Have you noticed that starting Feb 10, 2025, a new dashboard appears on the library homepage? There, you can see the number of people currently in the Library, and the real-time booking situation of study rooms and study pods.
How It Is Done
This new people counting system estimates how many people are in the building by keeping track of people coming in and out, using 6 sensors installed at the Ground Floor, LG1, and LG5 entrances. Your privacy is our top priority; the sensors do not capture or save any personal information or images; they simply count people passing.
What It Can Tell You About Library Traffic
What does it mean when the dashboard tells you there are, say, 1,000 people in the Library now?
We have been counting the number of users regularly. For example, in the last Fall term (2024), our manual headcount recorded about 1,300-1,900 users in weekdays; the highest record was over 1,960 at 3pm on October 14, 2024. The Library actually provides over 3,000 seats of various kinds; however, our daily experience tells us that when the headcount reaches about 1,500, it is not easy to find a seat; and at 1,800 range, the Library is actually packed.
These observations give us a reference point to make sense of the numbers, but we cannot apply such comparison directly with the new system, because it is a completely different way of counting. How do the dashboard numbers translate to your experience of finding available seats in the Library? We will need some time to observe.
This system is set up with the collaborative effort of multiple teams in the Library, led by our Systems & Digital Services. If you have any questions or comments, do share with us.
Martin So
Librarian (Systems & Digital Services)
lbmartin@ust.hk
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