Mr Alan NG, User Services Librarian 

What do you do at the Library?

I joined the CUHK Library in May 2022 as the User Services Librarian. My role is to facilitate the library users using all the available library services and maintain the University Library building as a safe and welcoming place for the users. I usually work with six teams of very capable library staff in User Services to ensure our daily operations run smoothly for the service provision.

The major aspects of our operations include user registration, enquiry service, library material circulation, inter-library collaboration, faculty management and building maintenance. I coordinate the collaborations among the teams and with the other library departments. As we are serving a large user community with diversified scenarios, ongoing workflow optimization and efficiency improvement are essential for the future development of the Library. I hope to bring service enhancements to our users and facilitate their journey of knowledge-seeking with my previous experience and knowledge of library automation technologies. 

What is your educational background and work experience?  

I acquired my Bachelor’s degree and Master's degree in Electronic Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). I conducted research on signal processing for my Master's degree dissertation. Before working in the library, I worked as a research staff for multimedia technology at HKUST.

I started my career in the library as an application developer and learned about the technical aspects of the Integrated Library System (ILS) at the HKUST Library. Having developed an interest in librarianship, I then studied for a Master's degree programme at the School of Information Sciences of the University of Illinois in the United States. After graduation, I worked as a Systems Librarian at several local universities, including The University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Over the years, I was involved in a number of interesting and challenging tasks, such as managing the first-generation HKALL system, supporting the library staff and users in using the ILS and library catalogue, introducing the access-controlled room booking system, conducting the tendering and implementation of the RFID self-check kiosks and automated book sorter system, and introducing the latest cloud-based ILS and one-stop searching system for library materials.  

You are most welcome to contact me for any enquiry or comment regarding our services.

 (852) 3943 9720     alanng@cuhk.edu.hk