Keeping Pace with Technology

Electronic Library moves full-steam ahead

The 'library without walls' moved one step closer to reality following the signing of a consultancy contract between the Institute and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in February 1997.

Representatives of Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Croucher Foundation jointly switch on an acknowledgement screen to officially launch the Electronic Library development plan.

Upon completion in 1998, the Electronic Library will contain 1,000 electronic titles, a collection equivalent to nearly 300,000 volumes of printed materials, and will be one of the largest electronic databases in the region. The project was made possible with the pledge of a $10 million donation by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the pledge of a $5 million grant and a $5 million interest-free loan by the Croucher Foundation, and a $20 million grant by the government.

The Electronic Library will offer a large number of concurrent users round-the-clock off-campus services. Given a personal computer, a modem and a telephone line, the Institute's students, tutors or teaching staff will be able to log on to the Electronic Library at any time from anywhere. They will be able to search the Library catalogue, read electronic books and journals available in full text, and make use of a wide variety of databases for learning and research.

Internet put to wider use

The year also saw a major expansion in the role of the Internet in the daily life of the Institute. Staff were already using the Internet for e-mail communication with their peers around the world either on a one-to-one basis or through participation in electronic discussion groups. This usage continued to grow over the year and was supplemented by an increase in the number of students e-mailing academics and administrators via one of the many local Internet service providers.

An academic from the University of Science and Technology presents a mock demonstration of how to access a prototype Electronic Library.

Greater investment in information technology by the Institute has resulted in many more academic and administrative staff having access to a broader range of facilities available through the 'Information Superhighway' and, in particular, the World Wide Web. This trend has brought to staff a wide selection of information sources relating both to their disciplines and to distance education.

The Institute began the year with a limited presence on the Internet in the form of a site accessible to users of the World Wide Web. By the end of the year the original Web site had undergone a major overhaul, and the number of pages in it had been increased to contain information ranging from the academic and administrative units, facilities and broadcast schedules, to courses, programmes and support services. A central co-ordinating group was established to oversee the development of the site and to promote Institute-wide use of the Internet.

Aware of the growing interest in the use of Internet technology both within and outside, the Institute decided that funds would be made available for development projects to experiment with the use of the Internet in courses, to increase the Internet's Web presence, and to broaden the awareness among both academic and administrative staff of the potential that this technology brings to all aspects of the Institute's operation, and to distance education in particular.

A pilot Internet project was launched in February 1997 for 1,000 students taking computer-related courses. The students were given accounts to use Internet facilities including electronic mail, Web browsing, file transfer and newsgroup remotely from home through dial-up lines. The plan was extended to cover about 4,000 students in April 1997. Seminars on Internet topics were also organized for the Institute's students and the public.

Teaching on CD-ROM

The CD-ROM on the history of Hong Kong will provide a useful reference for subsequent endeavours in other courses. The Institute plans to produce more courses using electronic means in the future. As an alternative to the print form, electronic versions of courses will be placed on CD-ROMs or for on-line access by students on the campus network.

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