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Library Orientation Programme 2025-2026: A Great Start for New Students

In a bid to familiarize new students with the various forms of learning support provided by the Library, an orientation programme was conducted during the period from mid-August to mid-September 2025. Participants were introduced to the wide range of resources, services and facilities that would aid their academic journeys in the coming years.

The programme’s success could mainly be attributed to the extensive publicity efforts, which included running an information booth during the registration days, displaying advertisements across the campus, publishing posts on the social media as well as sending around promotional emails. With over 260 registrants, the orientation sessions were offered either online or in a face-to-face format. Those who completed all the required activities and returned a fully stamped flyer were automatically entered into a lucky draw for a chance to win cash coupons sponsored by the University.

A total of 10 lucky draw winners were thrilled to receive the gifts during a prize presentation ceremony held in late September. We would like to congratulate the winners and thank all who took part in this event.

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Library Facility Enhancements for the New Academic Year

Over the summer, the Library has implemented several upgrades to its facilities to enhance user experience in the new academic year.

To meet the growing demand for group study spaces, the Library has made three new study pods available for reservation.These installations are sound-proofed and equipped with good lighting and ventilation, making them ideal for small study groups of 3 to 4 members.

 

 

Additionally, all computer workstations in the e-Learning Laboratory have been replaced with brand-new models, featuring high-end graphics cards and professional monitors. These new computers are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

As you may have noticed, the manual tripod turnstile gate at the entrance to the Library on the CBCC campus had been removed. In its place, a new set of swing turnstile entrance gate has been installed, providing easier and safer access for all users, including those in wheelchairs.

The Library is committed to creating a comfortable and conducive study environment and improving its facilities to meet changing and growing needs.

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Strengthening Information Research Skills through Library Workshops

On a regular basis, different workshops are held to enable staff and students to enhance their information research skills. These workshops cover essential topics such as literature search, APA Referencing and EndNote — citation management. In addition, specialists and professionals are invited to conduct face-to-face or online training sessions on the use of specific e-databases. We will keep you informed of the upcoming workshops via e-mails and social media channels throughout the academic year

Teaching staff are most welcome to work with us to arrange tailored workshops that cater to students’ specific needs. For details of the workshops conducted in recent years, please visit Library Orientation & Workshops.

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Library Book Signing Event: Celebrating Research Excellence

In early July 2025, the Library hosted a book signing event, in which the teaching and research staff from various Schools were invited to autograph their books that were displayed in the Staff Publications Area. The primary purpose was to spotlight their outstanding research achievements.

On that occasion, the authors shared the inspirations behind their works and their research experiences. The library staff also took the opportunity to draw attention to the Institutional Repository, which is a platform within the institutional network that showcases the scholarly publications of members of the SFU community, a platform that will help increase the visibility of their academic pursuits.

 

This event was mainly intended to foster meaningful exchanges among researchers, especially on the possibility of multidisciplinary collaborations.

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The First Library Book Talk of the “Reading with Pleasure” Series

The first library book talk of the series, “Reading with Pleasure 「悅」讀會”, was successfully held at the Library on October 13, 2025. The event featured an engaging presentation by Professor Albert Lee, Research Professor at the SFU Research Office, who shared his insights into various issues and interacted dynamically with SFU staff and students. The session addressed important topics related to public health, education, and community development. A wide selection of Professor Lee’s books was also put on display.

The event was well-attended and well-received, eliciting highly encouraging feedback. Many participants indicated that they greatly valued the unique opportunity to meet an author in person and had benefitted immensely from Professor Lee’s expertise in a range of subjects.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Professor Lee for taking the time out of his busy schedule to deliver an inspiring speech and lead the sharing session. We are also grateful to all participants for their enthusiastic support. Please stay tuned for more exciting events. Be sure to check back for the Library’s announcements, register and join in.

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Healing Garden: A Body-Mind-Spirit Initiative

During the summer, the Library launched the Body-Mind-Spirit Research Project for the purpose of creating a Healing Garden on its podium. Sponsored by the Auyeung Po Cheung Body-Mind-Spirit Holistic Health Development and Research Project, this initiative aims to transform the podium into a serene Healing Garden where users can relax and reconnect with nature amidst the hustle and bustle of city life.

The Healing Garden will feature a lush, green outdoor space filled with flowers and plants, creating an environment that promotes tranquility and relaxation. The first decorative highlight of the garden is a stunning wall art installation, composed of ceramic bricks engraved with the words “Body” (身), “Mind” (心), and “Spirit” (靈) in various styles of Chinese calligraphy. These unique ceramic pieces were crafted by SFU staff and students under the guidance of a renowned local sculptor during a series of Wall Art Design Workshops in late July and early August. The workshops were filled with joy and creativity, bringing participants together in an inspiring artistic experience.

