英文版
I am very honoured to be here today for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the London Reading Club.
I am afraid I am not able to speak Mandarin or Cantonese, like some of my colleagues, so I can only speak of the relationship between your club and the libraries from the point of view of someone who has been happy to host your meetings and work with you in our library programmes and it may be interesting for you to see the impact your club has made in the library.
The very first time I met Ms Bai I had just become librarian in one of the Westminster public libraries in Pimlico, when she approached me because she had organised a Chinese book group and she was looking for a suitable location. A public library with some free space seemed the obvious choice. I was glad to host the club there.
A short time afterwards I moved to become manager of Charing Cross library, known locally as the Chinese library. Ms Bai found out and approached me again asking if it would be ok for the club to meet there, since that library seemed a better place for obvious reasons.
We had just prepared a new events room in that library and I believe the London Reading Club must have been the first guests who made use of the new facility. I can say that your club is the biggest of all such book clubs in Westminster libraries, and there are dozens.
Over the years the club have been part of the life of the library. You have helped us to organise and promote our own activities, attended many of the Chinese culture events we organised, providing participants as well as audience. I especially remember Ms Bai’s support finding acts to fill a whole week of events celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Chinese language collection in Charing Cross library, some 5 Years ago. Thank you very much for your help. We have also benefited from the support of individual members of the London Reading Club. We have books donated by and volunteering from some of your members. You have made introductions for us, provided advice, ideas and … cake. Most important, you have helped us to keep Charing Cross library relevant, not just in the eyes of the Chinese community in London and further afield, but also in the eyes of the Council members and the authorities on whose decisions the continuity of the site depends.
I do hope that you club keeps growing for many years to come. In the name of Nicky Smith, the manager of CHX library and all the staff there and the WCC public library service in general, thank you very much for your continuous support.
Aitor Quintana
中文版
我很荣幸今天能在这里和大家一起庆祝伦敦读书会成立十周年。
抱歉我无法像我的一些同事那样讲普通话或粤语，所以我只能从一个多年来愉快地支持你们、旁顾你们在我们图书馆举办你们的活动，并与贵会在图书馆许多项目上合作多年的工作人员的角度谈谈伦敦读书会与图书馆的关系。也许对你们来说，换个角度，看看你们读书会对图书馆的影响会很有趣。
我第一次见到白女士时，我刚成为威斯敏斯特公共图书馆皮姆利科分馆的图书管理员。她的伙伴、你们的老会员未来女士联络我，说她们有一个中文书友会，正在寻找合适的场地。公共图书馆的有阅读聚会空间似乎是显而易见的选择。我很高兴在那里接待了伦敦读书会。
不久之后，我调迁到了查宁阁图书馆，那里被爱称为中文图书馆。白女士得知了这一消息，再次联系我，询问读书会是否可以改在这里聚会，因为显然查宁阁图书馆的交通、位置更合适一个中文群体。
其时我们刚刚在查宁阁图书馆装修了一个新的地下活动室，我相信伦敦读书会一定是第一个使用这个新设施的客人。我可以说，你们读书会是威斯敏斯特图书馆中有几十个书友会，有几十个其它俱乐部，你们是书友会中规模最大的。
多年来，伦敦读书会已经成为了图书馆生活的一部分。你们帮助我们组织和推广我们自己的活动，参加了我们组织的许多中国文化活动，提供了参与者和观众。我特别记得大约五年前，读书会协助我们寻找表演者，以庆祝查宁阁图书馆中文藏书35周年。非常感谢你们的帮助。我们还受益于伦敦阅读俱乐部个别成员的支持。有些会员捐赠了书籍，并志愿参与活动。你们为我们引荐，提供建议、创意……还有鲜花和蛋糕。最重要的是，你们帮助我们保持查宁阁图书馆和社会各个多元群体相关性，你们的存在，不仅在伦敦及其他地区的华人社区眼中，也在决定该场所持续运营的市议会成员和相关部门眼中。
我衷心希望伦敦读书会在未来的许多年里继续成长。谨代表查令十字图书馆的经理尼基·史密斯和那里所有的员工以及威斯敏斯特公共图书馆服务，衷心感谢你们的持续支持。
艾托尔·昆塔纳
