Bulletin Number Two 1983

since the City Hall Library opened. There is now a rather large system of public libraries through- out the urban areas and the New Territories, and many more are being planned. Also school libraries have been set up in many government and aided secondary schools in the past few years but they have yet to be introduced to many of the other schools in Hong Kong. As for institutions of higher learning, the Government is very supportive of an appropriate level of library development. It is unlikely that we will find ourselves in the forefront of developments, but we are in a uniquely advantageous position to view developments in other parts of the world, and to learn from them those things that are most useful for our purposes. This is what we have tried to do, especially in our adoption of new technologies. Q. As one dedicated to the training of library professionals, could you enlighten us on the efforts made locally? A. There have been various efforts in this direction. The first course on librarianship was organized by the Department of Extra-Mural Studies of the University of Hong Kong in 1960. I was one of the few professional librarians in Hong Kong then. A few of us were very enthusiastic in the promotion of librarianship and we organized a course on library techniques. The Certificate Course for Library Assistants has been given jointly for many years under the sponsorship of the Hong Kong Library Association and the extramural studies departments of both the University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University. In the early 1960s, we did not have sufficient resources to offer a comprehensive course at professional level. As the situation has improved, a Diploma Course in Librarianship at the postgraduate level has been offered beginning 1981, and the first batch of students will soon be completing their studies. It is a comprehensive professional course incorporating subjects relevant to the Hong Kong context. Since 1979 ， introductory and advanced courses for the in-service training of teacher- librarians in schools have also been offered, under the co-sponsorship of the Advisory Inspectorate of the Department of Education of the Hong Kong Government and the Department of Extra- Mural Studies of the University of Hong Kong. And there have, over the years, been other courses, numerous seminars and workshops on special topics for working librarians. Most of the planning and the teaching of these various programmes has been done by practising librarians in Hong Kong. For the Diploma Course, in addition to local teachers, we invited two overseas lecturers to teach some subjects. We have also appointed an external examiner from England. Q. Library science is a specialized field of study. However, no courses in this field have yet been offered by any of the universities or colleges in Hong Kong. What do you think of this? A. The lack of professional library training in Hong Kong has been largely a matter of supply and demand. Each year, there has been a number of overseas library school graduates returning to Hong Kong to look for jobs, but there has not been a large market for professional librarians. Unlike the well-established professions, ours is relatively new to Hong Kong. As many people have very little knowledge about the library profession and the nature and importance of the work done by librarians, they would not pay for the employment of professionals. Many firms and educational institutions still do not have libraries. Others that have small libraries may not be able to afford professional librarians. As (i) the public library systems in Hong Kong develop more fully, (ii) the number of school libraries gradually becomes larger, (iii) the schools begin to make fuller use of library services and (iv) the number of special libraries in different kinds of firms increases, the need for more professional librarians is likely to increase to the point that local professional training will be required. With the postgraduate Diploma Course in Librarianship introduced in 1981, we are working towards this goal. This three-year part-time course will cater for the need in the next few years. So far, no teaching programme on library science has yet been offered by any of the universities or colleges in Hong Kong because it is an expensive undertaking. Personally, I feel that in due course a full-time programme on library and information science may be organized in one of the institutions of higher learning. Such a programme should be at the postgraduate level, for librarians or information scientists need a good educational background plus preferably a subject specialization, in addition to professional knowledge and skill. Manpower surveys have to be carried out and very careful planning has to be done. The size of enrolment has to be carefully planned with reference to the demand for new positions as well as to the number of possible professional job openings in the local libraries. ACADEMIC/CULTURAL EVENTS 13