In order to foster reading culture in the community and disseminate the concept of “enriching life through reading”, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) has been carrying out the “Book for Book” activity since 2024, which has been well received and supported by citizens.  This year, the "Where culture flourishes, happiness happens" — Book for Book activity will be held again in various neighbourhoods in Macao starting in May. By creating a book exchange platform, IC aims to promote the circulation and sharing of reading resources within the community, allowing more citizens to experience the joy and value of reading.

The activity will be held on 9 and 10 May at Lotus Square, Bairro da Ilha Verde and on 13 and 14 June at Three Lamps (Rotunda de Carlos da Maia) Leisure Area, from 12:00 noon to 6:00pm. The programme will then continue between October and December. The activity is on a one-for-one approach. Participants simply bring books that meet the criteria of exchange to the personnel on-site for verification, select their favourite books on offer and exchange them for the equivalent number of their books, with a limit of 20 books per person, per event, aiming to encourage more citizens to participate and increase the circulation of books.　

In order to ensure the quality and sustainability of the books for exchange, the activity will not allow the swap of magazines, booklets, education guidebooks, textbooks, event catalogues, children’s cloth books, non-locally-published yearbooks, law books and examination guidebooks, science and engineering books more than five years old, computer books more than three years old, or travel guides more than two years old, pornographic publications or violence-themed books, religious books, pirated books or those in violation of copyright, damaged and soiled books, incomplete collections, poorly bound books, books with missing or soiled pages, and books with more than five volumes.

At the “Book for Book” activity site, there will also be a community exhibition titled “Introduction to Macao Public Library Resources and Services” that will introduce various resources and convenient services offered by the Macao Public Library. Both activities are part of the “Macao Just Read 2026‧National Reading Campaign Week 2026” and “Where Culture Flourishes, Happiness Happens” events, aiming to strengthen residents' reading habits, allow reading to take root and grow within the community, and create a cultural atmosphere of reading.

IC sincerely invites members of the public to participate in the book swap activity “Book for Book” with their pre-owned books in good condition, sharing the joy of reading with book lovers in the community.

For enquiries, please contact the Public Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau through tel. no. 2855 8049 or 2884 3105 during the opening hours of the libraries (except Monday morning), or visit the website of the Macao Public Library at www.library.gov.mo, or use the mobile application “My Library”.

2026 “Where culture flourishes, happiness happens” — Book for Book Activity Calendar

*Venues for October through December may be adjusted by the Organiser based on site availability and local conditions.