FEATURE: WHEN READING GOES FURTHER

A 24-hour library service was launched on a trial basis in the Red Market Library in 2017, which has soon become a much-told tale of ‘the round-the-clock library in Macao’ spreading all over the city (see the library newsletter Books and the City Issue No.11). The extension of opening hours of the Public Library is undoubtedly great glad tidings for office workers and bookworms, which can also benefit many other readers at the same time. The good news has now been further expanded as the Macao Public Library has carried out a comprehensive extension of opening hours effective from 1st January, 2018 onwards after a series of trial operations and a long period of planning and preparation. Readers may enjoy the library services not only after work but also on public holidays! This measure, aiming to benefit the public, is surely the most-wanted measure for bookworms. In this new issue of Books and the City, let us explore the various library departments and probe into the efforts and expected results behind the implementation of this long-awaited measure.

Why did the Macao Public Library launch this measure?

• Actually, we have been planning and preparing for this measure for a long period of time. Many readers have given the same feedback that they would like to go to a library after work but they were quite disappointed as Macao’s public libraries were all closed by then. We have been thinking about the arrangement of the extension of opening hours, which actually involves many challenges covering a multiplicity of aspects. Thus, we had to meditate upon the arrangement thoroughly, taking into consideration factors such as limitations of some of the libraries, suitable duration of the extension and so on.

What kind of preparations did the library do to make the measure more practical?

• First of all, in 2015, the Macao Public Library commissioned the Research Centre of University of Macau to conduct a detailed study entitled ‘Macao Public Library Survey’.
• In 2016, the Red Market Library conducted a six-month trial run on the measure, namely to provide 24-hour library services to the public. Why was it a trial run? It was because we needed to objectively estimate the rational use of resources. As a result, we found that the flow of readers to the library was rather low after midnight.

Why was the Red Market Library chosen for the trial operation?

• Of all branch libraries, the Red Market Library is relatively small in size but frequented by quite a number of readers. Therefore, the trial run required fewer resources but generated more significant results.

On what basis did you select these four branch libraries to implement the measure of extending the opening hours to 24:00 as well as opening on public holidays?

• The location of the libraries was the primary factor to be considered. It will be more convenient if the location is close to residential areas since we planned to extend the opening hours till midnight.
• In addition, the selected libraries should be evenly distributed in terms of location so that readers from different districts can enjoy this service. For example, the Macao Central Library is undoubtedly the one attracting the highest flow of readers in the central district, while top picks for Taipa Island and the northern district are the Taipa Library and the Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Areia Preta Urban Park, respectively. The last one is the Patane Library, a relatively new one.
• These four libraries share the same characteristic that the buildings are rather independent with their own entrances, which would cause less disturbance to residents living in the neighbourhood.
• Lastly, the building should be at a rather conspicuous location with comprehensive security facilities and convenient transport.

Apart from these four branch libraries, what is the extension measure for the others?

• The extension measure also applies to the other libraries, with the opening hours extended to 8pm only.

Do the libraries mainly provide self-service during the extended opening hours?

• Yes, it is because manpower shortage is one of the issues we have always been facing. Readers may return or borrow books by using our self-check service, which is provided in the libraries to save resources. During the extended hours, only security guards and cleaning workers will be on duty in order to guarantee a safe and hygienic environment in the libraries.

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What is the main purpose of extending the opening hours of the libraries?

• We have always hoped to fully utilise public spaces. And since expanding them physically is not possible, we are expanding them temporally.

What facility upgrades are to be done to support the extension of the opening hours?

• More equipment will be incorporated in future, such as USB charging ports. The internet service in some of the libraries has also been upgraded for greater speed.

Which departments are involved in this extension measure? What preparation work has been done?

• In fact, each department has had to contribute to making this measure possible. Our IT department and Bibliographic Resources Development Division, for example, have dedicated immense time and efforts to convert, test and correct an ocean of bibliographical and readers’ data when introducing the new system. There are also the frontline library staff, who have had to handle readers’ data with absolute caution. All in all, this huge amount of preparation work took almost two years to be completed.

What is the outcome of introducing the smart technology of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) into managing the library?

• RFID technology revolutionizes the library management system and makes it smarter. The core of it, which is to identify and track data by using radio frequency, realizes the automation of data collection. Also, instead of waiting to be served in the past, readers can now serve themselves. The approach has drastically enhanced the efficiency of book check outs and returns and has been proven successful during the trial period in the Red Market Library. The system has just been installed in the Central Library, and some testing still needs to be done. We are also competing against time.

How do you make the self-service procedures clear to readers?

• A video clip showing the steps will be placed next to the Self Check Machines. Even if the security guards are foreigners and do not speak Chinese, there will not be any problem. They can simply ask the readers to follow the instructions step by step as shown in the video, which is simple and easy to understand.

Normally, what is the majority reader type at night?

• Let’s take the Red Market Library as an example. There are nine-to-fivers who only have time to go to the library after work and students, including secondary school and university students, who mostly go to study and do homework there. Lastly, there are the housewives. They can read there peacefully, free from the disturbance of their children and other external factors.

Are there any memorable examples of night-time users of the library?

• Yes, there was a reader from the Red Market Library who told us that he benefited greatly from our service. He had been studying for certification exams very late at night over a long period of time and where he lived did not provide an environment as ideal for studying as the library. Thus, the service really helped him gain confidence for the exams.

The Macao Public Library under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau extends and adjusts its opening hours on a trial basis from 1st January, 2018 until 31th December, 2018. The following measures will be implemented:

• Extend the opening hours until 24:00
• Adjust the opening hours
• Adjust the closing days

Libraries that open till midnight:

＊For more information on the range of services provided by the Library during the extension period, please visit the Macao Public Library website: www.library.gov.mo.

