| Issue No. 74 | November 2009 | http://library.ust.hk/ |
- Table of Contents
- The Information Commons Expanded
- Excellent Library Support to Students Recognized
- Collection Spotlight: New Databases
- Library Orientation for New Faculty
- Website Enhancements
- We Need More Power
- Building Extension Issues
- Security of Personal Items
- Going Green in the Library
The Information Commons Expanded
The Information Commons has a new face! In September you saw new furniture, new computers and new facilities going into the Information Commons. There are now 70 PCs and 1 iMac on the Ground Floor IC area, comfortable sofa seats for notebook users, new AVG and Web Authoring stations with 22" monitors, a multifunction networked copier, and a new Learning Space for interactive teaching and presentation.
Tables Friendly For Both Solitary and Collaborative Work
The new tables for workstations are designed for flexible use by individual users as well as groups of various sizes. The three Y-shaped tables can accommodate groups of up to 5 students. The Reuters Stations with designated connections to the financial database are also placed on a Y-shaped table. At the two curved tables where AVG stations and Web Authoring stations reside, you may enjoy a spacious work area alone, or easily work with partners on course projects. All these new tables come with power sockets on the table tops.
The Networked Copier
Use this versatile machine to make photocopies, print files and scan documents. It supports both black-and-white and color output, on A4 or A3 paper. The IC Officers have prepared easy guides to help you use this machine and other IC facilities. Come and check it out! If you have any problems with it, just ask for help at the IC Help Desk.
IC Learning Space
The modular tables and light-weight chairs in this Learning Space are there for you to form your work space "on-the-fly". The touch-sensitive projection screen facilitates interactive teaching and presentation.
For more information about the new IC, check our website at: http://library.ust.hk/serv/ic/.
The IC Help Desk staff assists you in using the Information Commons. Come and talk to us when you have questions!
Excellent Library Support to Students Recognized
A Research Postgraduate (RPg) Alumni Career Tracking Survey was conducted in Spring this year by the Postgraduate Studies Secretariat of the VPAA Office. More than 800 alumni of RPg programs responded to the survey. Among other questions, the survey asked our RPg alumni to rate, on a 4-point scale (1 being poor and 4 being excellent), their experience at HKUST with various support services. The Library scored 3.6 overall, the highest among all academic supporting services. Apparently most respondents were very satisfied with overall library services. The Library, despite various constraints, will continue to enhance its services in support of the learning, teaching, and research activities at HKUST.
Collection Spotlight: New Databases
MLA International Bibliography and CEIC China Premium Database are the most recent additions to our electronic collection.
Published by the Modern Language Association, the MLA International Bibliography is an essential tool for looking up citations in the areas of modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. Over 2 million citations of books, journal articles and websites are included, sourced from 4,400 periodicals and 1,000 book publishers.
A distinctive feature of this database is that it contains a subset of more than 100,000 records that link directly to the full-text documents in JSTOR's Language and Literature collection and Asian Studies collection. These documents date back as far as 1881. You will find the hyperlink to the JSTOR article in the Resource Location field in either the brief or full record.
If you need to obtain long series of economic data exclusively on China, CEIC China Premium Database should be your first stop. This statistical service provides extensive amount of national, provincial and city data on China. Historical data goes back to 1949. A total of 230,000 macroeconomic and industry data series are systematically organized under various folders.
You can either browse or search them with the usual Boolean connector; And, Or, Not. Phrases must be enclosed within a pair of double quotation marks. Mark the series that you want to retrieve and download the data in Excel format or create a graph. Up to ten series can be displayed on a single chart. The interface can be toggled between English or Chinese using the Settings button.
Lastly, please remember to click the logout button when you are finished so that the database can be released immediately for another user.
You can access both databases via http://library.ust.hk/info/databases/.
Library Orientation for New Faculty
This summer, the Library participated in the New Faculty Orientation program run by the University from 12 to 21 August. The program included eleven sessions which covered a number of topics very useful to new faculty members, such as "HKUST's Vision and Aspiration", "Promotion & Substantiation", "PhD Supervision", "Grants & Grantsmanship in Hong Kong", "Human Resources Issues", "Outcome Based Education", "Getting Feedback on Teaching", "Technology and Media Support for Teaching and Learning", etc.
Our session entitled "Library Support for Teaching and Research" was conducted in the morning of 19 August. Thirteen new faculty members from the Schools of Engineering, Business & Management, and Humanities & Social Science as well as a new instructor from the Student Affairs Office joined this session.
Subject librarians grouped the participants by school or department and introduced them to our major resources and services that support their teaching and research, such as course reserve, e-books and e-journals, databases, interlibrary loan and document delivery, course and subject specific library classes, research consultation and citation search certification services.
The program in its entirety and the Library session were well received by the participants. Among the attendees who gave feedback, 69% and 31% rated the program as very good and good respectively. All strongly agreed or agreed that the duration and format of the Library session were appropriate and the session helped them learn about the services and resources that support their teaching and research.
If you missed the Library session, please feel free to contact your subject librarian at http://library.ust.hk/serv/contact.html to arrange a personal session.
