patane district. They recalled the appearance of the original buildings of the library and their living conditions. They were happy that the buildings were transformed into a library.
The Patane Library is comprised of a group of seven old buildings with a history of over 80 years. Built in the 1930s, the buildings of the Patane Library are typical arcade buildings along the coast of the Inner Harbour. Arcade buildings feature an architectural form combining the architectural features of both Europe and Southeast Asia, and only a few arcade buildings are left in Macao at present. The Cultural Affairs Bureau has renovated the buildings and transformed them into the Patane Library. It aims not only to provide more reading space to local residents, but also to preserve and safeguard the buildings with special value and significance in the urban development, thus allowing the next generations to know more about precious historic buildings in Macao. Aside from enhancing the environment of the Inner Harbour, the renovation project has transformed the buildings into a place for the transmission of culture and knowledge.
The three-storey Patane Library covers an area of around 1,130 square meters, and provides approximate 150 seats for readers. In addition to the reading service of newspapers and magazines, the library also provides other basic services such as access to the general collection and children’s collection. The library, dedicated to film and music, features a multimedia zone for holding regular film screenings, concerts and other activities. The library holds about 20,000 volumes, 7,000 audiovisual materials, 80 types of newspapers and 600 types of magazines, in order to satisfy the reading demands of readers in the Patane and nearby districts, hoping to create an environment with a reading atmosphere for residents.
The Patane Library, located at No. 69-81, Rua da Ribeira do Patane, Macao, opens from 11am to 8:30pm on the day of the opening ceremony. The Library opens from 9:30am to 8:30pm from Tuesdays to Sundays, and from 2pm to 8:30pm on Mondays, except on public holidays. For enquiries, please contact Mr. Lam, staff member of IC, through tel. no. 2825 9220 or 2825 9221 during office hours or visit the Macao Public Library website at www.library.gov.mo.