TEXT_Yan Lam
PHOTOS_Casli Lau
Wong said frankly that she has been fond of reading since childhood and it is her dream to work in a library.
Established in 1948 by the Macao Chamber of Commerce, the Reading Room holds a collection of over 22,000 books, some 70 magazines and newspapers in Chinese and foreign languages which are available for access. In this issue, we have invited Wong Sio Mui, a librarian of the Reading Room of the Macao Chamber of Commerce, to share stories with us about this small library situated in the downtown area of Macao.
A two-story building with the ground floor being the reading area, the Reading Room of the Macao Chamber of Commerce mainly collects books on professional skills, literature and art. Having worked in the Reading Room for 30 years, Wong is always able to quickly find the books for readers without the assistance of a computer with her abundant experience. She recalls that she once helped a reader find the whole set of mathematics books used in their childhood. She still cannot forget how excited the reader was when the books were found. ‘In recent years, people who come to borrow books become fewer and most visitors are people from the neighbourhood that come to read newspapers. Perhaps the younger generation prefer e-books, and people do not borrow books from here as much because they think the books are outdated’, Wong added.
Looking at the bookshelves, you will find hand-written names on some of the book spines. These books were published many years ago and the covers have been worn out through repeated reading, so Wong has rewrapped the covers with kraft paper. Despite not starting as a professional in library-related disciplines, she has earlier taken a library management course at the University of Macao to learn professional knowledge and better serve the readers. ‘I found my horizons broadened when listening to the lectures given by professional librarians, and I have learned some basic knowledge on repairing books. I remember a thread-bound Xiangshan Xianzhi became loose; I studied how to rebind it using an awl and finally succeeded.’ Though not as beautiful as new books, nor weighing as light as e-books, these restored books on the shelves would never be out-of-date due to the human touch.
