Gutenberg invented the mechanical movable type printing press in the 15th century. Dubbed the first media revolution, it invigorated the development of Europian academia. In 1971, the idea of an information network system began to take shape. University of Illinois student Michael Hart came up with the idea of using a computer to set up a digital library and digitizing print publications so they can be available to more people. He input the entire United States Declaration of Independence word by word, marking the beginning of Project Gutenberg, the world’s first electronic library. In the 1990s, the question of how the Internet could advance academic information became a hot topic, and this started the open-access movement. This issue of the Newsletter talks about the concept of open-access and how the University Library has begun making its Rare Book Collection open and free for all. The Internet may be able to take information far, yet communication and understanding between communities and countries still rely on face-to-face encounters as is well demonstrated by Miss Ecuador (UK) Lisset Jaramillo Centeno, a tourism student at CUHK. Read about the passion and persistence of this brainy beauty queen in 'Thus Spake …'.