News & Announcements

Dear Students and Colleagues,

Please be informed that the Main Library, Law Library, Medical Library and Dental Library will be closed on National Day, 1 October (Thursday).

The following areas will remain open during University Holidays:

Library 24 Study Hub at Main Library,
Yu Chun Keung Medical Library 24-hr Study Room,
Library 24 & Music Library (8:00am – 11:00pm)

For more information, please visit our website and follow us on social media for the latest updates. University Libraries wishes you a happy and enjoyable National Day holiday.

Regards,

University Libraries

Dear Students and Colleagues,

Please be informed that the Main Library, Law Library, Medical Library and Dental Library will be closed early at 5pm on Friday, 25 September 2026 and all Libraries will be closed on Saturday, 26 September 2026.

The following areas will remain open:

Library 24 Study Hub at Main Library,
Yu Chun Keung Medical Library 24-hr Study Room,
Library 24 & Music Library (8:00am – 11:00pm)

For more information, please visit our website and follow our social media for the latest updates. Meanwhile, University Libraries would like to wish you a warm and joyous Mid-Autumn Festival. May the full moon bring you good health and happiness.

Regards,
University Libraries

To manage the high demand for study areas during the revision week and examination period, the Libraries will be implementing limited entry for JULAC Card holders (students only) from other UGC-funded universities.

Affected students are advised to:

1. use the Interlibrary Loan services of your home library.
2. return the materials via our book drop and automated book returns or the JULAC Book Return Service at your home library on or before the due date.
3. arrange the pickup of requested materials before the limited access period or present the pickup notice email to the library staff at the respective service counter* during the limited access period.

Regular access to the Libraries will resume after the examination period, on 27 May 2026. Before visiting, please check the Library Homepage for any service updates and consult the library calendar.

_{Note:
Staff JULAC Card holders can gain access by presenting their card to the security guard on duty at the G/F entrance.
*Check Hours of service counters at Main Library.}

To manage the high demand for study areas during the revision week and examination period, the Libraries will be implementing limited entry for JULAC Card holders (students only) from other UGC-funded universities.

Affected students are advised to:

1. use the Interlibrary Loan services of your home library.
2. return the materials via our book drop and automated book returns or the JULAC Book Return Service at your home library on or before the due date.
3. arrange the pickup of requested materials before the limited access period or present the pickup notice email to the library staff at the respective service counter* during the limited access period.

Regular access to the Libraries will resume after the examination period and Christmas holidays, starting from Saturday, 27 December 2025. Before visiting, please check the Library Homepage for any service updates and consult the library calendar.

_{Note:
Staff JULAC Card holders can gain access by presenting their card to the security guard on duty at the G/F entrance.
*Check Hours of service counters at Main Library.}

To manage the high demand for study areas during the revision week and examination period, the Libraries will be implementing limited entry for JULAC Card holders (students only) from other UGC-funded universities.

Affected students are advised to:

1. use the HKALL services or Interlibrary Loan services of your home library.
2. return the materials via our book drop and automated book returns or the JULAC Book Return Service at your home library on or before the due date.
3. arrange the pickup of requested materials before the limited access period or present the pickup notice email to the library staff at the respective service counter* during the limited access period.

Regular access to the Libraries will resume after the examination period, starting from 28 May 2025 (Wednesday). Before visiting, please check the Library Homepage for any service updates and consult the library calendar.

_{Note:
Staff JULAC Card holders can gain access by presenting their card to the security guard on duty at the G/F entrance.
*Check Hours of service counters at Main Library.}

To manage the high demand for study areas during the revision week and examination period, the Libraries will be implementing limited entry for JULAC Card holders (students only) from other UGC-funded universities.

Affected students are advised to:

1. use the HKALL services or Interlibrary Loan services of your home library.
2. return the materials via our book drop and automated book returns or the JULAC Book Return Service at your home library on or before the due date.
3. arrange the pickup of requested materials before the limited access period or present the pickup notice email to the library staff at the respective service counter* during the limited access period.

Regular access to the Libraries will resume after the examination period and Christmas holidays, starting from 27 Dec 2024 (Fri). Before visiting, please check the Library Homepage for any service updates and consult the library calendar.

Note:
Staff JULAC Card holders can gain access by presenting their card to security guard on duty at the G/F entrance.
*Check Hours of service counters at Main Library.

We are deeply saddened to inform you of the passing of Dr. Kan Lai Bing, a distinguished graduate, a renowned librarian, scholar, and educator, who served as the University Librarian of the University of Hong Kong from 1983-1999 and continued as Senior Advisor of the University Libraries after her retirement in 1999 until July 2024. She passed away peacefully on September 5, 2024.

