I was sad to hear the news. He will be missed. I want to share a couple of anecdotes – two of my encounters with him in the early days of the University. I was a very junior staff and only ever knew the President casually, but he knew who I was and always had a smile or a nod. In the early 1990s, HKUST had a dinner party.  I don't recall the event - perhaps a staff association function. After dinner, the mahjong tables were set up and somehow I ended up in a foursome with my boss and the President. I warned them I had barely learned how to play and would be slow - but they needed a fourth and there I was. It was enjoyable, especially as we were only playing for points, and low ones at that. There was much talk, and fun, and tea.

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 has joined the broader HKUST celebrations with an IWD 2025 Book Display. It highlights women’s achievements and work across the ages in many areas: science, technology, the arts, music, and literature, as well as in politics and labor. Celebrate IWD by taking something to read, to listen to, or to watch. As this year's HKUST IWD 2025 theme states: #Accelerate Action!     Victoria Caplan Head, Research and Learning Support lbcaplan@ust.hk

I joined the first day of E-Discovery Week Exhibition. The experience proved to be nothing short of enriching. Designed to unveil the wealth of databases accessible through the HKUST Library, it blended learning with playful engagement—a combination that left me both informed and inspired. The concept was simple yet clever: Participants received a “Crewmate Pass” to collect stamps by exploring booths hosted by ten leading database providers. Spanning disciplines from Business and Science to Humanities, each booth offered a deep dive into specialized resources. What impressed me most was the hosts’ expertise—not only did they demystify their platforms, but they also shared tailored tips for navigating them through HKUST’s Library portal. It felt like unlocking cheat codes for academic success! The real adventure began with stamp hunting. With just three stamps, participants could enter a lucky draw brimming with enticing prizes. Yet, as I gathered more stamps, I realized the greater reward lay in the discoveries themselves: databases I’d never considered for assignments, now bookmarked as secret weapons for future research.

Hey there! Get ready for E-Discovery Week 2025 at the HKUST Library, happening next week from Feb 17–21. This will be our 6th time hosting this event, and this year, we’re bringing in the fun with the popular game “Among Us” to spice things up!

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.