The HKU Libraries System — From Two Rooms in 1912 to Eight Branches and Four Million Volumes

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) comprehensive information database · 12 Miscellaneous module This article takes a close look at the HKU Libraries (HKUL) as a system: how it grew from two rooms in 1912 to today's Main Library plus multiple branch libraries. For a combined overview of the libraries and museums, see libraries-and-museums.md; for the architectural history of the Fung Ping Shan Building (which houses the Chinese library and museum), see ../12-misc/fung-ping-shan-library-museum.md. Reference areas 00–12 within this repository record facts as they stand.

# 1. The starting point: two rooms in 1912

• According to the Wikipedia entry for HKU Libraries^※, the Main Library was founded in October 1912, initially housed in two rooms totalling roughly 288 square metres;
• According to the same entry^※, HKUL is the oldest academic library in Hong Kong, as old as the University itself.

# 2. Expansion of the Main Library: Old Wing (1961) and New Wing (1991)

• According to the Wikipedia entry^※, the Old Wing of the Main Library opened in 1961 and was refurbished in 1992/93; the New Wing opened in 1991;
• According to the Wikipedia entry^※, the Main Library alone holds over 1.2 million volumes; it houses a Rare Book Room rich in materials on China and the Far East.
• 1961 was also the year the Chinese collections of Fung Ping Shan Library moved into the Main Library (see ../12-misc/fung-ping-shan-library-museum.md) — the opening of the Old Wing and the integration of the Chinese holdings were two landmarks of the same year.

# 3. The eight branch libraries: each with its own lineage

HKU Libraries is not a single building but a system of the Main Library plus multiple specialist branch libraries. The origins of each branch are worth noting:

Background: The Yu Chun Keung Medical Library's lineage reaching back to 1887 carries particular symbolic weight — it connects the medical strand of HKU Libraries directly to the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, where Sun Yat-sen studied (see ../00-overview/history.md). The naming of the branch libraries (after Yu Chun Keung, Lui Che Woo, Tin Ka Ping, and others) largely reflects donor recognition, a practice echoed throughout HKU's named-donation culture (see ../08-finances/benefactors-and-donors.md).

# 4. Scale and standing

• According to the Wikipedia entry^※, system-wide holdings total roughly 4 million volumes, over 24,000 periodicals, and more than 2,800 reader seats;
• According to the entry^※, HKUL is a member of the Joint University Librarians Advisory Committee (JULAC), sharing resources with other university libraries across Hong Kong.
• Its Special Collections, rich in Hong Kong research materials, rare books, and microforms, constitute an important repository for the study of Hong Kong and South China history — and are an indirect source for many of this repository's own historical investigations into the University.

According to the HKUL official Special Collections page^※, the Special Collections department is located on the first floor of the Main Library New Wing. Established in 1976, it is the core repository unit within the HKUL system dedicated to collecting materials related to Hong Kong and South China. It holds one of the largest dedicated Hong Kong-history collections in the territory, as well as Western-language rare book collections originating from sources such as the Hankow Club, the Morrison Education Society, and Sir Catchick Paul Chater — the oldest Western antiquarian holdings within HKU Libraries. The Chinese rare book holdings at Fung Ping Shan Library exceed 700 titles in 14,000 volumes, including Song- and Yuan-dynasty imprints, Ming-dynasty woodblock illustrations, and Qing-dynasty manuscripts, forming one of the largest Chinese rare book collections in Hong Kong. Since 1993, the Medical Library has served as a World Health Organization (WHO) depository library, primarily supporting the teaching and research needs of HKU's Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.

# 5. 2022: registration required for some “politically sensitive books”

The openness of HKU Libraries has undergone one publicly verifiable policy shift in recent years. According to an exclusive 2022 report by Hong Kong Free Press^※, HKU Libraries began requiring readers to register before accessing certain “politically sensitive” books; the report noted that these books had previously been freely borrowable, and the adjustment introduced an additional registration step. This change occurred against the backdrop of shifts in the wider social climate following the implementation of Hong Kong's National Security Law (2020). The specific titles involved and detailed registration protocols have not been publicly itemised by HKU. The report was presented in “exclusive” form and the degree of cross-verification by other media outlets or by the University itself is limited. Veracity assessment: single source; the facts are relayed as reported, without extended commentary. This episode forms a juxtaposition against the century-long positioning of HKU Libraries as “open special collections in support of Hong Kong and South China research” (noted in the preceding section); readers may draw their own conclusions about the tension.

# Unverified / To be confirmed

• Number of branch libraries (8) and current listing: This article follows the Wikipedia listing; the most up-to-date branch listing (including the Digital Art Library newly established in 2024) should be checked against the official HKUL website.
• Precise definition of total holdings: Different sources use different definitions — “Main Library only vs. system-wide”, “physical vs. including electronic”. This article uses the approximate figure of “roughly 4 million volumes system-wide”.
• Details of named donors for each branch library: This article lists only the year of origin; for donor details see ../08-finances/benefactors-and-donors.md.