What's your requirement of a library? Rich variety of books, spacious reading area and comfortable environment. Yes, these are the basic requirements but hardly to be achieved in HK.
Basically, the Central Library in HK Island can reach the standard just mentioned. Except those "members only" libraries in colleges and clubs, the Central Library seems the only "paradise" for library-surfing (and other district libraries run by the government can't compare). This becomes a attractive place for most readers and students.
The problem comes. There is shortage of seats for readers in most areas. Exploring more spaces for seats? Sorry, I found that the library building has been run out of space and some seats will be sacrified for extra-bookshelves.
Reference books area, a 3-story section of most kinds of books (You may discover some rare treasures that hardly appeared in the lending sections!) is the core of the paradise. The only regulation is you can't take the book away from this section. I agree with this regulation because the book there can be always available. A by-product also created by this regulation - the special reading areas, for reference-book readers only. This is reasonable and fair for those readers.
However, when I read the newly updated rules of the special reading areas, I believe some officiers
do wrong thing sincerely (There's good phrase in Chinese - 好心做壞事). Let's have a look of the first statement of the rules:
The "Special Reading Area" is exclusively reserved for the reading of [library refrence materials] or searching of information on Internet. Readers may read or take notes of the reference book using paper or notebook computers, but reading or displaying of personal books, examination papers, and study notes, etc. is porhibited. Any violation would result in cancellation of the seat registration.
That means you are unlikely to do your research jobs, to drill deeper for calculus for the A-grade in public exams or even exploring something of own interests. Those cases often be done by personal notes or several books. Can it be called "reference book" if no other materials can be linked? Why there's a reference book area prohabits further references? Please, don't make me laugh!
Although this rule is no harm for me, a notebook user, who that can bring thousands of virtual books, study notes & exam papers, I think the function of this special reading area has been damaged or "twisted". Actually, this so-called-rule can't prohabit someone misuse the facilities , as someone can pretend reading the referrence books but doing other unrelated things .....
In a society of freedom of speech, freedom of acquiring/exploring knowledge should also be included. It's a bit ironic that can't be done in library! Such scene I met in this library shows the the lack of library facilities and most importantly, and sight of objective for running a library.
In terms of the Rules of theuse of "Special Reading Area", I should feel guilty of writing this passage in this area, because my eyes should stare at reference books of software-testing, but I have to make some noise of this flaw, or this final paradise will be vanished!
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