Issue 26
Nov 2025
In this Issue
Editor’s note
Welcome to this issue of the HKBU Library Newsletter. We are pleased to share the advantages and trends of Open Access (OA) and to share the new OA Dashboard for OA article impact. We also celebrate the reopening of the Shek Mun Campus Library; come experience its refreshed, learner-centred spaces.
Digital scholarship took the spotlight in our Fall Symposium and Projects Exhibition, and the new TransLearn Bazaar showcases student-created teaching resources.
On campus, two exhibitions and events developed in collaboration with faculty —Citizenship through Writing and Reading and Explore Your Identity: Theatre as a Mirror—sparked meaningful dialogue. Our AI Research Tools event introduced Consensus, Scite, and Scopus AI, and more learning opportunities are available via the new AI in the Library webpage and the Generative AI Research Guide.
Finally, enjoy a staff reflection on Beethoven’s Pathétique—the familiar music behind our closing announcements.
Jeannette Ma
Special Collections and Archives Librarian
HKBU Accelerates Open Access: A Rising Tide of Research Impact
In 2021, the University Grants Committee (UGC) launched the first phase of its Open Access Plan, a strategic initiative to drive greater visibility and impact of research conducted locally by Hong Kong’s universities. The core message was clear: publish openly whenever possible — to amplify the reach of scholarly work and ensure that taxpayer-supported research delivers maximum value.
HKBU Library has embraced this vision by launching a series of support initiatives, including negotiating Open Access Publishing Agreements, proactively collecting manuscripts from researchers, and launching OA promotional activities.
The OA Trend: Growing Momentum
Since 2022, HKBU’s overall OA compliance rate for journal articles recorded in IRIMS has climbed steadily:
| Date of Snapshot | OA Compliance Rate |
| June 30, 2022 | 23.30% |
| June 30, 2023 | 28.43% |
| June 30, 2024 | 33.63% |
| June 30, 2025 | 34.95% |
Note: This rate reflects the percentage of all recorded journal articles (peer-reviewed or otherwise) that are openly accessible at the time of the annual snapshot.
The OA Advantage: Measurable Impact
Analysis of HKBU publications from July 2020 onward reveals compelling evidence of OA’s amplifying effect:
- OA publications receive 20% more citations on average than their closed-access counterparts.
- OA publications outperform non-OA by 16% in the number of publications in CiteScore Top 10% journals.
These gains underscore the truth that when research is freely available, it is more widely read, cited, and built upon.
To explore HKBU’s OA article impact in greater detail, visit the OA dashboard, updated daily with the latest data.
Looking Forward: OA as a Strategic Priority
Recognizing this transformative potential, the Library has embedded OA into its Strategic Priorities 2025–2028. A new KPI sets an ambitious yet achievable target:
Increase the overall OA compliance rate for journal articles by 9 percentage points —from 34.95% (June 2025) to 43.95% by June 2028.
This goal reflects a campus-wide partnership among researchers, departments, and the Library. As HKBU continues its upward trajectory in open scholarship, every openly published article contributes to a more equitable, impactful, and connected research ecosystem. Let’s keep the momentum going—together.
For support with OA publishing, contact the Library’s Research Output Visibility & Impact services at lib-sct@hkbu.edu.hk.
Rebekah Wong
Head of Digital Initiatives & Research
A New Chapter Unfolds: Shek Mun Campus Library Reopening a Resounding Success!
The Shek Mun Campus Library officially opened its magnificent new doors on 9 October 2025, welcoming the campus community to a beautifully transformed space. The reopening ceremony was a resounding success, filled with excitement, anticipation, and a palpable sense of community spirit.
The event kicked off with inspiring remarks from University Librarian, Mr. Chris Chan, who emphasized the library’s vital role in our academic journey, and the Dean of School of Continuing Education, Prof. Ronald Chung, who highlighted the incredible team effort behind the project. The symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official beginning of a new era for our branch library.
Attendees were visibly delighted exploring the modern learning spaces and comfortable collaborative zones, many of which offer stunning greenery views. The atmosphere was electric, with students, faculty, and staff eagerly exploring the enhanced resources and inviting ambiance. This successful reopening truly celebrates months of hard work and dedication from our library staff, school administration and construction partners.
We invite everyone to experience the new Shek Mun Campus Library. Come, explore, learn, and make the most of this exceptional resource designed for your academic and personal growth! Your new library awaits!
Joyce Tang
Shek Mun Campus Librarian
Fall Symposium on Digital Scholarship and Projects Exhibition 2025
The Library’s Digital Initiatives and Research cluster (DIR) recently hosted two key digital scholarship events this fall, bringing together hundreds of participants from across the university and beyond.
