The Story of HKUST’s Birth
We present historical documents, photographs, ephemera, and artifacts from the University’s early history. This exhibition reveals the remarkable journey behind the planning, design, construction, organization, and opening of Hong Kong’s third university – from 1986 to 1991.
Step into Zone 1 – “Planning: A Thousand Decisions”. Discover the various alternatives that were considered for the University’s key features, such as the name and campus site. Had different choices been made, the course of history might have been significantly altered.
Move to Zone 2 – “Building: Racing with Deadlines”. Examine the architectural drawing, aerial views, and other construction photos. Immediately you can get a sense of the history and admire the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club project team’s meticulous building project management efforts in meeting the deadlines with quality control.
Finally, in Zone 3 – “An Opening is but a Beginning…”, immerse yourself in the joy and contemplation of the inauguration moment. Please come and join us to explore the genesis of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology! https://library.hkust.edu.hk/exhibitions/hkust-birth/
A Game of Judging Information about the Wisdom Stone
As a freshman or an upperclassman, exploring the campus is a must-do activity at HKUST! How well do you know about the place you are studying? Have you ever heard any legends about our campus?
The most remarkable campus legend of HKUST applies to the Wisdom Stone. The stone is located at LG7 of the bridge linking the academic building and UG Hall I. The rumour is that standing or stepping on it leads to one being expelled from the University, while leaping over it will get you on the Dean’s List!
Other legends include the dorm room without an air-conditioner, the mother-and-son statue, the mysterious LG2… – do you believe any of them? Why or why not? Have you wondered how those legends quietly emerge and become viral?
With so much information readily accessible, it is crucial that we evaluate the purpose and reliability of information before making use of it. Besides, the intention and the level of credibility of the same piece of information may vary under different situations or contexts. To determine the intended purpose of the information, we should not only consider the reliability of the source and the credibility of the author, but also think critically of what the key message is, and why it is conveyed in a certain way.
Many of us have been talking about the Wisdom Stone legend, but why do we keep mentioning it?
“The Tale of Wisdom Stone” is a web-based escape room game presented by the HKUST Library.
You will be trapped in a dorm room with the signature UST vibe. To unlock the door, you must find out all information related to the Wisdom Stone and identify the purpose of each piece of information.
Read through the content of each item you pick up from the room and identify the purpose of the item!
The game will be released this fall. Details will be announced on the Library website and social media. We hope that you will have fun playing and learning from this game. Stay tuned!
Collection Spotlight – What’s New?
Many stop by the New Arrivals corner on Library G/F to check out our latest print books. 
Don’t miss out on our new ebooks – we are adding more than ever these days. You can now scan a New E-Arrivals QR code. Or you can go to the Library home page ⭢ Collections & Resources ⭢ New Arrivals to explore new titles by format: Book, Streaming, and E-Book. These enhancements are in answer to your requests in our 2023 LibQUAL+ survey.
Major Acquisitions:
Ebooks – Over 1,500 ICE ebooks in civil engineering are discoverable via PowerSearch or use the ICE Virtual Library if you prefer to browse and search in one place.
Access this and other Ebook databases: Library home page ⭢ Databases ⭢ by Subject ⭢ Ebooks
Newspaper Databases – Historical archives of some of the most respected world newspapers such as the Financial Times, Times, Sunday Times, and Illustrated London News are now available with coverage as far back as 1785.
Access current and archival news at: Library home page ⭢ Databases ⭢ by Subject ⭢ News
Chinese Language Resources – CNKI 學位論文庫 (Chinese Doctoral Dissertations / Master’s Theses Full-Text Databases) started last year with Philosophy & Humanities series (哲學與人文科學) from 2000. Coverage is extended to cover two more subject series: Electronic Technology & Information Science (信息科技) and Economics & Management (經濟與管理科學), both from 2014. These series were added in response to high numbers of ‘access denied’ instances in these subjects.
晚清期刊全文数据库(1816~1911)增辑II and 中文期刊全文数据库(1911~1949)第13辑 provide more than 1,000 full-text archival journals published in the Late Qing and Ming Guo era.
Access: Library home page ⭢ All Databases ⭢ Chinese
Gale Primary Sources – This growing collection of primary sources is enriched with forty China-focused archives grouped under Archives Unbound : Asian Studies. Records of Shanghai and the International Settlement, 1836-1955 is the latest addition to the China and the Modern World series. Liberty Magazine Historical Archive, 1924-1950 will be most relevant for researching American popular culture.
Facts and Figures: E-Resource Usage 2023
Overall, 2023 e-resource usage matched that of 2022, with around 5.6 million downloads in consecutive years. 2023 ebook usage increased by a robust 7.8% and topped one million chapter downloads while journal article downloads saw a slight drop of 2.9%.
On average, each of you downloaded 68 chapters and 297 journal articles in 2023. The top five online platforms used, in descending order, were:
E-books:
1. HyRead
2. IEEE Xplore. Conferences
3. SpringerLink
4. ProQuest Ebook Central
5. ScienceDirect
E-Journals:
1. ScienceDirect
2. Nature.com
3. Wiley Online Library
4. American Chemical Society
5. SpringerLink
Library Staff Visit to the HKUST Guangzhou Campus
On May 11 our Library staff committee organized an informal one-day visit for 17 colleagues from Clear Water Bay to the HKUST (GZ) Library. Our team included colleagues from Administration, Circulation, Research & Learning Support, Resource Management, and Systems & Digital Services. Instead of using a travel agency, we decided to book our own tickets and travelled by high-speed train from West Kowloon to Qingsheng (慶盛), a location conveniently close to the HKUST (GZ) campus. For many of us, this meant the excitement of purchasing tickets online using the “Railway 12306” app and hopping on a high-speed train for the first time.
