Bulletin Spring‧Summer Autumn‧Winter 1999

Careers Library Refurbished to Provide Better Facilities for Career Planning Background The Careers Library is a resource centre at the University's Office of Student Affairs supporting the career guidance and jo b placement programmes of it s Appointments Service. Situated on the second floor of the Benjamin Franklin Centre, it was first set up in 1979 and has been one of the most frequently utilized student facilities on campus. Its collection of reference materials is much consulted not only by final-year students but also recent graduates and students of the junior years who show an early awareness of the importance of career planning. In recent years the need for the library to be expanded and improved as a response to increasing student numbers and the rising degree of sophistication of the job search process became keenly felt, and the Appointments Board, an advisory committee to the University on graduate employment, took the initiative to raise funds to refurbish the library in 1989. With generous support from various business and charitable organizations, most of which have been recruiters of CUHK graduates for years, a total of $710,000 was procured. Improvement work began in the summer of 1989 and the refurbished library with a wide range of new facilities was opened to users in early 1990. Facilities The library houses a CAREER INFORMATION collection: mainly publications (reports, statements, periodical publications) of major government departments, business corporations and social service organizations which are current or potential recruiters of graduates. In addition there are books on individual career fields, and on career planning and job search techniques. The library is also an information centre for POSTGRADUATE STUDIES. Reference materials it holds include comprehensive guides to postgraduate studies in USA, UK, Canada and Australia, scholarship guides, manuals of major qualifying tests (GRE, GMAT, TOEFL), and the prospectuses of about 1,000 overseas universities. The library also distributes application forms for various tests. The most important feature of the library refurbishment programme is the computerized JOB I N F O R M A T I O N system. Using the terminals of a Local Area Network, students may access up-to-date information about job vacancies available, and retrieve information about the history, background and operation of the major graduate recruiters. The system also allows for notices and instructions to students issued by the Appointments Service to be accessible on screen. CURRENT AFFAIRS materials including newspaper cuttings, an extensive range of magazines, as well as papers and reports published by the government and other public sector organizations are available to all users. Students can borrow AUDIO-VISUAL materials including tape and video recordings of career talks, seminars, workshops and simulated interviews. Also available are videos on various aspects of career planning and job search produced by professional consultancies. Special playback facilities are installed in the library. A computerized CAREER GUIDANCE programme will help students match their inclinations and attributes with the requirements of the major career fields. During term time the library is open Monday through Saturday. Students who have problems in using the library facilities, or who wish to have a more elaborate discussion of their findings, may approach the COUNSELLORS for advice. Electronic typewriters are also available in the library for the preparation of job applications and related documents. S T U D E N TS 23