The Fall Symposium on Digital Scholarship 2025, held virtually via Zoom on October 24, attracted 193 participants for an engaging program. It featured Harvard University’s Prof. Jeffrey Schnapp as the keynote speaker, who delivered a speech entitled “In the Stacks of the Li(ve)brary” discussing emerging culture of library innovation, alongside presentations from four HKBU faculty members, Prof. Adam Cheung (Department of Sociology) on Strangers / Helpers at Home: Hong Kong Families with Foreign Domestic Workers; Prof. Cindy Chu (Department of History) on Old Catholic Churches in Sai Kung, Hong Kong; Dr. Darren Cheung (Department of Geography) on Asian-European Energy Map; and Prof. Yupeng Li (Department of Interactive Media) on Hong Kong Pop Culture Map. The symposium explored innovative applications of digital methods across various disciplines and received highly positive feedback from participants. Recordings of the presentations are now available on HKBUtube.
Building on the symposium’s success, the Digital Scholarship Projects Exhibition ran from November 3 to 13, drawing over 423 attendees for hands-on trial of the four faculty projects. These were complemented by additional showcases, including the E-Learning Platform of Chinese Art History and 3D Paintings and the Library’s newly revamped HKBU Heritage platform. The exhibition featured games and prizes, and users found the digital projects both interesting and inspiring. Participants were invited to join a virtual scavenger hunt, seeking answers from each website. They were awarded different prizes based on the number of correct answers they received. The event was rewarding for both attendees and the DIR team. While attendees discovered and learned about the team’s innovative projects, the team had the opportunity to promote their work and engage directly with users to hear their feedback.
The strong turnout at both events demonstrates the growing interest and engagement with digital scholarship across our university community.
Launching of TransLearn Bazaar
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new digital platform named “TransLearn Bazaar”, developed in collaboration with Division of Transdisciplinary Undergraduate Programmes (DTUP). TransLearn Bazaar is a platform for the sharing of educational resources created by DTUP students, and it also serves as a collaborative platform for primary and secondary schools to request in-person demonstration of these teaching materials.
The website is bilingual, featuring selected student works from 2023-2024. DTUP students are required to complete a 9-credit common core “Global Challenges” course in their first two years of study, which encourages them to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals with transdisciplinary approaches. The platform currently features two types of student work: the “Global Challenges: Student-Created Resources” and “Routing the Green Way”. The collection of works will grow over time with more projects to be added.
We were also invited to participate in the platform’s launching ceremony hosted by DTUP on November 11. The event featured showcases of teaching resources created by Year 1 students of the Global Challenges course. We extend our sincere gratitude to our DTUP colleagues for their fantastic partnership in successfully developing the TransLearn Bazaar, and we look forward to seeing the wonderful new batch of student works to be added to the platform.
Yvonne So
Digital Scholarship Manager
Library Exhibitions: “Citizenship through Writing and Reading” & “Explore Your Identity: Theatre as a Mirror”
We are excited to have hosted two exhibitions and events in collaboration with faculty members during October – November 2025, that brought students, faculty, and community members together for meaningful dialogue and creative exchange.
Citizenship through Writing and Reading: Letters to the Editor and Digital News
Running until the end of November, this exhibition explores how letters to the editor and digital news shape public opinion and civic engagement. A symposium held on 17 November 2025 featured context and insights from HKBU faculty Professor Ben Rowlett and Dr Simon Wang, five invited letter writers shared their motivations, and an editor from the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Ms Charmaine Carvalho, shared her experiences selecting letters for publication. The symposium welcomed secondary school students, creating a meaningful opportunity for community engagement and inspiring young voices to join public discourse. Information Services Librarian Ms May Wong shared the Library’s digital news resources, which you can also discover at the exhibition and online. The invited letter writers highlighted the power of writing as a tool for social participation and encouraged the next generation to exercise their birthright to voice their opinions.
Explore Your Identity: Theatre as a Mirror
This exhibition features student creativity demonstrated through monologues and performance portfolios from the Theatre Minor Programme. A highlight is the loan of the Lo Ting sculpture, sparking curiosity about the iconic drama. The opening seminar featured Professor K.K. Wong and colleagues sharing teaching experiences and a live monologue performance by Dr. Jason Lee that engaged the audience, creating an unforgettable moment of artistic connection.
Both exhibitions transformed different areas of the Library into dynamic spaces for dialogue, discovery, and reflection. By combining faculty expertise with student voices, these events highlight faculty research, teaching and learning, and engagement with our community.
Traci Lam
Library Exhibition Designer
HKBU Library’s AI Research Tools Event Empowers Researchers with Cutting-Edge Technology
From 8th to 10th October 2025, HKBU Library hosted the “AI Research Tools at HKBU Library: Consensus, Scite & Scopus AI” event. Organised by the Library’s AI Task Force, the event aimed to equip students and researchers with the skills to leverage powerful AI-driven tools and transform their academic research process.