Dr. Kan graduated with a B.Sc. from the Science Faculty of the University of Hong Kong in 1957, studied at the University of California (Berkeley) as a Carnegie Scholar and obtained two master’s degrees (M.A., M.L.S.) in 1959.  During the 1960s, 1970s and in later years, she continued her studies and research and earned a PhD degree at the University of Hong Kong as well as other professional qualifications globally.

During the years at HKU Libraries, Dr. Kan introduced major changes to our libraries and enhanced it as a vital learning centre for teaching, research and continuing education.  In addition to being a University Officer, a professional librarian and an administrator, she also had a great interest in academic research which resulted in several books and articles published locally and overseas. Notably, Dr. Kan was also the University Librarian and Director of the University Library System of the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 1972-1983.

In 1997, she was awarded the Honorary University Fellowship by the University of Hong Kong, her alma mater. And in 2001, she was appointed as Senior Consultant by the HKU SPACE, planning and leading their Library and Information Science (LIS) programmes until the end of August 2008.

Dr. Kan continuously developed libraries and librarianship as well as to promote the LIS profession in Hong Kong for more than six decades.  And from 2008-2010, she served on the Library Advisory Committee under the Home Affairs Bureaus of the HKSAR Government, advising on the strategic development of public libraries.

Dr. Kan is a respected mentor, a generous benefactor, and a dear friend to many of us. She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.

Flora Ng
Chief Information Officer & University Librarian
The University of Hong Kong

Improvement ideas gleaned from the results of 2023 User Survey

Overall responses

We would like to thank all the users who participated in the library survey between 1 and 21 November 2023. A total of 2,181 valid surveys and 926 written comments were received from various disciplines and target groups:

Data analysis

This is the second time we adopted the LibQUAL survey since 2007. The comparative results of 2007 and 2023 indicate that:

• The minimum and perceived overall mean ratings have increased by 5.42% (i.e. from 6.02 to 6.42) and 2.81% (i.e. from 6.74 to 6.93) respectively while the desired mean rating remained almost at the same level (i.e. from 7.55 to 7.51).
• ‘Library as Place’ has surpassed ‘Information Control’ as the library function with the highest minimum (6.50) and desired (7.68) mean ratings, meaning that users have the highest expectation in this area.
• The perceived mean rating for ‘Library as Place’ (6.72) is however lower than that of ‘Affect of Services’ (7.02) and ‘Information Control (7), resulting in a relatively larger gap between its desired and perceived mean ratings (7.68 vs 6.72).

Comparative mean ratings between 2007 and 2023

The top five surveyed areas that show the largest performance gap between desired and perceived mean ratings are:

1. Space for group learning and group study (-1.1 out of 9)
2. Library space that inspires study and learning (-1.08 out of 9)
3. Quiet space for individual work (-0.96 out of 9)
4. A haven for study, learning, or research (-0.73 out of 9)
5. The electronic information resources I need (-0.62 out of 9)

Key areas of concern

The following free form comments with the highest frequency in the survey also echo the findings of the above analysis:

1. Facilities – Insufficient seating (n=269); booking system not user-friendly (n=88); cancellation of hot water dispensers (n=58)
2. Physical environment – Air-conditioning too strong (n=67)
3. Opening hours – Not meeting user needs (n=21) ; need help to navigate in Main Library (15)
4. Collections – Need more resources (n=24) and latest editions (n=17)

To address the performance gaps identified in this survey, we have started exploring/introducing some measures ranging from space and facility transformation, service enhancement, collection review to staff development. Respective library teams are working on action plans with a view to deploying the solutions within the 2024/25 academic year.

Please let us know if you have any questions about the survey by Email a Librarian.

Date: 26 May 2024 (Sunday)
Time: 10:00 to 13:00

Services affected: all those that require user authentication and are inaccessible during the above maintenance period, e.g.

1. MyAccount@HKUL
2. Electronic Resources
3. Book A Space
4. Etc.

Note: searching on Find@HKUL (Library Catalogue), HKU Scholars Hub and Digital Repository@HKUL are not affected.

To manage the high demand for study areas during the revision week and examination period, the Libraries will be implementing limited entry for JULAC Card holders (students only) from other UGC-funded universities.

Affected students are advised to:

1. use the HKALL services or Interlibrary Loan services of your home library.
2. return the materials via our book drop and automated book returns or the JULAC Book Return Service at your home library on or before the due date.
3. arrange the pickup of requested materials before the limited access period or present the pickup notice email to the library staff at the respective service counter during the limited access period.

Regular access to the Libraries will resume after the examination period, starting from 22 May 2024 (Wed). Before visiting, please check the Library Homepage for any service updates and consult the library calendar.

Note: Staff JULAC Card holders can gain access by presenting their card to the counter staff or security guard on duty.