February 2026
Learning Space Renewal / Naming
The IC Learning Space on the ground floor is being renovated as part of a donation. This space has a long history since the founding of the Library, and has undergone several radical transformations.
When the Library opened in 1991, the room was narrower and oriented east-west, with a very large Information Counter in front of it, facing the entrance, and an equally large Reference Counter on the other side facing into the Library’s extensive Reference Collection. Inside the room were workstations for searching online databases – remember that the Web had not yet been invented!
A few years later, the two large counters were consolidated into one now facing the ocean as a combined Reference/Information service, and the room was expanded and reoriented. In the following years, the room’s space and facilities were modified several times. The online search terminals were later joined by a massive collection of CD-ROM data discs as part of several full-text full-image databases.
Later the room was divided into two, with a glass partition down the middle. One side was used for study and small seminars and became the Information Commons Learning Space. As most databases moved online, the other side was used to hold specialized databases which could not be put online, and restricted databases which could only be accessed from dedicated terminals. Meanwhile the large Reference Counter was replaced with the smaller Reference Desk and IC Help Desk, along with some study space.
The computer half of the room was gradually turned into several student collaboration spaces, and was eventually repurposed into a MakerSpace and Modeling Space for student use. That contained several 3D Printers, 3D Scanners, Modeling stations, and other equipment. A few years ago, the 3D Printing services moved to LG1, and that side of the IC room was converted into another user-bookable study and learning space, called the Information Commons Learning Space B.
Now in 2026, with this recent donation, the space has been transformed again. The glass divider has been removed and the learning and study role has been enhanced. The new space highlights notable works of art and calligraphy both inside and out, and is equipped with upgraded furniture and a substantial interactive display wall.
The Library thanks the donor family and looks forward to also using the space for cultural displays and informational activities. We don’t want to spoil the surprise, so be sure to watch for more details when the University makes a formal announcement of the donation and the coming naming ceremony.
Open Access Publishing Support: 3 Years of Progress
OA publishing agreements allow HKUST authors to publish in selected journals with article processing charges (APCs) waived. Our first-ever OA publishing program – with Cambridge University Press – was launched in 2023. Stepping into the 4th anniversary, our humble start from a handful of programs has grown to cover 17 publishers of various sizes and subject strength. The no. of articles published open access under these programs climbed from 18 to 263. Had these papers been paid by individual authors at list prices, their value would amount to a dizzying HKD 11.7 million.
Negotiations with publishers for OA publishing rights can be straightforward or convoluted. Our new ACM and Taylor & Francis agreements b long to the latter category. ACM embraces OA in full scale, and its entire Digital Library has become 100% OA from 2026 onwards. This full OA shift is supported by ACM Open which was priced far above our regular subscription price. To everyone’s relief, its prices were reduced significantly in Q4 2025. ACM responded to community voices on financial realities. Thumbs up!
The dialogue with Taylor & Francis was a tortuous saga. It spanned two years before all issues were satisfactorily resolved. Our Taylor & Francis journal coverage expanded from 50 titles to close to 1,500 in Humanities and Social Sciences, and its OA agreement comes with publishing rights in a full range of hybrid journals irrespective of subjects.
The Library aims to deliver cost-effective OA publishing programs to benefit researchers at HKUST and beyond.
Recent Computer Changes
We are excited to announce a series of hardware and software enhancements across the Library to better support your needs.
The Systems Support Team has just finalized the deployment of 14 sets of very popular 34” curved monitors in the Information Commons (IC), giving you a wrap-around view that makes multitasking easier and more comfortable. We have also completed vital security and software upgrades in the IC – including the installation of Thorium Reader, with similar updates currently underway in the Learning Commons (LC).
Looking ahead, we are preparing for more changes:
• Visual Enhancements: A new high-resolution LED Wall will be installed in the IC Learning Space as part of its renovation.
• Creative Power: Our Adobe Creative Cloud Stations are being upgraded to high-performance All-in-One PCs, featuring a screen size increase from 24” to 27”. They will also be moved closer to the other specialized workstations, like the Bloomberg PCs.
• Portable Monitors: Two portable monitors have been purchased and placed in the Tech Items Kiosk in the LC for you to borrow as needed. Use them to extend your laptop workspace when you need more space or a second screen. These are Lenovo ThinkVision 14” monitors, and are powered via USB-C connectors from your laptops.
• Teaching Support: Touch monitors with annotation software will be installed for instructor stations in Classrooms A+B and the LG4 Multifunction Room.