Website Enhancements
Over the past few months, some enhancements have been made to the design of the Library Website. Since wider monitors are more commonly used nowadays and users' web browsers can be changed to all kinds of sizes, we have modified our Web page design from a liquid-width layout to fixed page width.
The fixed-width design allows more direct control over how the pages look regardless of the size of the browser window, and so the Library's webpages will have a more consistent feel.
We have also made some changes in the the font size and style, and standardized the page design, layout, heading sizes and colors, etc.
Among the other items highlighted in the Features column on the left side of the Library homepage at http://library.ust.hk/, you can find a new category called "User Opinions". Under that category, there is link to the "E-Resources on Trial" page where the Library presents the electronic subscriptions which are being considered for inclusion in our collection. Members of the HKUST community are encouraged to give comments which will help the Library with the evaluation. Comments can be sent via email to lbcoll@ust.hk or through an online form. Also under this heading the Library sometimes invites users to participate in user satisfaction surveys about library collections and services or in polls about their preferences and opinions. The survey or poll results will also be linked to from there.
We Need More Power
As you know, the Library is always working to improve the physical building and facilities available, with the goal of meeting existing and expected user needs.
More Power Sockets
Part of the Library's funding request for additional power outlets on the lower ground floors has been approved. This means that power sockets will be added along the walls by study carrels on more of LG3, and about 1/2 of the uncovered wall sections of LG4. This will involve power coverage for over 50 more study carrels.
Additional wall outlets will hopefully be added in the following year, and we continue to look at other ways to improve the power situation for laptop users throughout the building.
Building Extension Issues
Fall Term Construction and Disruption
As part of the building extension works, the contractor will be doing some work on the North end of LG1 for 2 months starting at the end of September. Two group study rooms and the HSS study room will be closed during this period.
All books and bookshelves will remain accessible during this period, but all the carrels from along the wall have been moved to the 1/F main hallway.
FMO reports that throughout these 2 months there will be significant noise and vibration, and sometimes an odor of burning from welding works. Basically, the contractor will be punching some holes through the wall, connecting some steel beams and doing some work on the columns as the first step towards joining the existing building and the new extension.
We apologize for the extreme inconvenience caused by this construction, but it is necessary as part of our efforts to improve the Library and prepare it for the 3-3-4 changes. Please be understanding during this difficult period.
There will be some minor additional disruption during the Winter Break, followed by some noisy works above the drop ceiling on the ground floor in April.
To stay up-to-date on Library construction, visit the Library Blog at http://library.ust.hk/blog/
For those interested, the timeline currently calls for the new extension to be joined to the existing building during the Fall Term next year - it will be a time of great aggravation, along with great excitement and expectation!
Security of Personal Items
Many users have expressed concern about the security of their personal belongings - especially laptops - while in the Library. While some other libraries have installed steel bolts on furniture for users to attach security cables, this is not the best answer for our Library. That would simply exacerbate the problem of users leaving their belongings unattended in an attempt to reserve library seats, which is a violation of our rules of behaviour.
We urge you to visit http://library.ust.hk/info/behaviour.html for details of expected behaviour and the penalties which can apply. In addition, you should always keep an eye on your valuable personal belongings whenever you are on or off campus. No one can be more responsible for your belongings than you are.
Remember to never leave your belongings unattended in the Library. And if you find something missing, contact Library staff at the Circulation Counter and Campus Security immediately.
A Problem Remains
In a meeting with members of the Student Union, one issue raised was what to do about these high-value items when the student needed to make a visit to the toilet. Clearly an answer was needed for our environment.
To help address this problem, the Library is installing laptop holders in all of the toilet stalls in the building. This will better meet your need for laptop security when you need to use the restroom, and can be used for other valuables as well.
Currently there is a demonstration unit installed in the middle stall of the 1/F Men's toilet. A few changes have been made in this design, and we plan to have the rest installed before the final examination period.
While this is not a perfect solution, we hope that it will go a long way towards helping you ensure the security of your valuables.
Going Green in the Library
Since its establishment, the Library has worked towards improved environmentalism. We have focused on reducing waste and improving efficiency in a variety of areas, from power to paper. And we continue to work to make the Library a more "Green" environment.
Items accomplished include:
- A script to automatically shut down all PCs in the Library just after closing time.
- Not starting up most PCs when the Library opens, instead letting users do this as needed.
- Reusing paper by printing on the blank side from office printers.
- Acquiring recycled copier paper for all Library photocopiers.
- Turning off all lights in closed offices, except where security needs prevent this.
- Adding light switches in most group study rooms.
- Enabling light switches on all individually lighted study carrels.
- Conversion of all public and staff PC monitors from CRT to LCD.
- Reducing the quantity of printouts of this newsletter by 2/3 in favor of e-distribution by e-mail and RSS.
- Placing recycling bins by all copiers and in all offices.
- Reusing waste paper for notepaper at public computers.
Other items being considered include:
- Light switches or motion sensors for toilet lighting.
- Conversion of all televisions in Media Resources to LCD.
- Adding light switches to the lights on LG4 study tables.