Hello and thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my first entry into my blog. There was an orientation programme organised for new undergraduate students in Hong Kong University of Science and Technology called Guided Tour around the Library. In my context, library was a dull place and a boring one too. My first perception of the tour was that it’s another boring library tour like those I have attended in the past. Nevertheless, I registered for it and went for it on the 30th of August 2011. It started off as usual. Well my first perception changed after a few minutes into the tour.
The tour started off from the Ground floor and ended at the 4th Lower Ground floor. I will keep the most interesting floor (LG 1) the last and start from their internet systems. As students we are required to login to use most of the features. The website is called the Library Catalog. The system has the normal capabilities of a library website such as Student Account details, Due Dates, Fines and etc. One of the new aspects would be the HKALL function. Through this function students are able to get books from other educational institutions and universities in Hong Kong by just clicking a few buttons. According to the library we will be able to have that book within 2-3 days. Another great thing is the E-Book. This system enables us to get the electronic versions of most of the books in the library without even going to the library. I know there are other websites that provide this function but the one offered in my library is totally legal without any copyright issues. The system is also capable of remembering all the books you have read in the past. This would enable you to access the same book again if needed. We are also able to book Meeting and Group Study Rooms (details will be revealed later), check their position in the library and which side the rooms face (facing the sea or the building).
Next is the LG 4 level. This level is a normal library with a lot of books which are sorted using an alphanumeric system. There was a room with about thirty computers and a main computer which controls the room conditions such as lighting and projectors. A point to note here is that the room is equipped with three projectors. This enables the students to view the screen from any position in the room. The projector screens are controlled through a touch screen computer. The setback would be these thirty computers are installed with Windows XP unlike other computers in the university which run on Windows 7. LG 3 is another identical floor with more books. Instead of a room full of computers, this floor is equipped with seats and tables for people to do some reading or work on their laptops. This is a strictly quiet area. The variety of books found in LG 3 really amazed me. They had a section called “Oversized” where oddly shaped and large books were kept as the name suggests. The highlight of these two floors was their bookshelves. The bookshelf was called the SpaceSaver. As the name suggests, these shelves were made to conserve more space and to accommodate more books. It was similar to the file cabinets they have in large offices. However these were slightly high-tech. It had a button which caused the bookshelf to slide slightly to reveal the books in the inner shelf. The shelves were equipped with a motion detector and the floor was equipped with a pressure sensor. The combination of these two sensors prevented the shelves from colliding into each other and turning you into a pancake.
The next would be the Ground floor. This is where the borrowing counters are situated. There are more computers with Windows 7 and more work stations for laptop users. It also had “Bloomberg” computers for the use of Business Studies students. They were basically computers which had one CPU connected to 2 screens which allows you to see large program windows. They also had photocopier machines which were capable of wireless printing from within the library premises. There were also computers with video, audio and image editing software (Adobe CS 5 and other softwares) installed for Designing course students. The 1st floor was under construction so we were not brought to that floor and we were not briefed on what will be coming there.
Now for the most interesting floor. LG1 had the least amount of books and most number of facilities. The first facility to note is the Meeting and Group Studies Rooms. These rooms were equipped with air conditioners (an essential item during the summer season here in Hong Kong), DVD players, cassette players, CD players and a computer. The best part is that, they have LCD televisions which are greater than 50 inches (unsure of the exact size). Next they have individual viewing stations. These stations have designated players. There were stations equipped with cassette players, laser disc players, DVD players and CD players with headphones. Another fun feature of the floor is the movies and songs databases. They have a large collection of movies from the 80’s and 90’s to the latest ones from almost all languages (didn’t see Tamil movies though). The next interesting part would be the microfiche section. This section contains microfilm of the past editions of local newspapers and other journals. This was the first time I saw a microfilm. It was a small card like structure which contains the negatives of the journals and papers which can be viewed using a special viewer and printed or saved in a USB drive if needed. It had editions of newspapers as early as 1882. One half of the floor was still under construction. One of the new features that will be provided in that half of the same floor is a fully fledged recording and production studio. According to the plan, this studio will include a sound room and other production equipment.
This is the most exciting and most interesting library I have ever seen in my life. This tour has definitely changed my views of the libraries. I am very confident that I will soon become a very frequent visitor of this library. I do not say this just for the sake of multimedia facilities but the huge collections of books will definitely be of help for my studies. From now on I will definitely appreciate the presence of a library.
