Another way to save space is through the consortium involving government-funded university libraries, set up in 2005 to engage in group purchase of e-books shared among institutions. There are now 2.6 million e-books accessible via the consortium.

The former reception and circulation areas were scaled down to provide space for activities such as seminars or exhibitions, including a recent display of paintings featuring life in Myanmar.

The most unusual development is the egg-shaped mini-theatre that ties in with Ching's wish to make the library a stimulating, enriching place to learn. The free-standing theatre is intended for film and music appreciation for groups of 15.

"We don't have a department of music, but we can play DVDs, documentaries, or organise talks there. We work with faculty to develop programmes for our students," says Ching, an economist by training.

Originally from Taiwan, Ching joined the university in 2004, drawn to the abundant sources of materials from the East and West available here.

Ching's idea of all-round learning is reflected in the library design. Underneath its ceiling, made to resemble a river, is a bridge linking the centre of the library with the Humanities Academy. This consists of rows of traditional chairs and tables surrounded by small rooms with distinct cultural themes, such as Persian and Korean.

"The bridge symbolises a journey from West to East," says Ching. "I hope students can broaden their knowledge beyond what they learn in classroom. Many students forget about the pleasure of learning."

Graduates with literary skills and an interest in artistic and literary pursuits will serve Hong Kong well in light of the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District, he adds. "We need to cultivate the audience at universities, among library goers."

For the coming academic year, he is going to launch a Books and City Project. This will feature talks by writers from various backgrounds and will be held in an area overlooking a garden. "It will be a small but meaningful project," says Ching. "A library community is very important. We have discussed with faculties what kinds of community activities to have and the outcome we want to achieve. We want students to share, not just sit silently."

With automatisation such as self-check out and return machines, librarians have taken on different roles. For one thing, they are expected to have IT skills. Data management is likely to become an even bigger part of their job. "The job description used to be very traditional," says Ching. "Now we are talking about digital content and learning commons. We need to help people find the right resources for their research.

"Most staff do not know how they can contribute to this kind of transformation yet. Data curation is an upcoming trend. In the future a lot of people will talk about data, and that leaves a question mark over our role. That is also a challenge facing international librarians."

Ching's efforts to enhance the "space value" has met with positive feedback. CityU Library has set a very high standard for innovative spatial design in academic libraries in Hong Kong, according to an article in , written by Bob Fox and Peter Sidorko, who is the librarian at the University of Hong Kong.

"It is flexible, suited to a variety of learning styles, individual and collaborative, quiet and loud," they write. The number of users of the library every day during the summer is more than double that of years before, Ching says.

Other universities have also enhanced their premises. Next year Baptist University will begin a series of renovation and expansion projects to "improve the quality of the space to better support student learning".

The HKU library, which was renovated two years ago, has a breakout zone where students can eat, talk and wind down on couches facing large TV screens. A counter manned by duty staff separates it from the rows of desks and workstations on the other side of the floor.

There are rooms equipped with modern tools, such as interactive whiteboards, TV panels, webcams and high-definition camcorders in the collaboration zone.

The 6,000 square metre Chi Wah learning commons sited on HKU's centennial campus provides additional services such as counselling and language support.

Both Chinese University and HKU have facilities that are open 24/7. Some students use them as boarding facilities . Take Chinese University's 2,000 square metre Learning Garden, which is part of a 7,000 square metre extension to the institution's main library.

Johnson Yeung, a recent politics and public administration graduate, says: "The learning garden is a good place to relax. Some students also sleep there at night."

Yeung says he used the library facilities almost every day.

Gloria Chan, another Chinese University graduate, says: "I enjoyed using the libraries, because they provided a good environment for me to work. The printing facilities were good, but sometimes there were not enough computers, and students had to wait.

"I rarely borrowed books, though, as I always forget to return them, which led to huge fines," she adds.