We look forward to seeing you utilize these new tools!
New Gates for the LC Entrance
Newer, faster, and better entry gates have been installed in the LC entrance on LG1. The old gates were installed when we opened the LC in almost 15 years ago. They have been heavily used with 24/7 operation during school terms and have been needing more frequent repair and maintenance. The new units are in the style of those at the ground floor entrance.
Similar to the ground floor, you can enter by tapping your physical HKUST ID card, or by using the dynamic QR code generated by your HKUST app.
Remember that only current students and staff can enter the LC after the Library closes - alumni and other users will not be able to access overnight.
We also moved the gates inward a bit. This gives more room to people waiting to enter. Previously, the space between the doors and the gates was quite tight. Now you have room to shift gates, find your ID card, or just not have the doors bumping you while you wait for the person in front of you.
Special Collections: International Conference on East Asian Maps
The Library co-organized an international conference, “The Territorial Management and its Mapping Process in East Asia,” with The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Institute of Chinese Studies (CUHK-ICS), and the École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO). Held December 3-5 last year, the event brought together 29 scholars, library, and museum professionals from France, Hong Kong, the United States, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Macau, and the Chinese mainland – truly a global gathering of map experts.
The Day 3 panels were convened and hosted by our Library, with a focus on the preservation of East Asian maps and collection development. East Asian maps possess a unique materiality tied to their cultural and historical context, often taking forms distinct from their Western counterparts – for example, scrolls, folding screens, album leaves, and hand fans.
Unlike maps made solely from paper, these formats present a significant preservation challenge due to their complex laminate structures, which are composed of heterogeneous materials such as silk, paper, and wood. It is a challenge not only for Western institutions, but also for those in East Asia, particularly smaller institutions like ours. By facilitating discussions and sharing best practices during the conference, we aim to foster collaboration and build a collective effort to preserve this cultural heritage for future generations.
As the host, we shared our collection development stories and showcased our renowned map collections, which are among the most sophisticated in East Asia. From the magnificent Ricci world map to the beautiful manuscript Mongol map and the recently acquired manuscript coastal charts of South China, our holdings position us as one of the key contributors to supporting research in East Asian cartography, history, and art.
Presentation slides from the participants will be openly accessible on our website soon. Stay tuned if you are curious to explore this wealth of knowledge about maps!
Library Engagement in the 2026 Research Assessment Exercise
The Library participated in the 2026 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), a critical evaluation conducted by the University Grants Committee (UGC) to assess the research outputs, impact, and environments of UGC-funded institutions in Hong Kong. The result will inform UGC in the allocation of part of the Research Portion of the Block Grant funding.
Building on the strong foundations established in previous RAEs, the Library formed a dedicated team in early 2025, comprising 26 staff members from Access Services, Research & Learning Support, and Resource Management. In preparation for the exercise, the team undertook rigorous tasks, including verifying compliance and technical requirements with UGC criteria, ensuring accurate metadata entry, and acquiring full-text copies.
On December 15, 2025, an impressive total of 1,873 research outputs and 218 underpinning references were successfully uploaded to the UGC’s RAE Electronic Submission System (RAEES). This included 82.2% journal articles, alongside conference papers (12.43%) and book chapters (1.62%). In addition, the team checked more than 190 publishers for copyright clearance to ensure compliance with intellectual property regulations.
The 2026 RAE introduced unique challenges, particularly the new requirement to include detailed funding information – such as funder names and funding programs for each research output. This added complexity necessitated extensive verification within the full-text documents. To address this challenge, our colleagues developed a funding name matching tool that significantly streamlined the identification of funding details, saving the team considerable time and effort in the process.
Effective communication and collaboration with the VPRDO RAE team were crucial in overcoming these obstacles, ensuring the successful completion of this important initiative. The Library remains committed to supporting the HKUST academic community in navigating scholarly communication challenges and enhancing research visibility.
Research Tools – Elevate Research Impact and Journal Selection
Navigating the landscape of research metrics and open access publishing can feel overwhelming. To support your research decision-making, we have leveraged AI-powered development tools to build library research tools that help you access relevant data and insights with confidence.
The Research Impact Dashboard – Trace Your research Footprint
Designed to help you explore your research performance, this dashboard retrieves data in real-time by using SciVal API, powered by Elsevier. It enables you to move beyond basic publication counts and gain a more comprehensive view of your research impact.
• Holistic View: Monitor publication, citation, and collaboration trends over time rather than relying on a single scorecard.
