I
TABLEOF CONTENTS
Summer Renovations! Building Extension Progress Security and Safety Emerald E-Books on Trial Information Commons Survey Media & Microforms Survey Systems Update: IR Enhancements Profiles of Subject Librarians
Issue No. 73 September 2009 http://library.ust.hk/
Summer Renovations!
t has been a very busy Summer for the Library, as we worked to enhance the physical facilities available for users. There have been many many small projects, from placing additional quick access 'standing' computers on lower floors to adding a few more power outlets in strategic locations. From your perspective, the two most notable renovations are the added study rooms and the IC expansion.
Information Commons Phase 2 !
By the time you read this, the Information Commons Improvement Project should be complete. The most dramatic change is the removal of the entire Reference and Information Counter, which has been replaced by a more efficient service desk, and a ring of casual seatings for notebook users.
The improvements made focus on meeting the needs identified in the IC's two user satisfaction surveys. For example, you were least satisfied with the availability of group spaces in the IC. So in this project, almost all the new furniture added to the IC is specifically designed to more easily be used by multiple users, rather than being computer carrels. For details of the survey, read the related article inside, or
visit http://library.ust.hk/serv/ic/survey09.html
Other improvements to the IC include: Over 20 added stations; flexible furniture for groups to work; a new teaching and presentation room called the IC Learning Space; a redesigned set of 'rings' for public computers at the ground floor entrance; and a multifunction photocopier, which also serves as a document scanner and a network printer. Note that laptop users in the Library can also print to this machine by installing a downloadable print driver.
For more details of the Information Commons Improvement Project, visit http://library.ust.hk/info/ic-improvement.html.
More Group Study Rooms!
In the IC survey, and through other means, users keep asking for more group spaces. While the ground floor portion of the IC can provide some space for groups working more quietly, there is also a need for more study and presentation rooms.
Over the Summer, the Library has created four new group study rooms. Three were made by repurposing existing rooms, and the fourth is a second glass-partition-enclosed space on the first floor.
As with all group study rooms in the Library, these 4 new rooms can be reserved at
T
W
T
Building Extension Progress
his is an exciting time! The building extension is appearing day by day. It includes the 3 floors which will extend the Library for the student influx accompanying the 3-3-4 education changes, along with the extension of 2 floors below the Library.
Details of the expansion can be found at http://library.ust.hk/info/building-projects.html.
You may also be interested in viewing the Construction Photo Gallery on the Library Blog, at
http://library.ust.hk/blog/photos/.
If you find the construction noise too distracting, you can get disposable earplugs from the Circulation Counter. They are not perfect, but they can help.
Security and Safety
elcome, and welcome back! This is a quick note to let you all know about the Library's continuing effort to ensure a safe and secure study environment.
The H1N1 flu virus continues to be a concern, especially as Winter approaches. Disinfectant gel is available at the Reference and IC Help Desks. The Library considers this a useful aid for users to reduce the chance of spreading germs in a shared and social environment. We would also ask that you wear a mask if you experience any flu-like symptoms.
Regarding physical security, please remember not to leave your belongings unattended at any time. The Library has asked Campus Security to increase patrols, and we are also coordinating with the Police.
The Library has also been asked by the Student Union to make it easier for users to keep their laptops safe. We have recently ordered some laptop holders for toilet stalls throughout the Library to aid in users' efforts to keep their valuables with them at all times.
Finally, please note that during the construction of the building extension, the Library provides packets of disposable earplugs at the Circulation Counter for those who find the noise too distracting on any given day.
Emerald E-Books on Trial
wo eBook collections from Emerald are available on a trial basis until the end of the year. One contains titles in a range of business, management and economics subjects while the second focuses on contemporary research in diverse social sciences areas such as education, sociology, politics and linguistics. Combined, they provide access to almost 600 volumes from 100 book series. Here are some sample series from each of the collections:
Business, Management & Economics eBooks
Advances in Business Marketing and Purchasing Advances in Econometrics
Advances in Management Accounting International Finance Review
Research in Political Economy
Research in the Sociology of Organizations Research on Managing Groups and Teams
Social Sciences eBooks
Advances in Gender Research
International Perspectives on Higher Education Research Research in Race and Ethnic Relations
Research in Social Problems and Public Policy Research in Urban Sociology
Syntax and Semantics
All are available in html and PDF formats. You can cross-search their full-text along with 175 Emerald journals which are also on trial. Emerald trial resources can be accessed at http://library.ust.hk/info/db/evaluation.html. Your comments will help us with our subscription decisions when the trial expires.