The three-day event featured a series of well-attended online workshops and an interactive Hands-on Zone in the Main Library, attracting a total of 176 attendees for the workshops and 210 participants to the Hands-on Zone.
The online workshops featured experts from AI tools to which the Library subscribes. Mr. Eric Olson, Co-Founder and CEO of Consensus, introduced AI-powered literature reviews of Consensus. Ms. Lucia Schoombee, Senior Customer Success Consultant at Elsevier, demonstrated the capabilities of Scopus AI. Mr. Eric Colteau, Implementation Lead for Research Solutions at Scite, provided a practical demonstration of their tool for academic research.
The Hands-on Zone on Level 3 of the Main Library proved to be a major draw. Participants had the opportunity to engage in interactive activities like the “Consensus Myth Buster: Fact or Fiction?” game and to receive on-site guidance on using the AI tools.
The event showcased three cutting-edge AI research tools that are currently available to the HKBU community:
- Consensus: An AI-powered search engine that enables researchers to quickly find evidence-based answers in scientific literature.
- Scite: A platform that helps researchers better understand and evaluate scientific articles by showing how they have been cited.
- Scopus AI: A generative AI tool that provides researchers with quick and accurate summaries and research overviews from the world’s largest database of peer-reviewed literature.
The “AI Research Tools at HKBU Library” event was a resounding success, demonstrating the strong interest within the HKBU community in leveraging AI for academic excellence. The Library is committed to providing our users with access to the latest and most effective research tools and will continue to organise similar events in the future.
New “AI in the Library” webpage
Building on this momentum, the Library has launched an “AI in the Library” webpage. This new page showcases selected AI-related initiatives and resources at the Library. Visit to learn more about past and upcoming events and about how the use of AI is being embedded across the Library.
We encourage all students and faculty members to explore these powerful AI research tools. For more information and to access Consensus, Scite, and Scopus AI, please visit the Library’s Generative AI Research Guide.
Wallace Wong
User Experience & Assessment Librarian
Library Closing Music | 圖書館閉館配樂
若果你曾在晚上留在圖書館溫習，想必也曾聽過我們閉館廣播的鋼琴音樂！你知道是哪首樂曲呢？
我自2002年畢業便在這裏工作，每逢當夜班負責閉館便要播預先錄製的廣播，聽了這首樂曲不知多少遍，但也一直不知道是什麼曲目。直至多年後因愛上聽古典，機緣巧合下才知道，原來這便是貝多芬著名的「悲愴」(Pathétique) 鋼琴奏鳴曲的第三樂章。
從閉館廣播的前奏，我總能聽出生命中的悲愴，以及作曲家的控訴與忿怒；接着便是圖書館館員提示大家要在閉館前辦理借還書。其實提示之後音樂仍會繼續，只是很多時負責的館員要趕着處理閉館的工序，便急急按停了。若有機會聽下去，還會聽到一小段輕巧、幽默的間奏穿插其中，反襯主題回歸時更顯沉重。
Naxos Dictionary of Music 這樣描述這第三樂章：
The last movement, a rondo, though short, is nonetheless packed with musical material – derived, it would seem, from sketches made much earlier for other purposes. The main theme (derived from the second subject of the first movement), fiery and impetuous despite the mostly soft dynamics, alternates with light-fingered, humorous, even playful episodes. This lightheartedness makes the seemingly inevitable return to the refrain and its worried, neurotic mood that much more impactful; the growing feeling of despair at the inability to escape this doom culminates in an explosive coda, crashing upon us with almost no build-up. It winds itself up into a frenzy, and then, at its most driven, halts; a series of short phrases follows, confident at first, but questioning and even imploring later; one final silence, and a hectic downward run finishes the movement and the sonata, reasserting the C minor mood at the very end.
若論貝多芬最著名的鋼琴奏鳴曲 –「月光」「悲愴」「熱情」，這首「悲愴」便位列其中。貝多芬透過音樂表達他對生命的一份關懷和熱情。雖然生命中經歷挫折（對貝多芬來說或許是耳聾），但他總是不屈服，始終抱有一份熱情和關懷。雖然我也不知道當年負責選配樂的館員為何選中這首樂曲，但願各位在晚上留在圖書館溫習的同學們也能從貝多芬的音樂得着力量！祝福你！
由於筆者是一位編目員，也特意將這樂曲(Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827. Sonatas, piano, no. 8, op. 13, C minor) 的權威標題記在此 ， 方便大家檢索相關資源。
Ian So
Metadata and Cataloguing Librarian
Last updated: 28 November 2025