• Customizable Analysis: Whether assessing your H-index or identifying your most influential works, you can filter by year and document type to suit your needs.
• Responsible Use of Research Metrics: Metrics help us understand excellence, not define it. This tool supports informed interpretation by presenting multiple metrics together, encouraging responsible and contextual use.
OA Publishing Agreements Journal Finder – Make Informed Decisions: Finding a journal that aligns with your research scope and falls within our agreements for APCs can be time-consuming. The Journal Finder helps you identify suitable journals covered under HKUST’s OA agreements using structured search filters.
• Check Eligibility: Quickly identify whether a journal is covered for APCs.
• Strategic Selection: Sort over 5,000 journals by Impact Factor, Quartile, or Subject.
• Data Aggregation: Access journal rankings and indexing status (Scopus/Web of Science) in one place.
We welcome your suggestions and inquiries! Please contact us at lbref@ust.hk.
International Women’s Day!
In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, the University’s Diversity and Equal Opportunities Unit, together with Schools, Departments, and Offices, will host a series of events from March 2 to March 20. These activities and social media campaigns promote inclusion and raise awareness about the benefits of gender diversity within our community.
The Library will support this meaningful campus-wide initiative by offering two activities aligned with this year’s #GivetoGain theme:
• Collection Display (https://lbdiscover.hkust.edu.hk/collection-discovery/collection-display):
This will give the HKUST community a chance to enjoy a curated selection of Library books and media highlighting womens’ achievements and contributions across diverse fields, including science, technology, the arts, music, literature, politics, and labor; as well as challenges to gender equity that still exist. Visit the display and borrow items to gain further insights into the historical and contemporary impact of women!
• Library iTalk – “Caring for our Carers: Why are Shelters Crucial for Migrants in Crisis?”, presented by Ms. Edwina Antonio, Executive Director of Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge. She will discuss the critical role shelters play in supporting migrant women facing crises. Established in 1986, Bethune House provides shelter services, emergency relief, legal and medical support, and counseling for Asian migrant women, primarily foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong. The talk will examine the operations of Bethune House and share experiences from working with the migrant community.
Through these activities, we hope to encourage greater awareness, empathy, and action in pursuit of justice and equality for women in Hong Kong and beyond. We invite all students, staff, and community members to participate, celebrate the invaluable contributions of women, and join us in advocating for a more inclusive and equitable future for everyone.
From Factory Floor to Fertile Fields: The Inspiring Story of the Hong Kong Farmer「和橙」故事
Ever wondered what happens when an industrialist swaps his factory gear for a shovel and a few thousand worms? On a bright October afternoon in 2025, HKUST had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Li Hung Chung and his father, the elder Mr. Li To Tak – two dynamic industrialists turned eco-farmers – for a talk that left students and faculty buzzing with inspiration and enthusiasm.
The Lis are no ordinary entrepreneurs. Hailing from Hong Kong’s indigenous community, their story began in the manufacturing heartland of Dongguan, where they continue to run a successful moulding company since the 1990s. After years of business success and recognition, something deeper called to them – a mission to leave a meaningful legacy for the next generation. Their answer? Returning to the land and reimagining farming through lessons learned from the factory floor – a journey powered by technology, sustainability, and passion – leading to the birth of their signature oranges,「和橙 」.
Their new venture took root in Chenzhou, Hunan Province (湖南省郴州市), where they transformed their industrial experience into agricultural innovation. Forget the image of muddy boots and straw hats – think smart farming with style. Their orange orchard runs like a futuristic eco-lab: worms enrich the soil, animal waste nourishes the land, and pesticides are replaced by natural harmony. Each orange tree is grown in a custom-designed grid box – a standardization system the Lis invented to ensure quality and efficiency. The farm is equipped with IoT sensors, CCTV surveillance, and real-time monitors for humidity and temperature, bringing manufacturing precision to the field.
To everyone’s delight, they demonstrated how they monitor their orchard remotely, streaming live footage straight from the farm to HKUST during their talk. The audience was fascinated by this “farm-cam” in action. Faculty and students eagerly engaged with questions about sustainable farming, technology, and the balance between tradition and innovation.
This talk was a powerful reminder that technology and tradition can work hand in hand to build a more sustainable world. The Li family’s journey beautifully embodies several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – ensuring what we make and use helps, not harms, our planet. And SDG 15: Life on Land – protecting and restoring our ecosystems for generations to come.
Missed the talk? Don’t worry. Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gpxOIfyR2c.
Associate University Librarian
lbspodic@ust.hk
