The Patane Library was inaugurated on Friday during a ceremony officiated by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, and the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), Ung Vai Meng, among others.
The Patane Library is comprised of a group of seven buildings with a history going back more than 80 years. Built in the 1930s, the buildings are typical arcade structures along the coast of the Inner Harbor. Arcade buildings feature an architectural form that combines features from both European and Southeast Asian architectural traditions.
The renovated library aims to provide more reading space to local residents, according to an IC statement, as well as imbuing “special value and significance in the [local] urban development,” transforming the buildings “into a place for the transmission of culture and knowledge.”
According to the statement issued by the IC, after the opening ceremony, Ung exchanged views with the first batch of readers in the library, some of which are elderly residents living in the Patane district.
The three-story Patane Library covers an area of around 1,130 square meters and provides approximately 150 seats for readers. In addition to the provision of newspapers and magazines, the library will also offer other basic services such as access to the general collection of texts on Macau and a children’s collection.
However, according to the IC, the primary focus of the library will be film and music. The area will feature a multimedia zone for regular film screenings, concerts and other activities.
It is currently home to some 20,000 volumes, 7,000 audiovisual materials, 80 types of newspapers and 600 types of magazines.
The library, located at No. 69-81, Rua da Ribeira do Patane, is open from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. from Tuesdays to Sundays, and from 2 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Mondays, except on public holidays.
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