A Treasure Trove of Resources: Rankin Memorial Library
Rankin Memorial Library is a treasure trove of teaching and research resources for HKBTS. It is our strong academic backbone supporting the studies and research of our teachers, students, and alumni; it is inextricably intertwined with the long-term development of the seminary’s teaching and research work.
Looking back on history, there has been a library in HKBTS ever since its establishment in 1951, when the seminary moved from Stirling Road to Pok Oi Chuen in Kowloon City. It was named “Rankin Memorial Library” in 1953 to commemorate the evangelical efforts in China made by Dr. Milledge Theron Rankin (1894-1953), the Executive Secretary of the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1958, the library was relocated to 1 Homantin Hill Road, along with the campus premises. In 1999, the library was relocated again to the current Sai O Campus together with the campus premises. Its extension works were then completed in March 2006. Currently, the library, with an area of 750 square meters, is located on the second floor of the Administration and Education Block on our Sai O Campus. The number and types of books in its collections rank among the top libraries in Hong Kong seminaries.
Ample Academic Resources
Rankin Memorial Library has rich collections falling into diverse categories. Currently, there are nearly 130,000 Chinese and English books, 230 periodical titles, 6,440 bound journals, over 230 theses, 34,900 eBooks, 1260 eJournal titles, 12,200 AV materials, and 840 CD-ROM discs. With its collections of over 180,000 items, it is one of the libraries among local seminaries with the most abundant resources.
In addition to biblical and theological information, the library also provides books and information from other disciplines like literature, history, philosophy, art, and social sciences to our teachers, students, and alumni. The library’s collections are constantly expanding. Every month, the library purchases approximately 200 newly-published Chinese and English books, which are displayed in the “New Book Display” corner so as to ensure users can access sufficient resources to conduct research and read the academic research of others. Many graduate students say that the abundant library resources are highly conducive to their study and research.
What is more, the library has two special collections. One is the Curriculum Lab containing Sunday School teaching materials; currently available for users’ use in Bible teaching and religious education are Sunday School courses designed for various ages and learning stages, including puppets and pictorial teaching kits. The other collection is the Hong Kong Baptist Archive, which contains publications of the Baptist Convention, special anniversary publications of various Baptist churches and organizations, literature about Baptists, and historical records of the seminary. All these amount to 3,100 items and are precious reference materials about the history of local Baptists.
In addition, as we are a member of the Hong Kong Theological Education Association, apart from the right to use the resources of our library, our users may also use the inter-library loan service to borrow the books collected in other member libraries of the Association, hence expanding the amount of available resources.
Development of Electronic Library
Along with contemporary advances in technology, more and more learning resources are being digitalized. Since June 2019, the library has adopted a new generation of Alma with Primo library management system in replacement of the Dynix System, which had been used for over two decades. The new system is more user-friendly, allowing users to gain access to information concerning printed materials and electronic resources through a single interface. Search queries for information about the library materials can be conducted by title, author, subject, keyword, or even the table of content of books; inquiries about call numbers and loan status can be made; loan renewal or book reservation can also be done by the users.
The library also keeps expanding and updating its electronic databases. Currently, the library has subscribed to six full-text online electronic databases; in addition to eBooks and eJournals, there are over 2.4 million records of academic writings or research information. Users can access such information freely through the Internet anytime and anywhere for their research work, which is very convenient. Besides, the library has purchased a large quantity of multi-media CD-ROM discs, containing contents like encyclopedias, dictionaries, Bible study aids and commentaries, Bible maps, periodical indices, collections of sermons, theologians’ information, classical writings, and comparative religion resources for use in the library.
A Comfortable Study Environment
Tranquil and peaceful, the library offers a suitable environment for users to study. It accommodates 35 study seats. Master of Theology (Th.M.) and Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) students may apply for a fixed study seat for a personalized space for study and writing of dissertations. With the completion of the new academic building, the study space for graduate students will be greatly increased. Additionally, there is a tutorial room in the library, where group discussions or meetings for 2 to 10 persons can be conducted. Mr. Lam Kin-man said the utility rate of the tutorial room had been very high, with a considerable number of students reserving the room for group discussion or preparation for their assignments.
A Further Step amidst the Pandemic
Over the past two years, the COVID-19 situation has been unstable. As a result, the seminary has to take anti-epidemic measures accordingly and sometimes the library can only be open for limited hours. However, to facilitate the study and research of students and alumni, the library makes every endeavor to keep its opening hours normal until the evening. Sometimes, when alumni cannot enter the campus owing to anti-epidemic restrictions, the library staff are willing to go the extra mile to clear the book loan or return procedures for them at the main entrance of the seminary when prior notice is given by phone. While there may be more restrictions on using the library, Mr. Lam said that the borrowing rate remained stable. With help from staff, as well as the support of our rich electronic resources, teachers, students, and alumni are still able to make good use of the library resources.
Way Forward: Expansion of Resources and Space
Looking ahead, both of our Associate Deans believe that the development of the library is of crucial importance to the growth of the seminary. Prof. Nathan Ng said that there are two key factors determining the academic development of a seminary: the faculty and the library resources. These are important cores of academic study resources. Good faculty and books will continue to attract students to study at the seminary. The library is therefore indispensable in the seminary’s teaching and research work. Currently, the stock of the seminary’s library is among the richest of local seminaries; having said that, efforts have to be kept up to acquire books and electronic resources according to the needs and research direction of the seminary.
Talking about the digitalization of library resources, Prof. Ng pointed out that printed books are indispensable despite the current trend of library digitalization. While eBooks are easier to borrow and search for teachers and students and take up less space, Chinese and English books have to be bought every year as the digitalization of Chinese Christian publications is still uncommon. Prof. Wong Fook-kong agreed with this view. During the pandemic, he saw students and alumni facing limitations in borrowing books from the library, hence the importance of eBooks. He saw the need to think of ways to expand the library’s electronic resources so as to facilitate students in borrowing the information they need. Nevertheless, he also believed that the development of electronic resources for Chinese Christian publications is still lagging behind those of the English world in terms of popularity and user-friendliness.
To increase the stock of the library, space is an essential factor for consideration. Besides the digitalization of library resources, another option in the pipeline is the re-planning of the use of the existing space of the library. With the completion of the new academic building, the existing campus space will be re-developed, hence new planning for the space use within the library so that more space can be made available for the accommodation of books. Prof. Wong also suggested placing copies of learning resources related to the curriculum somewhere outside the campus for students’ easy borrowing. Prof. Ng said the seminary actually has similar practices at present. For example, there is a small-scale library in the Lay Theological Education Department in Mongkok, where copies of books and information are kept.
Looking back at the past seven decades, from its development in Pok Oi Chuen as a simple room on the seminary premises into the current spacious and quiet academic treasure trove, the HKBTS library has been living up to its mission, being committed to providing the best learning environment and richest academic resources for teachers, scholars, and students of every generation. Mr. Lam said that the library would continue to play its role in supporting theological education at the seminary and would make efforts to increase the stock of suitable books and electronic resources in response to the seminary’s curriculum, teaching, and research work of our teachers as well as the learning needs of our students, providing core hardware and a strong backing on the path of academic development of the seminary.
