Library News

The first meeting of the Working Group on Public Archives Affairs of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) was held on 9 September at the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building. The meeting was chaired by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man. The meeting aimed to hear from the Macao Archives on the progress of its work following the entry into force of the Archives Law and the implementation of Executive Order No. 111/2019, as well as to deliberate on the revision of the aforementioned Executive Order. During the meeting, Leong Wai Man stressed that the Archives Law, as the basic law for archival work, contributes to promoting the comprehensive development of the archival sector in the Macao SAR. Following extensive public consultation on the Archives Law and a process of regulatory review and improvement, the new Archives Law officially came into force on 14 March 2024, and the Working Group on Public Archives Affairs was established by order of the Chief Executive. The Cultural Affairs Bureau will formulate guidelines on archival management to serve as reference for various public departments. The practical implementation will require joint research and promotion efforts by the members of the Group, who will provide opinions on improving the archives management system.

The Director of the Macao Archives, Lou Hong Wai, introduced the follow-up work after the entry into force of the Archives Law, including the creation of a position for the person responsible for liaison in the field of archives management and the establishment of a website on public archives management, in order to facilitate exchanges in the field of archival management. Maria Fátima Lau, from the Macao Archives, presented the implementation work of Executive Order No. 111/2019 (which sets the retention periods and final destination of administrative archives of a common nature of the public administration bodies and departments of the Macao Special Administrative Region), stating that the Archives has held numerous information sessions, exchange sessions and training courses since 2020, having effectively expanded the knowledge of the Archives staff in the field of archiving and improved their practical skills. In conjunction with the entry into force and implementation of the Archives Law, and with a view to responding to the opinions of public departments and their proposals for additions and changes to the contents related to archives management, the Working Group decided that Executive Order No. 111/2019 should be amended and will initiate the review and public consultation procedures with public departments.

The meeting was attended by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man; the Director of the Macao Archives, Lou Hong Wai; the representative of the Civil Service and Administration Services, Lo Kin I; the representative of the Security Forces Bureau of Macao, Kong Iat Fu; the representative of the Legal Affairs Bureau, Lei Seng Lei; the representative of the Financial Services Bureau, Cheong Chi Kin; the representative of the Post and Telecommunications Bureau, Wong San San; the representative of the Judiciary Police, Lam Hao Peng; the representative of the University of Macau, Hoi Wai Tat; and Maria Fátima Lau, from the Archives of Macao.