Stories from the Library – what's new and what's happening
You may notice that starting from May 6, 2025, a little owl-like icon appears on our Library homepage. This is our new HKUST Library Chatbot (beta)! It is now on a two-month pilot program until the end of June. Developed through our DS CoLab initiative—where students team up with the Library staff to explore digital…
Winter solstice is the time of year when the pole is tilted furthest away from the sun. In the northern hemisphere (where Hong Kong is located) our winter solstice is in December. In 2023, it will be Friday, December 22nd. In many cultures this time of year, with the shortest days and longest nights, are…
One of the new outdoor tables recently added to the LG3 rear terrace has been custom designed for wheelchair access. Of course, users with wheelchairs are welcome to use any of the outdoor tables, but this one has 16″ of extra clearance to make it more comfortable. If you think of other things the Library…
Interested to know how many volumes of print books were added to the Library collection in the last academic year? Just 2,380 volumes. I say “just” because this is less than one tenth of the number of ebooks added within the same period. The Library has adopted e-preferred policy for some years, meaning we buy…
As a staff member at the HKUST Library and a devoted fan of The Three-Body Problem since my student days, I never imagined that one day I would meet Liu Cixin (劉慈欣) in person, and right here at my workplace. From Ancient Maps to Galactic Orbits On October 18, HKUST held its Congregation 2025, awarding…
What is ILLiad? I bet this question comes to most of your minds immediately when you read the title. It is our interlibrary loan system used since 2004! ILLiad is totally separate from the operating system we used in managing the Library. Each user has to register as an ILLiad user before placing a request…
You don’t need to be a Catholic to love this little book^. It is now featured in the Library G/F Collection Highlights corner in celebration of International Women’s Day. Mother Teresa was small in physical stature, but a spiritual giant to many. She founded in 1950 the Missionaries of Charity, a congregation of Catholic sisters,…
In the past year, using GenAI tools has become more common in universities. Everyone, from Year One undergraduates (beginning scholars) to advanced scholars, like professors are using it, or at least experimenting. One question many people have is: “How can I cite GenAI?” The answer is the dreaded, “Well, it depends….”. What does it depend…
What’s Up on the Ground Floor this September? You may have noticed something unusual just inside the G/F gates of the Library. What is it? A display of a digital humanities project for you to interact (play) with. What’s the story? In spring semester 2025, 5 UG students worked with library staff as one of…
Do you have a favourite spot in the Library? For me, the corner I like the most is the New Arrivals wall on G/F. Here, you come face-to-face with the latest books in our Library. The display is always so colourful and visually attractive, and I often encounter books that pique my curiosity. For example,…
