Book lovers: Director of Leisure & Cultural Services Anissa Wong meets young "bookworms" after opening the Ma On Shan Public Library.

Ma On Shan Sports Centre and Public Library have been opened, offering local residents more comprehensive leisure, sports and cultural facilities.

Director of Leisure & Cultural Services Anissa Wong said the new facilities aim to cope with residents' increasing demands. Recreational activities such as aerobic classes, children's dance classes and fitness training classes, will be held at the sports centre to suit their needs.

Library events will also be organised to foster reading habits, she added.

Ma On Shan Public Library and Ma On Shan Sports Centre are situated at 14 On Chun Street, Ma On Shan.

Sports centre serves many purposes

The sports centre, with an oval-shaped roof that allows sunlight into the sports arena, occupies an area of 6,390 square metres. Its multi-purpose arena, with 1,500 seats, can be used for large-scale sports events and competitions, or converted to basketball, volleyball, badminton or handball courts.

Other facilities include three multi-purpose activity rooms, a temporary gymnastic training centre, a table-tennis room, a dance room, a fitness room, as well as a children's playroom with the specially-designed theme of "Mine Caves".

More than 150,000 books on offer

Ma On Shan Public Library, with an area of 2,200 square metres, has acquired an initial stock of over 150,000 books. It also features a multimedia library and a computer and information centre.

It is equipped with Online Public Access Catalogue terminals and computer terminals to help readers search library catalogues and Multimedia Information System. Book drop service is also available.

Ma On Shan Sports Centre opens from 7am to 11pm daily. Ma On Shan Public Library, closed on Mondays, opens from 9am to 8pm from Tuesdays to Fridays. It opens from 9am to 7pm on Saturdays and from 9am to 5pm on Sundays and public holidays.