Kanopy is a streaming video database the Library subscribes to for you. I knew about it before, but I never really explored it until recently. There's a lot more there than I thought, and it's also much easier to use than I thought! Access to Kanopy is available from a web browser, or from a variety of apps for different platforms.  I use the app on my office PC, on my iPad and on an AppleTV at home. To check it out, you can view our catalog record, or go directly to the Kanopy website. Kanopy is constantly adding new films.  If you want to explore titles in our catalog instead of from the Kanopy's site or apps, you can browse them – over 20,000 film records have been added to PowerSearch!  Of course, Kanopy's website and apps will be the most up-to-date – title lists are always changing. Lots of current films are available, along with many, many awesome older classic films – I love black and white Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant films especially.  World Cinema is well represented - for example, one of my favourites is Akira Kurosawa, whose film Ran is available.

Curious about Marco Polo’s journey in ancient China? Our interactive project in HUMA5630 (Digital Humanities) brings his vivid travel narratives to life with maps, themes, and modern research, offering a unique glimpse into China through a European lens.

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 to Soldiers, and some are science fiction, like He, She, and It. Here's a poem she wrote that may help to inspire you: For the Young Who Want To, from her poetry collection, Circles on the Water (1982),. We have it  in the book collection (PS3566.I4 A6 1982). It starts off: "Talent is what they say you have after the novel is published and favorably reviewed. Beforehand what you have is a tedious delusion, a hobby like knitting." This poem is encouraging young people (or beginners of any age)  to keep at it, despite the discouraging atmosphere for the arts (or the life of the mind in general. So, I think it can apply to science or any  creative endeavorl. She has another great poem in that collection, called To be of Use, in which she described people who wholeheartedly enter into work, good work.  That poem ends with: "The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.

The Library's Access Services staff are proud to give good support to teaching activities in Library space. A recent example is the Sustainable Design Thinking Certificate Program 2024 that took place on LG4 and LG5 in the Library. It was an interesting program that spanned over 7 days in June with a range of activities. This was the first major teaching program using the LG5 space – and it gave us quite a few challenges. First, we needed to make special access control arrangements for the participants.  With prior registration, they could access LG5 space via HKUST's QR Code App.  We also issued temporary library cards to participants from Guangzhou so they could enter the Library conveniently. The prototyping sessions were scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. Since 3D printing was essential for the sessions, our team ensured an experienced staff member would be on hand to provide smooth service through the weekend. Technical problems can happen anytime! And before the day of the closing ceremony, there was trouble with the audio system for the online meeting component. Library team members managed to help on the computer set-up, so that the communication between Guangzhou and Clear Water Bay campuses worked smoothly.

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 electronic resources, many of us still enjoy the look, feel, or smell of physical materials. The Story below provides tips on how to repair damaged books and explains when it's appropriate to buy a new one instead of trying to repair it. 1.      牛油紙 2.      膠片板 3.      針筆 4.      竹籤 5.      Acid free 無色無味膠漿 6.      Acid free 膠紙 … 感謝一直做紙本書修復的同事, 願意不收學費地給Resources Management (RM)組員一節修復紙本書的展示。 所有 RM 組員, 包括80後及90後的都出席了。 在短短一小時的示範當中, 我感受到紙本書修復員對書本的熱愛。 示範中不停重複的話: ”書本那裏受傷的” ”要如何驗傷" "不同的受傷有不同的處理" 再看他小心翼翼地用各種手法去處理書本上的傷口。 在 electronic version preferred 的年代 圖書館增買紙本書越來越少。 內容過時的舊書又會從館藏中淘汰 … 圖書館職員仍決定將這些手藝傳承下去。 示範的時候有組員提問: 如果有一頁被撕去一半 該如何修? 從管理角度, 正確的答案是: 如能買得到及價格合宜, 直接買一本新的, 如非必要, 不應該花人力物力去修復。 但…總會遇到必要修復的情況, 比如教授需要的書已經絕版, 非得買來有“傷口”的二手書, 又有書會附加一張勘誤表, 不粘好就會與書失聯等。 示範黏上失落書頁時, 修復員用心地叮囑, 先要把牛油紙小心安放, 再塗無色無味膠漿在頁邊及書脊, 牛油紙的作用是保護書本內頁, 避免膠漿塗在書脊傷口以外的地方。 並囑咐膠漿乾掉之後, 要輕輕的把牛油紙撕去, 如不能盡撕, 則寧願把牛油紙邊懸留下, 以免把傷口又再撕開。 無酸性膠紙則可以用在小破口 …   大家可會在圖書館翻看舊書的時候, 尋找一下這些修復的痕跡?         Patti LaiLibrarian (Resource Management)lbpatti@ust.hk