A
L
Information Commons Survey
s part of our continuous effort to ensure high service quality, the Library conducted the Information Commons User Satisfaction Survey in Spring 2009. Close to 600 users responded to the online questionnaire.
The survey confirms the positive perception of the IC users. It is particularly encouraging that one-third of the participants contributed meaningful comments and suggestions. The Library took prompt action to answer some comments, while many were addressed by the IC Improvement Project. For example:
Availability of computers - In the upcoming
Improvement Project, more than 20 workstations have been added.
Group space - Within the existing space available at the IC, the furniture design in the Improvement
Project will maximize flexibility, so that new desks and workstations may accommodate individual users as well as small groups.
Quality of monitor display - The IC monitors' display was blurry due to loose VGA cable connection.
Soon after the survey, Library staff experimented with different ways to reconfigure the monitor wiring to obtain the best result. New computers will be equipped with DVI cable for higher and more stable display quality.
Printing needs - Printing capability at the IC will be enhanced in the Improvement Project. To cope with
the high printing demand in the examination period in May 09, the IC team set up one workstation as the designated express printing station that proved to be a change welcomed by many students.
Cleanliness - Some comments raised concerns about the cleanliness of the computer equipment at the
IC. While a cleaning schedule has always been in place, the Library reviewed and reinforced the practice.
The new face of the Information Commons will definitely bring more challenges to the Library in operating the service facility at a high quality standard. The Library will keep on listening to users' voice when planning our service design and facilities provision.
Media & Microforms Survey
ast spring, the Library conducted an online user opinion survey of Media & Microforms. 573 Library users let us know what they thought about the quality of service, the collections, and the facilities. They also submitted over 130 comments!
57% of respondents were UGs; 22% PG; 18% staff; and 3% faculty members. 55% use Media a few times a month or more.
58% strongly agreed or agreed that Media Resources was a comfortable place.
Most are satisfied with the collections of music and videos in the Library, only 16-18% expressed dissatisfaction.
69% found Media Staff friendly and helpful.
56% agreed Media Hours are suitable, although a small minority would like longer hours.
Written Comments:
35% of the written comments concerned the collection content. They want more movies, documentaries and music. "I wish that Media can acquire more DVDs on classical music performance, vocal performance, and award winning movies."
19% were compliments. "I like the media resources in UST and always find something new and interesting there."
15% expressed a desire for more updated formats, in a word: DVD. "Some titles only appear as videos. They should be converted to DVD since most people now have DVD players."
Conversion to DVD is a legal issue, not a technical problem. The Library must replace its VHS with legally purchased DVD. DVD has been the preferred format for some years, with only one of the 1,800+ titles bought last year, being only
T
S
School of Science Steve Yip 2358-6756 [email protected]I am the Head of Reference and one of the science librarians.
We support the teaching, learning and research of the Schools by developing the Library collection as well as offering student and faculty orientations, library classes, in-depth research consultations and other services.
School of Business & Management Kevin Ho
2358-6761
As a member of the Reference team, I am responsible for reference assistance, user education and collection development.
Apart from conducting library instruction classes on business related subjects and databases such as Reuters 3000Xtra, I also provide citation search certification available in VHS.
Other comments expressed a desire for longer services hours, different furnishings in the Media & Discussion Rooms, and suggestions to improve promotion and signage.
Responding to User Desires
Longer hours - starting in the Fall semester, Media will be open until 9pm on Monday-Friday and until 7pm on
Saturday and Sunday.
Media & Discussion Room changes - A table was added to Room 1 last spring. It proved popular, so a table will
be added to room 4. Room 2 will see sofas and low tables, to make a different, more relaxed viewing and discussion environment.