Libraries that adjust the opening hours:

Library that maintains the original opening hours:

Recommended by: Suki, U Soi Keng (library staff)

Recommended Library Item: Every Matter in Life Is a Practice of Choice-Making

Reasons for Recommendation: Every matter in life is a practice of choice-making: you cannot choose to have everything or nothing. Probably we are not able to make the right choice every time, but at least we have a clear idea of what we want. Choose a quiet night to work on the questions of choice raised in the book and think about each of the scenarios. Your life is gradually shaped by every choice you make.

Recommended by: Gigi (library staff)

Recommended Library Item: 365 Ways to Relax – Mind, Body & Soul

Reasons for Recommendation: People nowadays are facing heavy work stress, effective ways to relax are definitely good for one’s mind, body and soul. Written by a psychotherapist and educator with years of experience, the book is well suited to the needs of different people with its 365 different ways and techniques for relaxation as well as methods and prescriptions for composing oneself. The book is published bilingually in Chinese and English, thus suitable for both Chinese and foreigners.

Recommended by: Ip Wai Lon (library staff)

Recommended Item: Treat Yourself Nicely in the Second Half of Life

Reasons for Recommendation: A man in his middle age will find himself busy in playing the role of husband, father, colleague, subordinate or superior and so on every day as soon as he gets out of the bed. He can hardly find time for himself until night, when he can enjoy a short moment of peace. The author Raymond Au is good at writing about psychological issues related to men and both sexes. When reading the book, readers can once again think about how they should live the second half of their lives.

 Step 1 : Take the books you want to borrow from the shelves, or browse the library catalogue in the computers and locate the books in the library.

 Step 2 : Use the Self Check Machines in the library. Present your valid identification document to finish the check out process.

 Step 3 : Return the books within the loan period through the Self Check Machines or the 24-hour Book Drops at the library to complete the return process.

Reader's Opinions

What is your opinion or suggestion upon the extensions of the opening hours of the Macao Public Library?

Eddie

Student

I think it is a good idea for the library to extend its opening hours until midnight. For me, I usually go to the library at night. During the day I either go to school or work, so it is only at night time that I have time to sit down in the library to read.

Mr Wong

Retired

I am satisfied with the current opening hours of the public libraries in general, but it would be better if the opening hours of Sir Robert Ho Tung Library could be extended one hour later to 8pm for residents in the neighbourhood, like me, to enjoy more convenience in using its facilities.

Noemia

Freelancer

I am quite in favour of having the opening hours extended, provided that the library system is stable. If there is no librarian to help me locate the books in the library, it would be better to have some electronic devices assisting readers in finding books faster.

Ms Che

Office lady

It is rather difficult for office workers to find a quiet place for reading and studying after work because all the libraries are closed after normal working hours. If the library opening hours are to be extended, I think an extension of five to six hours is more than enough, 24-hour library is not necessary.

Question: How is self-check service achieved with RFID?

Answered by: Tai Tin Chao (library technician)

“The RFID technology has been widely applied in libraries abroad and even those in nearby regions. A RFID system transmits identifiable information via radio waves. To put this in simple terms, we have to attach to every single book a tag with its bibliographic information. When a book is placed on the sensor area of the Self Check Machine, the book is successfully checked out, returned or renewed as soon as its tag is identified in the system. The whole process only takes about five seconds.”

A good system cannot go without an equally-matching database. Before the wide application of RFID, the library staff entered the information in the system, updated the information onto the tags and attached them to every single book. The information of over 600,000 tags has already been entered so far.  Tai Tin Chao added, ‘The Public Library started studying the possibility of introducing this system in as early as 2013, and carried out the first trial run of the system at the pilot libraries in 2014. The system was run smoothly in the 24-hour Red Market Library last year, which has given us more confidence.

The system is stable now after being tested and fine-tuned for almost two years, and will be progressively applied to the other branch libraries in 2018. The smart system not only resolves the shortage of library staff, but also enables readers to check out, renew or return books easily in the branch libraries through self-service.’

Image caption: The sticker in the image is an RFID tag. It not only allows repeated addition, modification and removal of the information within, but also serves as a substitute for barcodes and magnetic strips, simplifying the procedures by freeing the staff from re-sensitizing and desensitizing  the books in the check out and return processes.

What experience have you gained in the trial run of the round-the-clock Red Market Library?

Answered by 1: Lam Kin Seng (Functional Head of Library)

“From what I saw as the functional head responsible for its 24/7 trial operation, the Red Market Library ran very smoothly with the opening hours extended because the readers were well aware that there would be no library staff from 8pm to 8am. The key to the success of this measure is: clear signs posted inside the Library to inform readers about the extended opening hours and to indicate the position of the Self Check Machine. Readers also need to know clearly that certain services are not available during non-staff hours – library card applications, for example, have to be submitted during normal office hours. Readers can ask our security staff about the general services as they all basically know the scope.

We also pre-arranged emergency contacts  for urgent circumstances, for instance, I am one of them. I would immediately handle those which could be explained on the phone. For those that could not I would come and resolve them on the spot. It is not necessary to worry about the security issue too much, given that surveillance cameras are installed inside the Library.”

Answered by 2: Lam Ling Ling (Security guard of Patane Library)

“I am one of the security staff working during the 24/7 trial operation. The Red Market Library received over 1,000 people every day. Actually there are many who came at night, mostly from 8pm to 9pm. In my opinion, access control was the issue which most needed to be improved. The access control of the Red Market Library took seven seconds to read the visitors’ information, which would cause congestion and inconvenience when many people were coming at the same time, and then the Library was open to the public with the access control cancelled. On a separate note, we hope users take note that drinking and eating is also prohibited in the Library during no staff hours.”