TIMELESS EXPERIENCES – Digital Transformation of Music Library  

 A. Introduction 

 

The adoption of virtual teaching accelerated across the education sector. Our students, especially those who are digital natives, will acquire knowledge from an increasingly wide range of virtual learning platforms and online services. Therefore, the Libraries actively rethink our roles in digital literacy education. We would like to engage the HKU community with an enhanced digital experience and online resources. One of our plans is to transform the Music Library into a next-generation collaborative space with more digital services. 

 

The Music Library at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) works with the Department of Music, Faculty of Arts, to support the excellent academic music program at HKU.  HKU is committed to providing students with an inspirational learning environment and precious knowledge resources. As a specialised library, it offers a unique focal point in culture and humanities in the academia.  

 

B. Design 

HKU Libraries have the plan to redesign the library to create a space fit for the 21st century. A library needs to be a place for material objects in order to understand the past and to maintain links to the physical quality of music in all its varied manifestations. The new vision for the Music Library will be a place for both artifacts and screens, an arena for actual objects and virtual ones, a space for understanding history and pursuing innovation. The ancient and the modern will be a seamless experience. The vision is to create a hybrid, dynamic space for teaching and learning, empowering students for academic and artistic musical pursuits. There will be two main spaces: 

 

i. A sound-proof seminar space surrounded by a special collection of scores, rare books on music, and reference books. The space will also include state-of-the-art media, as well as a collection of older media to demonstrate how music has been transmitted in the past and what is possible in the future.  

 

ii. A main digital space with the latest equipment for music research and music composition. There will also be a general working area for students who do not require specialised digital equipment for music. Musical artifacts will also be permanently on display throughout digital space to create a seamless experience of past and present musical media and cultures. Similarly, there will be a book-crossing corner for music books and scores, which can be read there or be taken away freely to promote print culture. The space will be self-operated in the future with longer opening hours. Seating capacity will be greatly increased by three times from 50 to over 150. HKU students, including music and non-music students, go to the library for quiet study, music enjoyment, different digital engagements, and various artistic activities ventures.   

 

It will be a new vision of the Music Library to combine digital elements and timeless musical objects at HKU and in Hong Kong. These performances, dialogues, and events at the Music Library will add a new cadenza to the already rich campus experience for the entire HKU community. 

 

The Music Library is very grateful for the generous donation from HKU Foundation.