The "Books and Their Stories" exhibition, jointly organised by the Libraries and the University Museum and Art Gallery, University of Hong Kong, is held at the Annie Wong Gallery, Fung Ping Shan Building, from 8 June to 30 July 2006.

This exhibition has been arranged as one of the key events celebrating the collection of one million electronic books at the University of Hong Kong Libraries. It marks the first time that the public will be able to see valuable items, including the five-volume set An authentic account of an embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China by George Staunton, published in 1798. This strikingly illustrated set is believed to have been owned personally by Lord Macartney (1737-1806), who led the first British Embassy to China from 1792 to 1794, as well as a unique copy known to exist in the world.

The visitors will be taken on a journey through the stories of how the library collection survived the devastation during the Japanese Occupation from 1941 to 1945. On display will be books and materials from the personal collections of Professor Xu Dishan (許地山) and Professor Lo Hsiang-lin (羅香林). Visitors may also be interested to know in what ways the library has been associated with the British Governors throughout its history.

The exhibition also includes the screening of a film taken by Sir Lindsay Ride, HKU Vice-Chancellor from 1949 to 1964, in Hong Kong in the 1950s. A computer workstation will also be set up to allow users access the HKU Libraries electronic books.