Kevin (third left) hands over books to Lau while (from left) Halimah, Kueh, Ahmad Zaidie, Roswati, Ho, and Tiong look on.
SIBU: Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC), in collaboration with the See Hua Group, has launched a ‘Donate a Book’ campaign to help stock the shelves of its five libraries with old books.
The five public libraries are in Durin, Rantau Panjang, Bawang Assan, Selangau and Sibu Jaya.
Speaking at the launching ceremony at See Hua Group’s office in Tuanku Osman Road recently, SRDC deputy chairman Robert Lau Hui Yew revealed that the campaign is for two months.
“During this period, those intending to donate books may drop the books into a collection box at the ground floor of the See Hua office at No. 40, Tuanku Osman Road,” he said.
SRDC accepts different genres that are suitable for students from Primary One to Form Five.
Lau said novels in English and Chinese are preferred.
“We also want to encourage students to read,” he said, noting that the reading habit is particularly wanting among rural children.
He said people in the rural areas have limited access to a well-stocked library. “Most of the books available to them are outdated,” he said, adding that the council is financially constrained despite having the intention to upgrade the libraries.
According to Lau, Sibu Jaya public library receives about 4,000 visitors every month. Meanwhile, SRDC received about 200 books from the members of the public yesterday. Among the donors was Kevin Lau from the KTS Group.
Also present at the ceremony yesterday were See Hua Marketing Sdn Bhd senior assistant manager Kueh Nguan Seng, assistant librarians from Sibu Jaya Roswati Mid and Ahmad Zaidie Arbi, and SRDC councilors Ho Kok Munting, Michael Tiong and Halima Japar.