Stories from the Library – what's new and what's happening
When was the last time you read a book? Flipping through pages, tapping on an e-reader, or scrolling on your phone, you are immersed in a dimension of personal thoughts and sentiments, unconsciously forging a connection to the other or the collective. French literary theorist Roland Barthes (1915 – 1980) introduced the concept of The…
April 1st, a day synonymous with humor and mischief, also marks the birth of one of literature’s most profound voices – Milan Kundera (1929 – 2023). His debut novel, The Joke, perfectly aligns with the spirit of his birthday, demonstrating how a harmless prank transforms into life-altering consequences. The weaving of comedy and tragedy defines…
March 8th will be International Women’s Day (IWD)! Women’s day has been celebrated in various forms by socialist and communist groups and countries for over 100 years. It became a more widespread celebration of women’s achievements and aspirations when the United Nations adopted and promoted International Women’s Day. Here at HKUST, the Library…
The Semester is Ending! In the midst of all the end-of-semester work, we sometimes need to relax with a good read or interesting video. Or, we like to imagine or even plan our relaxation and fun for after we’ve sat our last exam in December, or handed in the last section of grades (if we’re…
As ChatGPT celebrates its second birthday, we thought it was a good time to showcase our comprehensive collection of AI-related books that capture this transformative moment in history. Introducing our new book display: “Popular Readings on AI”—a curated selection of around 380 books, available in both print and e-format. From the latest in technology and…
Hi everyone! Have you checked out our “Discover Hong Kong” Book Display on the ground floor of the Library? It’s filled with fantastic books about our vibrant city, and I think you’ll enjoy it! Whether you’re a local, an exchange student, staff, or a faculty member, there’s something for everyone in this display. You’ll find…
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…
Another good read (author I’m fond of) is Marge Piercy. Like Ursula LeGuin, she also writes both poetry and prose. I came to her poetry, after enjoying her novels. Most of her novels are set in the contemporary world when they were published, such as, Small Changes, but some in the historic past, like Gone…
One of our Library staff colleagues has some skill in repairing books. Others asked them to host a workshop so more staff could learn these skills. They used a variety of tools and techniques to show how to fix different problems with worn or damaged books. Despite the Library’s collections moving more and more towards…
Summer induces the vibrancy of awareness. While we are gazing at the fiery blue sky, in the next breath, our faces are already dotted with raindrops from the gloom of dark clouds. There is nothing more absurd than that – uncontrollable, ever-changing, bizarre randomness. Absurdity is what you try to understand, yet far beyond your…
