We are excited to announce that the upgraded iMac stations are now ready for use in the Library starting 29 August 2025, just in time for the new semester! More Than Just New Machines.The new iMac stations deliver faster performance and enhanced security. To better accommodate diverse study preferences, we've refreshed the space with a balanced mix of iMac stations and open seating. Whether you prefer working on our new iMacs or your personal laptop, a comfortable study environment awaits you. Overcoming Delivery Delays Despite delays in delivery, our team didn’t wait around. We proactively rearranged preparation work before their arrival in late July to expedite the process. Our goal was to ensure the new iMac stations would be ready before the semester began. Technical Challenge During setup, we encountered a challenge connecting the new iMacs to the HKUST domain to allow HKUST account login. To protect your privacy, we adopted an alternative solution using reborn software, which wipes all changes upon reboot and provides a secure and consistent user experience. A Team Effort Worth Applauding. Special thanks to the Systems Support Team colleagues for their efforts in deploying the new iMac stations. Their work went beyond installation—they managed iMac registration, software deployment, and thoroughly tested existing network cables to guarantee stable and reliable connectivity for all users. Visit Us in E-Learning Classroom A, LG1 The new iMac stations are located in E-Learning Classroom A, LG1. Please drop by and experience the upgrade firsthand. If you need help, our library staff are always ready to assist.Happy studying!

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 and we staff have to install its software in order to process your requests. Do you remember this login page? As of 30 May 2025, we stopped receiving new requests through ILLiad. After wrapping up with outstanding requests, ILLiad finished its 21-year service for our library in June 2025. Let’s give a big hand to ILLiad for serving our community for over two decades! What’s new?

Writing the text for the project Tales from a 1493 World Map: Playing with Augmented Reality (AR) was meant to be a straightforward task - just a bit of history, a touch of mythology, and voilà, a finished story. In reality, it turned into a full-scale expedition through time, culture, and a bestiary of fantastical creatures that make Godzilla seem downright tame. Though my journalism background prepared me for chasing deadlines and digging for facts, tackling a 1493 German medieval map brimming with monsters borrowed from Greek, Roman, and other mythologies was an entirely different challenge. Let’s just say neither history nor myth was accompanied by a user guide. For an entire month, Tory, the Head of the library’s Research & Learning Support, and I became part-time historians and mythical creature specialists. We scoured the HKUST library as if it were a treasure trove, navigating dusty tomes and digital archives from museums across Europe and North America. We encountered ancient manuscripts, encyclopedias, and artistic interpretations that looked like the creative output of medieval monks during a very long sermon. The greatest challenge? Distinguishing fact from fiction - or, as I came to call it, playing medieval myth-whack-a-mole. One source portrayed a beast as a noble fire-breather; another insisted it was merely an irritable lizard with attitude problems.

I am thrilled to share my experience about my first project in the library: the Library Material Pickup Station. It feels like a significant milestone in my career. As an alumnus of HKUST, it feels surreal to be back as a worker in the library, which I once relied on so much. When I first joined the library, I felt both familiar and strange. Stepping in as a staff member was a different experience, diving into a new role made the familiar feel almost foreign. After 3 months of training, I got to know the library’s operations and was finally assigned to a project to implement the Library Material Pickup Station. Taking on this responsibility has been quite exhilarating. Throughout the project, my colleagues and I brainstormed many ideas and planned out every detail to ensure the Library Material Pickup Station runs smoothly. The most memorable moment during this project was when we discovered an issue with the default settings of the station. If users had even 1 dollar in overdue fines, they were not allowed to pick up any books from the station.

As Irene Lo prepares to retire at the end of this month, I find myself reflecting on an extraordinary journey—one marked by quiet dedication, steadfast professionalism, and a profound love for our Library. I first worked with Irene in the 1990s, when I was a young Executive Officer in the Administration Office. We were both assigned to the Facilities team, supporting a brand-new Library—its walls freshly painted, furniture gleaming, and a shared sense of excitement in the air as we equipped a space to serve a rapidly growing university community. What began as a working relationship quickly grew into a long-standing partnership built on mutual trust, respect, and shared purpose. As the years went by, we often found ourselves tackling unexpected challenges together—figuring out how to clean the Library’s giant glass windows, replace high ceiling lights, install carpet beneath heavy bookshelves, prevent birds from flying indoors, and enforce social distancing protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, we learned, adapted, and problem-solved—always with a focus on keeping the Library safe, functional, and supportive of teaching and learning. Over the decades, Irene has been the backbone of our facilities operations. For this five-storey (expanded to six-storey in 2024) building, she handled an average of a thousand defect reports annually—many of them routine or repetitive—with tireless diligence and attention to detail. Whether coordinating complex repair workflows or liaising with contractors, she ensured that the Library remained clean, safe, functional, and welcoming. To colleagues from the Campus Management Office—carpenters, painters, electricians, plumbers, gardeners—as well as contractors and janitorial staff, Irene became an iconic Library figure.

Can you imagine maintaining your passion for your work for three decades? We at the Library are excited to celebrate Margaret, who recently received the Long Service Award from the university for her remarkable 30 years of service at HKUST. As an officer in our Resource Management section, Margaret has played a crucial role in managing collection resources. This team is responsible for acquiring materials, maintaining access to e-resources, and ensuring our catalog remains updated and user-friendly. Throughout her time at HKUST, Margaret has navigated significant changes in the library landscape. Thirty years ago, most library materials were in print form, and computing technology were very different. Although she has remained with the same team, she has embraced each new change and challenge with eagerness to learn. “If there’s nothing new for me to learn, I go out and search for it,” she says, exemplifying the spirit of lifelong learning that enriches our library community. Margaret began her career in the cataloging team within Resource Management, where her attention to detail proved invaluable. The team creates metadata that adheres to international cataloging standards, ensuring that you can easily find the resources you need while allowing HKUST’s bibliographic records to be utilized by libraries worldwide.

On 12 May, the Library hosted a vibrant exhibition opening that drew in art lovers. In a heartwarming show of support, friends of Dr Sze Chi Ching sent in 90 beautiful flower baskets, creating a stunning display outside the Library. While the flowers added charm to the event, the Library team saw an opportunity to extend their beauty and their purpose. Rather than letting the blooms go to waste, the Library reached out to the Sustainability/Net-Zero Office the next day with an idea: invite the campus community to take home the flowers and recycle the wooden frames. The Sustainability/Net-Zero Office enthusiastically supported the initiative and helped spread the word within 3 hours. The Campus Management Office also played a key role by sending the housekeeping team and cleaners to help tidy up the space, ensuring everything was neat and welcoming for the community. The response was overwhelming. Students, staff, and faculty came together to give the flowers a second life, brightening homes and offices across campus. It was a joyful moment of sharing, sustainability, and community spirit. This simple yet impactful gesture not only reduced waste but also reminded everyone that small actions can make a big difference.

In a remarkable team effort, the University Archives recently completed installation of a memorial corner dedicated to our late founding president, Prof. Chia-Wei Woo. Did you know that it was Prof. Woo’s vision back in 1990 to establish a university archive for preserving historically significant materials relating to our university? This memorial corner could not showcase such valuable materials without his foresight and commitment to safeguarding our university's history. Within a week of announcing Prof. Woo's passing, our dedicated team collaborated to plan, design, prepare, and assemble a small display at the Library G/F Gallery to honor his memory. Our first step involved selecting items that best reflect Prof. Woo’s connection with the university and his visionary values. Among the treasures selected are three important letters from 1985 and 1987 that mark his appointment as founding president and the university’s founding years.