In 2014, a three-year project was started to set up a common electronic platform for library resources to be shared among five local self-financing higher education institutions: the OUHK, Caritas Institute of Higher Education, Chu Hai College of Higher Education, Hong Kong Shue Yan University and Tung Wah College. The purpose is to enhance teaching and learning support for these institutes. The project was funded by a $50-million grant from the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme (QESS) under the Government's Self-financing Postsecondary Education Fund. Experienced in systems development, the OUHK served as the Principal Grantee and undertook the responsibility of developing the new system and of coordinating the purchase of new e-books. Under the concerted efforts of the four Joint Grantees, the project was successfully completed at end of 2016. The online library collection-sharing and information discovery system enables one-stop access to the library resources of the five institutions, which includes more than 800,000 perpetual items in print or electronic format, while a total of 32,632 e-book titles have been purchased with the QESS funding for shared access by the learning community of the five institutions. With just a few clicks, links to fulltext materials and other functions have been made available. Both the platform and the shared e-books can be accessed round the clock anywhere, and on any device that can be connected to the Internet. |
