CIO & University Librarian's Message

I am excited to welcome you back to the campus with a new space in the Library.

In November, we have strived our best to open the Southern side of the Library though the other parts of the Library are still undergoing construction in different degrees.  We are delighted that the new space was very well-received, with lots of encouraging compliments.  To echo the famous saying of the scholar, David Lankes, that "Good libraries build services, great libraries build communities." which I quoted in the Library Matters Issue 17, we are committed to co-build the new space with all our readers. Our reader community is the heart of the Library and what modern libraries are all about. Besides providing fit-for-purpose collections to support your learning needs as the backbone of the Library, I have the vision of transforming the Library into the learning hub and intellectual heart of the University. The new space is provisioned with a no. of individual and group study rooms, different study zones with different design of furniture, an activity room plus some exhibition area for prototyping of innovative ideas, experiential learning and other cultural activities, a café corner for informal interaction and limited beverages, plus other space to accommodate a different mix of study and learning styles. After the reopening, we had a record high of over 26,000 no. of visits. Thank you for visiting the Library. We have also organized a few events, the most impressive is the Refreshh! Coffee in which I had the chance to talk to a few students to learn about their impression of the new Library and what improvements should be made. I am excited that most students love the idea of this café corner. We will speed up the preparation of opening this area.  Please read our report on this activity plus other events in this issue.

In December, when the Late Reading Room was handed over to the Library, the Library staff acted fast within a very short period of time to open this area for overnight study in order to provide more study space for examination.  Although this is a trial run, the response of users is good. We have decided to open this area again on January 17 plus a new computer room in which there are 15 notebooks and a number of study tables for overnight use. Overnight service is a milestone for the Library as it is the first time since our establishment to offer such a service.

During term-break, our staff are busy shuffling the huge volumes of books and reading materials from storage and elsewhere of the campus back to 1/F.  As there are over 250,000 volumes, more time is still needed for shelving them in proper order on the bookshelves. When it is ready, we will also open the Northern side of the Library.

Renovation with the creation of new space is just the first step in our transformation journey.  In the coming days, you will hear more of the changes in our services.  Again, your voice matters.  Please let us know what you need by all means.