In harmony with the University’s motto, Ad Destinatum Persecutor (自強不息), the sculptor’s award-winning sculpture (which is also titled 自強不息) will be displayed—with his consent—in the study area of the Library.

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Enhancing Your Learning with Mobile Apps for Library E-Resources

To meet the teaching and learning needs of staff and students across various programmes, mobile applications of e-resources are constantly added to our Library Guides for easy downloading. These applications are developed by the e-resources vendors to offer direct access to relevant databases from portable devices such as mobile phones and tablets. The content is as comprehensive as that in the web versions accessible via the A-Z List e-Databases.

The Library provides a wide range of mobile apps to suit diverse needs. Some apps such as HyRead and Airiti, feature Chinese e-books for leisure reading, while others including McGraw Hill Access, Lippincott Advisor and ClinicalKey for Nursing offer subject-specific content, videos and training exercises. The latest addition is the Ebook Central Reader app, which enables users to access and read e-books from ProQuest Ebook Central on portable devices. The app also offers features for borrowing and offline reading.

Users are encouraged to explore the Mobile Apps for Library E-Resources and download the apps that interest them by clicking on the mobile icon displayed in the Discovery Search platform. These tools are especially useful for those living far from SFU, providing a convenient way to study while traveling or commuting.

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EndNote Version 2025 Now Available

EndNote has been upgraded from Version 2021 to the latest Version 2025 and is now available for download. The steps for creating in-text citations and references are the same as those in Version 2021. Several new features have been incorporated in Version 2025 to enhance the research process, including

• AI Key Takeaway: Summarizing key points from your references using artificial intelligence.
• Cite from a PDF: Generating citations directly from PDF files easily.

To learn more about these new features and download EndNote Version 2025, please visit the EndNote section in the Library Guides.

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Expanding E-Resources to Support Learning, Teaching and Research

The Library seeks to continually broaden the scope of its e-resources to meet the ever-increasing learning, teaching and research needs of users across various subject disciplines. In this connection, the Library has recently added the following e-databases:

E-Databases	Introduction
China and the Modern World: Hong Kong, Britain, and China, Part I: 1841–1951	Digitized from the records of British Colonial Office, this collection consists of despatches and correspondence between the governors of Hong Kong and the Colonial Office, as well as letters and telegrams of other government departments and organizations.
China and the Modern World: Hong Kong, Britain, and China Part II: 1965-1993	Primarily digitized from the records of British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, this collection documents the process of Hong Kong maneuvering, surviving, thriving, and transforming into a modern international metropolis and financial centre in the wider context of the Cold War.
State Papers Online Colonial Asia, Part I: Far East, Hong Kong, and Wei-Hai-Wei	This collection records Britain’s administration and governance of its former colonies, their international relations across the period, and the changing demographics and daily life of their inhabitants.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Knowledge Base Database (中醫藥知識庫)	This database provides vast information on diverse topics in traditional Chinese medicine, including diseases (疾病), formulae (方劑), Chinese Materia Medica (中藥), Chinese patent drugs (中成藥), ancient books (古籍), and clinical pathways (臨床路徑).
Bookboon	This database provides more than 3,500 downloadable eBooks and audio learning resources covering multiple subject areas including AI, Communication Skills, Economics and Finance, Personal Development, and more. Online courses about different themes are also provided.
Lippincott Advisor	Lippincott Advisor offers thousands of clinical topics, the latest evidence and guidelines to support direct-care nurses in making accurate complex care decisions.
Scite	Scite is a platform for discovering and evaluating research articles through Smart Citations, which display the context of citations and analyze whether the articles provide supporting or contrasting evidence.
ProQuest One Academic	ProQuest One Academic is an integrated platform which provides a wide variety of resources such as scholarly journals, ebooks, dissertations, news and videos from four multidisciplinary collections: ProQuest Central, Academic Complete, Academic Video Online, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
Academic Video Online	Academic Video Online is a comprehensive and multidisciplinary platform with more than 85,000 streaming videos, covering topics in education, business and economics, film, music, nursing, psychology, and more.
Academic Complete via Ebook Central ProQuest Ebooks	ProQuest Ebooks provides access to over 700,000 titles in multiple disciplines, including business management, computer sciences, humanities and languages, medicine and nursing, social sciences, and psychology.
ProQuest Central Premium	ProQuest Central Premium covers more than 14,000 full-text scholarly journals across all major subject areas such as business, education, health and nursing, psychology, and social sciences.
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global	ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global includes more than 6.2 million dissertations and theses in different subjects, over 3.9 million of which are in full texts.

At present, over 300 e-databases in different subjects are accessible via the Database List of the Library Guides both on and off campus.