Jainab (fourth right) presents an excellence award to a recipient while Wong (second left).
KOTA KINABALU: Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid has urged the Sabah State Library (PNS) to intensify its promotions in schools to enable students to better understand the functions of libraries.
She said libraries not only provided hard copy publications, but also electronic books, or e-books.
Jainab pointed out that students could access information through e-books anytime, which was a convenient and speedy way of reading or researching.
She called on the PNS to work with primary and secondary schools as well as universities to enable the students to learn more about libraries.
Jainab said libraries played a significant role among students because libraries provided them with knowledge for the students to be more competitive to carve a brighter future for themselves.
She said that in an interview after attending the State Library Service Excellence Award Night here on Friday.
Jainab also urged youngsters to make good use of the Internet, such as downloading good books rather than being addicted to the virtual world, which might lead to communication and social problems.
She said good interpersonal skills and achieving a bright future were interrelated, as good communication skills would open up more job opportunities and enhance one’s image that would ultimately lead to higher salary and standard of living.
Jainab added that children nowadays were more inquisitive, and thus parents, schools and PNS must be patient and adopt new ways in educating them.
On the other hand, PNS director Wong Vui Yin said the state library targeted to increase the number of users by five per cent this year, and urged PNS branches to explore ways to achieve the target.