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.

Hey students and staff! Ready for some thrills? Our new horror film display, featuring over 100 DVDs, is here to get you excited! Whether you are looking for a good scare or a creepy vibe for a cozy movie night, we have got you covered. From classic thrillers like The Shining to modern favorites like Get Out and Longlegs, the display offers something for every horror fan. Don’t miss our selection of Asian titles, such as the iconic 呪怨  (Ju-on) and the must-see Korean zombie flick 부산행 (Train to Busan). If you want some laughs mixed with chills, カメラを止めるな! (One Cut of the Dead) is a must-watch! We are also featuring 5 streaming films, including Smile 2 and Summer of 84. Grab your friends and get ready for a spooky good time! These films are perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit or taking a thrilling break from studying.

Using the Topic Modeling Tool developed under the Library’s DS CoLab project, we applied a natural language processing (NLP) approach to analyze posts from the HKUST Library’s Research Bridge Blog.

In today's digital era, GenAI is transforming the way we approach research, learning, and teaching. To truly harness its power, it's essential to stay in control and accountable for your work.

What's Up on the Ground Floor this September? You may have noticed something unusual just inside the G/F gates of the Library. What is it? A display of a digital humanities project for you to interact (play) with. What's the story? In spring semester 2025, 5 UG students worked with library staff as one of the DS CoLab projects to bring a 520 year-old map from the Library's collection to life. They used augmented reality (AR) technology to create an engaging and interactive visual way to explore the cultures and histories that went into the creation of "Secunda etas mundi", The Second Stage of the World, from Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle (1493).  This map is a fascinating piece from the library’s Special Collections. It shows “The Second Age of the World” (out of 6), the stage between Noah’s Flood and the birth of Abraham. These ages were a periodization of world history (common in Christian Europe for about 1,000 years), first formulated by the North African Christian theologian, Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE). A remarkable example of late medieval cartography, it combines knowledge from the Greek geographer Claudius Ptolemy with visual references from religion and mythology from Europe and the lands surrounding the Mediterranean.