About the Conference
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Library and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Library will jointly host a two-day conference on 2-3 June 2016 entitled “Academic Librarian 4 – Sustainable Academic Libraries: Now and Beyond.”
Initiated by CUHK, the Academic Librarian Conference series were previously held at CUHK (AL1 and AL3) and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (AL2).
A notable event celebrating the 25th anniversary of HKUST, this AL4 Conference addresses the multi-dimensional issues of sustainability pertaining to academic libraries. How do academic libraries drive sustainability in their innovations and day-to-day operations? What are the best practices and emerging trends that help save the environment for posterity while fulfilling at optimal efficiency the current and future needs of library users? What are the obstacles or breakthroughs in advancing these goals?
Carrying the theme of sustainability, AL4 is designed to be a green event.
In this interview published at ACCESS eNewsletter, Ms. Louise Jones and Ms. Diana Chan, the university librarians of CUHK and HKUST respectively, tell us more about the ideas behind this conference.
The Conference will explore four major themes.
Theme 1: Sustainable Environment
This theme highlights the eco-friendliness of academic libraries. Topics may include but are not limited to:
- Green buildings: design and construction; facilities and fittings;
- Green programs: water and energy conservation; paper and electronics disposal and
- recycling; environmental literacy education;
Compliance to national or international environmental standards
Theme 2: Sustainable Resources
With finite human and financial resources, academic libraries have to reconcile the conflicts
between growth and sustainability. How can libraries propel sustainable growth with sustainable
resources? Possible areas for discussions are:
- Financial resources: fund-raising; government sponsorship; library-school-industry partnerships;
- Library collection: collaborative collection development; open access; libraries as
- Human resources: staff development; talent management; staff motivation and
transformation to meet shifting strategic priorities
Theme 3: Sustainable Technologies
Green information technologies reduce ecological footprint while improving efficiency and
experiences for users and staff. Discussions may focus on:
- Virtualization and cloud computing: IT infrastructure; data privacy and security; cost benefits;
- Shared integrated library system: consortial case studies; limitations and possibilities;feedback and evaluation;
- Mobile applications: library services on mobile devices; mobile responsive website design;
connecting users with social media
Theme 4: Sustainable Services
Services are a key component of library sustainability. Libraries should stay relevant and
proactively design services befitting the immediate and future needs of library users. This theme
covers a range of issues such as:
- Innovative services: e-learning initiatives; gamification; research support services;
information services; digital scholarship; branding and marketing; outreach and collaboration; - Quality assurance of services: benchmarking; assessment plan; qualitative and
quantitative analysis
last modified 11 July 2016