User-Friendly lay-out of Viewing and Listening Carrels - The equipment has been re-arranged into "format
islands" with equipment available clearly labeled on the top of the cubicles to help users find what the right equipment for their format.
Improving Notification on New Purchases - to inform you about new purchases, newly acquired titles will now
be posted on a board by the big lift on G/F. Also, don't forget to check on the New Acquisitions, or get the RSS for New Media Items and Media Items on Order.
Systems Update: IR Enhancements
he HKUST Institutional Repository (http://repository.ust.hk/) has recently made available to the public its first dataset deposited by the Institute for the Environment. This dataset contains Hong Kong street level air quality data collected by the Mobile Real-time Air Monitoring platform during the period 2003-2006 (see http://hdl.handle.net/1783.1/3631).
The Library began a study early this year to enhance the infrastructure of its Institutional Repository (IR) system for supporting datasets. Modern research generates vast amounts of data and the IR system provides an ideal platform to store, preserve, organize and access this wealth of research data. By depositing your valuable datasets to the IR, you will no longer need to worry about losing them. And as with your deposited articles, they will be instantly accessible on the Internet and indexed by major search engines and OAI harvesters. For enquiry about dataset submission, please send email to [email protected].
Another enhancement the Library recently made to the HKUST Institutional Repository is the incorporation of Scopus citation counts into the metadata records. When retrieving a published paper from the IR, the system will perform a real-time query of Scopus and fetch the number of real-times the paper was cited by other papers indexed in Scopus.
As Scopus indexes more than 12,000 academic journals worldwide, the citation counts it provides are a valuable indication of how well received the paper was. The provision of these figures in the IR, as well as the availability of a direct link to view the list of citing papers, has further increased the visibility of your deposited papers and enhances the user-navigation capability of the IR system.
Profiles of Subject Librarians
ubject librarians are your first point of contact regarding library services. They provide research consultation, faculty orientation, offer course and subject specific library classes, and liaise with faculty members for archiving research in the Institutional Repository. For more details, visit http://library.ust.hk/serv/contact.html.
As my speciality is chemical and biomedical information, I am the liaison librarian for the Chemistry, Biology and Biochemistry Departments.
Gabrielle Wong 2358-6759
I am a subject librarian for the School of Science, specializing in mathematics and physics. I am a reference librarian, carrying out usual duties such as teaching and creating subject guides.
I am also the coordinator for the Institutional Repository and Information Commons.
School of Engineering
Sau Ping Poon 2358-6755
I am one of the engineering subject librarians. I provide research consultations for users who need in-depth help in information research, and collect faculty publications for the Institutional Repository.
I am also the Document Supply Service Librarian, specializing in finding items not in our Library.
Eunice Wong 2358-6751
As one of the engineering subject librarians, I help select relevant books and evaluate electronic resources to develop the library collections.
Besides serving at the Reference desk, I conduct subject specific as well as general workshops on information skills and literature searching, and provide individual consultations and orientations to the engineering community. I also supervise all aspects of the Library instruction program.
service and research consultations to our HKUST community.
Kit Man Chan 2358-6763
I am one of the subject librarians of the School of Business & Management. My major duties include offering reference assistance and conducting library classes and workshops for the HKUST community. I help users find both printed and electronic information to meet their research needs. I also assist in coordinating the Library instruction program.
School of Humanities & Social Sciences Victoria Caplan 2358-6786
I am responsible for liaising with the Division of Social Science. I enjoy helping students, instructors, and staff find answers to their questions, whether it is how to use a particular database, or how best to find sources on a broad subject.
I also wear other hats in the Library, and you can find me in my cubicle in Media Resources & Microforms.
Catherine Kwok 2358-6758
I serve at the Reference desk and conduct a range of library workshops. I co-ordinate the evaluation of new electronic resources and provide citation search certification service on ISI Web of Science databases to eligible faculty.
I am also involved in collection development, and work as a bibliographer for humanities, social sciences and law subjects. I am the chief editor of Readers Alert, a bi-weekly email reading service for HKUST students.
last modified 27 August 2009