Ever since the opening of HKUST (GZ) in September 2022, we have eagerly anticipated seeing the GZ Library in person. Last June, our GZ colleagues paid us a visit, and this year, it was our turn to reciprocate. Thanks to the Labor Day shift re-scheduling, we were able to connect with most of our peers during this visit. This trip allowed us to discover the GZ Library’s captivating design and new facilities.
We had the pleasure of meeting our counterparts, engaging in meaningful discussions, and joining an eyeopening campus tour that included the Visitor Centre, Sports Hall, and the CMA Laboratory. We also attended a library talk by Professor Ricky Lee. After a delicious campus lunch hosted by our GZ colleagues, we explored the creek running through the campus, where we saw the famous black swans. Before we left, we took a group photo in front of the iconic Red Bird.
We were grateful to make this trip, which had long been on our bucket list. Throughout the planning stages of the GZ Library, we had relied on virtual communication via Zoom due to the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic. This field visit marked a significant milestone in our journey together, showcasing to us the growth and transformation of the HKUST (GZ) Library.
LG5 – Classroom by Day, Study Room by Night
Welcome back to campus! The University has been busy creating a lot more classrooms for you, all of the place. Some of you will even be having your classes in the LG5 Library Space! We set up that room for multiple uses – for study, for exhibitions, for workshops, and for classes.
Throughout the Fall Term, the Library LG5 floor is reserved for classes every day until 3pm. Classes are already scheduled all day from Monday through Saturday.
Students using the room for classes should enter on LG5 – down at the back of the hallway next to McDonalds. The staircase from the Library’s LG4 will be closed so that people don’t just walk through the classes.
Each day, after the classes are over, Library staff will switch the LG5 Space into study mode. Basically that just means moving some of the tables, opening the stairwell from LG4, and unlocking the door to the patio.
So to summarize – every day, LG5 will be closed off and reserved for classes until 3pm, and then will convert to a Library entrance and study space for the rest of the day until the Library closes.
If you have any questions or comments about this, drop us a line at library@ust.hk.
GenAI : Scholarly Acknowledgement & Copyright
Since late 2022, Generative AI tools have become part of our world. Many ask about “ownership” of words, images, a
nd videos created with such tools. We at HKUST Library and across the world have explored this area – finding some common questions and offering provisional guidance:
Q: If I used a GenAI tool for a course assignment, or for a scholarly publication, do I have to mention it? After all, who mentions the word processing program or spreadsheet program they use for their work?
A: At HKUST, instructors set the rules for AI tools. Read about HKUST’s guidelines at https://cei.hkust.edu.hk/en-hk/education-innovation/generative-ai-education/guidelines-and-policies. Pay attention to what each instructor decides and communicates.
Q: If an instructor allows it, how should I acknowledge its use?
A: Different citation styles have different ways for scholars to acknowledge using AI in their work. HKUST Library staff have made a Library Guide section on Citing and Acknowledging AI.
Q: What about creating work for publication? What should I do?
A: It is an “evolving landscape” to put it politely. Avi Staiman wrote a useful article, Woefully Insufficient Publisher Policies on Author AI Use Put Research Integrity at Risk (July 22, 2024 in the Scholarly Kitchen) about how publishers need to set good directions and offer practical help.
Short answer, go to our Library Guide on Use of AI in Scholarly Publishing to get some basic knowledge; then look at the site of the publisher to whom you plan to submit. Follow their guidelines to the best of your ability. We can help – lbref@ust.hk.
Q: What about copyright (intellectual property)? If I use an AI tool to write something, or make an image, who owns it?
A: This too is evolving. Look at the terms and conditions of a tool before you click on “I agree”. 
But such information is often hard to find or understand. At present, many jurisdictions are working to update laws on the use of GenAI assisted or generated works.
HK Government AI Copyright Consultation
Here in Hong Kong, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) and the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) launched a public consultation on this issue in July. It includes a section on updating Hong Kong’s copyright ordinance about text and data mining (TDM).
You can submit your views about the GenAI and copyright consultation paper to AI_consultation@cedb.gov.hk on or before September 8, 2024. For details, see https://www.ipd.gov.hk/en/copyright/current-topics/public-consultation-on-copyright-andartificial/index.html
Fall iTalks
The Library has lined up some interesting speakers for iTalks this fall. The dates are still being worked out, so watch for more details.
Marcus Leung-Shea is the Acting Director of HKUST’s Sustainability/Net-Zero Office. He’s double HKUST, an alum (MBA) and also a staff member. He will share his views on sustainability and design-thinking for sustainable systems.
Although many people think of sustainability as recycling and keeping the air con low, it is really more about designing products and services, designing systems to make a place and its activities sustainable (like on the HKUST campus).
He will also share a little on the story of his own career journey – from studying public health, through business, to working in sustainability.
Mike Chinoy is an award-winning journalist and former CNN correspondent. He will give a talk on his recent book, Assignment China: an Oral History of American Journalists in the People’s Republic of China which was published by Columbia University Press in 2023, and was translated into Chinese in 2024 as 中國任務 : 美國駐華記者口述史 (PN4871 .C45127 2024). It is an oral history of American journalists covering China from the 1950s up through the Covid pandemic, sharing their experiences in their own words. In addition to the topic of the book, Mike will also share on the work of researching and writing it. A good friend of HKUST, Mike gave a talk in 2021, “Are You with Me? : Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement”, about his book on the life and work of Kevin Boyle, an Irish human rights leader, lawyer, and educator.
last modified 02 September 2024