FEATURE

TEXT_Yvonne Yu／Yan Lam　PHOTOS_Panda Lei / COURTESY OF THE INTERVIEWEES　ILLUSTRATOR _Kay Wong

As the demand for digital reading continues to grow among modern readers, the integration of print and digital resources has become an inseparable aspect of the development of public library collection. Keeping pace with the times, the Macao SAR Government continually enriches the digital resource platform of the Public Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau as part of its effort in building the “City of Reading” and actively responds to the call for smart city development. This year, four new platforms have been introduced: LendeBook.com, OverDrive eBooks, Miss Humblebee’s Academy, and the Audiobooks of Macao Public Library, effectively meeting the public’s desire for knowledge in seeking various e-book resources. This issue’s feature will explore, from both user and expert perspectives, the unique characteristics of the e-reading platforms provided by the Public Library, their impact on daily life, and future trends in e-reading platforms, allowing residents to easily find their “dream book” in the vast ocean of the Internet through this introduction.

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Domi Ou

A working mom who is committed to parent-child reading

Using a computer or mobile device for learning is an indispensable method for children. My son spends four days a week engaging with electronic resources. Since he frequently interacts with electronic learning materials during study time, we prefer to choose screen-free audiobooks during his breaks, allowing him to enjoy listening to various captivating stories.

The Public Library’s “Jinfm” is our most frequently used platform. Through the expressive narrations, it sparks my son’s imagination. He often shares the scenes he envisions with me, and I believe this transformation of knowledge can enhance his comprehension and memory. Additionally, “National Geographic Kids” is another platform we love to use, as it offers a wealth of knowledge in natural sciences along with various short videos that allow children to fully immerse themselves in their learning about the natural science.

Kitty Leung

E-book reader, moderator of the e-book reading exchange group on social media in Macao, Macao writer

I began reading e-books in 2013, primarily focusing on novels. After purchasing an open-format e-reader, I discovered that I could borrow various e-books for free from the library’s digital platform, which greatly increased my reading volume. E-books have allowed me to explore different types of books, such as self-help and business finance, and some books on soul studies have even changed my outlook on life.

E-book reading is still niche in Macao, so I created an e-book reading exchange group on social media hoping to enable more people learn about its convenience, which could help better promote reading. I believe that people of any age can develop a reading habit, and whether it is with paper books or e-books, both can open up a new world.

Ishtar Chan

Doctoral student, event producer and director, novelist

Whether for students or working professionals, accessing the latest information is crucial, and consulting electronic resources is undoubtedly an efficient approach. When conducting professional research, I primarily use the electronic resources available on campus, while the free resources from the Public Library serve as a supplementary option.

The “Harvard Business Review (Chinese Version)” is an electronic resource platform of the Public Library that I frequently use. It houses a wealth of articles on international economics and academia. For me, this not only helps to gain insights into global business trends but also broadens my perspectives in professional research and career development. Additionally, the Public Library’s electronic databases include academic journals and research papers from Mainland China, providing convenience for my research and teaching, especially when it comes to converting specialised terminology between Chinese and English.

To make it easier for residents to access the rich electronic resources provided by the Public Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the library website has added a unified search function for electronic resources. This feature is currently in the testing phase, allowing readers to conveniently enter keywords on the library website to conduct a unified search for various electronic resources, including e-books, e-magazines, and electronic databases. This function breaks the limitations of previously scattered searches for electronic resources, significantly saving readers’ time and effort in finding information.

The search results page will directly display links to relevant electronic resources, allowing users to click through to the reading or download page. Furthermore, to enhance the user experience, some electronic resources are seamlessly integrated with the readers accessing accounts of the Public Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau. Residents only need to log in to their reader accounts to store and retrieve resources.

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The third batch of ancient texts e-books has been released in the “Digital Collection Database” on the website, allowing users to browse through numerous precious ancient books online at any time.

This batch of ancient texts e-books includes collections from the Senado Library, the Macao Central Library, and the Chinese Ancient Books Chamber of the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, totalling 35 titles and 96 volumes. Among them are Medical Botany (three volumes), published in 18th-century Britain, and its supplement, A Supplement to Medical Botany (one volume). These two works systematically document over 250 species of plants, detailing their characteristics, appearance, and medicinal properties, accompanied by exquisite illustrations, and are regarded as classic “medicinal plants pictorial book”. The book “Progressive Lessons for the Study of the Spoken and Written Chinese Language” compiles 100 articles related to Chinese customs and novel excerpts, presented in both English and French, aimed at helping foreigners learn Chinese at that time. There are also the “Macao Yearbook”, which records various social data in Macao from the early 20th century to the 1980s, as well as “A Chinese-Portuguese Dictionary” and “A Portuguese-Chinese Dictionary” compiled by Portuguese sinologist Joaquim Afonso Gonçalves, along with the “Dongba Classics”, the scripture of the Naxi people’s indigenous religion, Dongba religion, unique to Southwest China. Readers can visit the Digital Collection page on the website to access these precious ancient texts e-books. Readers can visit the Digital Collection page on the website to access these precious ancient texts e-books.

The Dongba Classics in the collection of the Chinese Ancient Books Chamber

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When discussing the significance of electronic reading and digital resources in today’s library system, Dr. Wu Jianzhong, University Librarian of the University of Macau Library, interprets it this way, “First, I believe that reading knows no boundaries in terms of medium. The theme of International Summit of the Book held in Singapore in 2013 was titled ‘A book by any other name’, inspired by Shakespeare’s famous quote, ‘A rose by any other name’, meaning that regardless of the format in which a book appears, it is still a book.” It is evident that, as early as over a decade ago, electronic reading and digital resources were already in an important strategic position for development.

In recent years, the evolution of electronic resources has surged with remarkable intensity, with 3.5 quintillion bytes of data produced globally every day. The proportion of these electronic resources in public library collections and open resources has also increased dramatically. Dr. Wu pointed out that the usage of non-traditional electronic resources, such as grey literature (informally published documents) and scholarly repositories, is exceptionally high in University Library, surpassing the proportion of e-book reading resources typically used by ordinary readers.

In Dr. Wu’s view, public library collections can, in essence, be regarded as embodiments of “knowledge”. In the past, there were often high barriers for researchers and general readers who sought academic information and data, as much of this knowledge was copyrighted by publishers and therefore not “open”. However, public libraries transitioned from “literacy” education two hundred years ago to “literacies” education, which reflects a shared reader desire for open access to “knowledge”. If libraries can make these valuable research findings available as open digital resources, knowledge can truly reach the hands of the general public, achieving fair and balanced distribution.

When discussing the development trends in public libraries of neighbouring Greater Bay Area cities, Dr. Wu noted that Shenzhen Library and Guangzhou Library have introduced numerous innovations in digital services and virtual-physical integration. However, he emphasised that physical libraries remain essential, though they only require spatial and operational reshaping and rebuilding to keep pace with the digital era and serve as interactive platforms with readers. Dr. Wu further highlighted Europeana, the European digital library, as a successful example. Europeana is a collaborative alliance of libraries, museums, and art galleries that also serves the creative industries, enabling many people to benefit and become more adept at learning and creating.