Stories from the Library – what's new and what's happening
I love bi-lingual puns! Today at the Idea Corner, I saw this witty commentary on yesterday’s weather. This is a play on the Cantonese name for HKUST: 香港科技大學 香[heung1]港[gong2]科[fo1]技[gei6]大[daai6]學[hok6] 科[fo1]技[gei6] = sounds like Foggy It made me chuckle. Today, it’s still a bit foggy, but beautiful. Let’s embrace the name 🙂 …
As autumn unfolds and the days grow shorter, it’s the perfect time to enjoy some fantastic science fiction. Sci-fi has gained immense popularity among recent generations, exploring themes like robotics, space exploration, time travel, and parallel universes—topics that resonate across various media. A new selection of best-selling sci-fi titles including eBooks and physical items is…
You have probably already seen the new carrels on LG4. We went with a colourful mix in a ‘hexagon’ or honeycomb arrangement. We changed the carpet too, giving a more engaging and dramatic visual effect. Why this change? Previously, that area held several large reading tables and a collection of sofas. For the past couple…
Did you know this is one of the most glamorous items in our Special Collections? Known as 坤輿萬國全圖, in elegant classical Chinese, literally meaning Map of the Ten Thousand Countries of the Earth, it also has a nickname in English – Ricci Map. Why Ricci in English? Why does this map, titled in Chinese, carry…
Do you know there was a commemorative stamp of HKUST in 1989? I did not, until I saw it today in the Library! The stamp was presented in a first day cover of a set called “Hong Kong Building for the Future,” issued on October 5th, 1989. Colored in gold and featuring the academic building,…
It is humbling to know that Library staff work here for so many years. On April 18, 2024, we gathered to honor our esteemed colleagues who have dedicated an impressive three decades of service to the University, or more – including seven staff from the Library. From left to right: Lin, Rose, Fiona, Irene Hui,…
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…
As summer vacation begins, are you feeling weary of textbooks and academic papers? The Library is more than a place for group discussion, dissertation writing, or exam preparation. On G/F, a selection of popular books on display is beckoning, inviting you to unwind with a good read. These popular reads offer fresh perspectives on history,…
After we opened the new entrance at LG5 early March, you can go in and out the Library at three different levels: Main entrance at G/F by the Atrium LG1, the Learning Commons LG5 Which one do you use more often? You may find that a particular entrance fits better into your locus in campus….
Old maps are visually beautiful; and they carry a lot of interesting stories. The Library hosted a 3-day research symposium last December with map historians from local and overseas institutions. One really memorable talk in the symposium was about this famous Chinese map dated 1644, the year the Ming Empire collapsed: <天下九邊分野人跡路程全圖> (A comprehensive map…
