LIBRARY PORTRAIT + LIBRARY WONDER WHY

Children’s Reading Area is one of the cosiest corners in the Macao Public Library. Here you can find various children’s books and children-friendly facilities such as ample reading space and children-height bookshelves. More importantly, it is the corner for parent-child interactions. In this issue of Books and the City, we visited children’s reading areas in the Patane Library and the Taipa Library to look for touching moments.

3:00 pm, Sunday, January 20, Patane Library

Mrs. Liang and her children are all fans of the library.

From time to time on weekends, small activities are held in the Children’s Reading Area, offering free entry to children, and many of which are family activities. Mrs. Liang lives in the Patane neighbourhood and she was with her four kids in the children’s reading area when we visited the library. “I like to bring them here whenever I am free. The reading environment here is better than that at home and various children’s books are available.” Mrs. Liang told us, “And they hold different kinds of activities like reading clubs and painting, kids can develop their interests in reading and also get to know other kids. They all love the library.”  

3:00 pm, Wednesday, January 23, Taipa Library

Mr. Yuan and his granddaughter enjoy reading books and telling stories in the tree house.

The Children’s Reading Area of the Taipa Library has been popular among children and adults since its opening. It is an entertaining reading area with a large space, various children’s books and a tree house decoration. Mr. Yuan and his granddaughter are frequent visitors, as they come here almost every day after school. “My granddaughter asks me to bring her here every day. She will not stop asking until I agree. There are all kinds of books here, and she can make friends with other kids. It is much more interesting than just staying at home.” He smiled, “This public library is well-equipped and the reading atmosphere is good. I like to bring her here every day to read and I enjoy listening to her stories.”

Q: What information is included in the Wanfang Database? How to use it?

A: It includes China Online Journals, China Dissertation Database, China Conference Paper Database, China Science and Technology Information System and China Business Information System. Most of the resources are available for full-text reading and download. The Wanfang Database can conduct cross-database search (unlimited data types) and specific search (retrieving specific data types) that offers professional digital data for researchers and scholars and has a high recall ratio and accuracy rate. Readers can access the database through the Electronic Resources section of the Macao Public Library home page. (www.library.gov.mo/en/library-collections/e-resources)

Q: Is it true that readers can only access the database for information inside the library? What categories of reference material can be found in the database?

A: Except for some local government departments and academic institutes, readers in the region (not limited to the Macao Public Library) can access the database through the website of the Macao Public Library; the Wanfang Database provides full texts of academic journals published in China, doctoral and master’s theses, and academic conference papers, as well as lists of domestic commercial institutions, patent technology information, etc.

Q: Is there any restriction for readers to access information in the database? Are there any additional charges?

A: Regardless of whether one is a local reader or nonlocal visitor, and whether one has applied for a library card or not, readers and visitors in the region (except for some government departments and academic institutions) can access the Wanfang database through the website of the Macao Public Library without any restrictions or charges.