Library Newsletter Issue 2

Issue 2

Nov 2019

Editor’s Note

Welcome to this second issue of the HKBU Library Newsletter. These past months have been difficult for all of us in Hong Kong, and the Library is no exception. The recent unrest on campus resulted in an extended closure of the Main Library and its branches. Although we have now reopened with limited service hours, the switch to online learning and assessment at HKBU means that the Library is strangely quiet at what is normally the busiest time of the semester.

Librarians are doing what we can to help our students cope with these challenging circumstances. These days much of the Library’s information resources are online and accessible from off-campus, and we have created an E-Resources Survival Guide to help you make the most of these.

Your librarians are also standing by to offer help even if you cannot come to campus. We offer a full suite of enquiry services via email, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. For in-depth enquiries, we now also offer virtual research consultation sessions via Skype. Use our request form to make a reservation. If there is any other way you think the Library can support you, do please let us know.

Turning to this issue of the Newsletter, I am grateful to my colleagues for submitting a variety of articles showcasing the range of activities that librarians engage in. You will find below articles on our continuously expanding Digital Scholarship Services, the Book Culture Club’s 10th anniversary, and our Student Assistant Programme. These are fine examples of how the Library is supporting the teaching and research missions of the University. Also included in this issue is an introduction written by our new Chinese Medicine Librarian Mr. David Su. I have only had a chance to meet him in person briefly and it was great to learn more about him through his article.

Enjoy the issue, and feel free to contact me directly if you have any comments or suggestions for the Newsletter.

Christopher Chan
Head of Information Services / Newsletter Editor

Book Culture Club 10^th Anniversary, 2009-2019

The Book Culture Club (BCC) was set up in 2009 by a small group of faculty and librarians. The faculty were book (and wine) lovers who wanted to cultivate reading and promote publishing at the University. The groundbreaking poster designed by a student from the Academy of Visual Arts caught much attention at the time and the apple has become an iconic signature of every BCC event.

We are entering our 10^th year with fond memories. Over the past decade, we have held book talks, new book launches, art exhibitions, and writing and cultural workshops. Let’s take this chance to share some interesting facts:

• Some public figures have attended BCC events. DJ and alumni Chu fun (朱薰) and Wong Chi Chung (黃志淙) appeared at the 6^th event as host and speaker respectively. Lam Chiu Wing (林超榮) taught writing workshops.
• Preludes are held before the events start to help set the right mood.
• We used to have 3D decorations for each theme until the facilities were removed during library renovations.
• As unlikely as it might seem, the Library played host to a martial arts performance for the 27^th BCC event!
• Post-talk book sales and author-signing sessions were great occasions for authors and participants to interact with each other.

Looking forward, we will offer activities in a variety of themes and hope you will join us! To learn more, visit the BCC website: https://bcc.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/index.html

Book Culture Club Planning Team

Digital Scholarship services continue to grow

Now in its sixth iteration, the most recent HKBU Fall Symposium on Digital Scholarship was held Friday 18 October with 132 participants attending from across Hong Kong’s tertiary institutions. The event continued to highlight international developments in Digital Scholarship with this year’s focus on China and Great Britain. Five recent HKBU Digital Scholarship Grant (DSG) projects were also showcased.

Since the launch of the Digital Scholarship service in 2013, 19 digital projects have been developed for public access. Click here for the full project list or get a taste of what we have done from the following highlighted new projects:

The Art of Chinese Calligraphy by Han Yunshan 韓雲山書法藝術

Hong Kong Wildtracks 香港自然蹤跡

An Oral and Documentary History of HK Protestant Christians 香港基督徒口述及文獻史研究

Rebekah Wong
Head of Digital and Multimedia Services

HKBU Library Student Assistant Programme

The Library’s Student Assistant Programme is now in its third year. Before the start of each academic year, the Information Services Section selects 12-15 undergraduate students to join the programme. Apart from hourly pay, we provide an orientation session, on-the-job training, and a very smart uniform to our Student Assistants. They will also receive a letter of reference upon the completion of a satisfactory term of service. 

Our Student Assistants make valuable contributions to the Library’s daily operations and service delivery, including: 

• Assistance with Library workshops, e.g. U-Life Library workshops
• Provision of front-line services at the Academic Commons Help Desk
• Conducting guided tours for students and visitors
• Encouraging student use of the Library through supporting a range of library-based activities, such as University Information Day, student orientation activities, pre-examination activities, E-resources Discovery Week, and Learning Events.

This year, our Student Assistants have created a page on the Library website to introduce themselves. Learn more about the Student Assistant Team and feel free to approach them for more information about the Library at the Academic Commons Help Desk!

Angela Wong
Information Services Librarian

New Chinese Medicine Librarian: David Su

I am the newest librarian at HKBU. I started my new position here as the Assistant Librarian of Chinese Medicine Library on 28 October 2019, which was less than two weeks ago at the time of writing. Strictly speaking, I did not start my career as a professional librarian. I graduated from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM) after completing a seven-year Master Programme in Chinese Medicine, which is an undergraduate and master continuing education programme. BUCM is one of the best universities in the field of Chinese Medicine in China. During my period of study, BUCM sent us to the Department of Biology at Nankai University, a comprehensive university, for two years of training on basic medical and biological knowledge. Our learning included biological courses in zoology, botany and genetics, as well as basic courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer science. Of course, the most important thing is to study the basic theories and clinical theories related to modern medicine and Chinese medicine after returning to BUCM. Additionally, I served as a clinical intern at a hospital for one year. Due to my interest in computer technology, I chose Chinese Medicine informatics as my research direction for graduation.

After graduation, I started working at the Information Institute on Traditional Chinese Medicine at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS). In the first few years, my main tasks included database maintenance, computer programming, and literature information analysis. You may not be familiar with the CACMS, but if you have heard about artemisinin (also known as qinghaosu) and malaria, you may know Professor Tu Youyou, who discovered artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin were effective treatments for malaria. As a result, she received the 2011 Lasker Award in clinical medicine and the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her great contribution. Professor Tu Youyou is the first Nobel Prize winner for science in China, and she is the professor of the Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, CACMS.

I entered the library field in 2009. Beginning that year, I worked as a visiting scholar at UCLA Biomedical Library. I participated in a joint project of the UCLA East-West Medical Center, the UCLA Biomedical Library and the Information Institute of CACMS to operate and maintain the UCLA East-West Medical Information Center. During my one-year stay as a visiting scholar at UCLA Biomedical Library, I received various orientations and training from the different libraries at UCLA.

I then returned to the Information Institute of CACMS, and I have served as the Director of the Literature Resources Research Office for 8 years with my main responsibility being the operation and management of the Library of CACMS. I was responsible for the operation of the Acquisition and Cataloging Department, the Circulation Department, the Journal Department and the Electronic Resources Department, as well as the literature resource procurement, bidding, and fund execution. In addition to the daily management of the library, I also undertook various library projects, such as the library relocation project (including book shelves organization), the library renovation project, the RFID project of the library, One Search of Primo project, the digitalization project for library special collections, and even the development of library products. Finally, my research interests include knowledge organization for traditional Chinese medicine.

I feel honoured to have the opportunity to join the HKBU Library, and look forward to working with everyone. I love this big family and I hope that everyone will support the work of the Chinese Medicine Library. Thank you!

David Su
Head of Chinese Medicine Library

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Last updated: 05 March 2025